What is a sandwich, exactly? Are there rules? People have written whole articles about this topic, because it’s a source of debate. Is a burger a sandwich? A burrito? A quesadilla?
If we’re going by the Merriam-Webster definition — “two pieces of bread with something (such as meat, peanut butter, etc.) between them” — then we’re just not sure the Sandwich Knife makes sandwiches. See, the knife is the brainchild of Gary Ehasoo, who loves sandwiches as much as Joey Tribbiani. He stuffs them so full of ingredients — jerk chicken, avocado, peppers, pea shoots, lettuce, cheese, and spiced mayo — that the fresh bread he uses simply can’t contain it all. Out drops a piece of lettuce. Avocado ends up on the plate.
To solve the problem, he invented a new kind of knife — the Sandwich Knife. It’s essentially two differently sized, stainless steel bread knives conjoined. One cuts a hunk of bread all the way down to the cutting board, the other saws the chunk in half not quite all the way. This leaves the bread sliced but still connected. Unlike a pita, its sides are open, almost like a clam shell. The connective crust of bread means your salami won’t slide out the bottom of your sandwich. Ehasso also points out that crust-haters can easily discard the final crusty bite more easily.
It’s genius (and achieves something you could probably do without a special knife), but does it render its final product something besides a sandwich? It’s not made of two slices of bread; it’s one piece, folded in half. You see our conundrum. Maybe we should call the resulting creation an Ehassoo?
If you’d like to get your paws on the “Sandwich” Knife, you can head over to Kickstarter. Early birds can get one for $38 and have it by October. The gadget will eventually retail for $54.