I Tried 'The Moist Maker' Sandwich from 'Friends' and I Now Understand Why Ross Was So Upset
The Moist Maker Sandwich
Even if you're not a serious fan of Friends, this sandwich is bound to become your new favorite (Thanksgiving or not). It's called the "Moist Maker," and it's from 2020's Friends: The Official Cookbook.
I have to admit that before stumbling upon this recipe, I’d never seen the particular episode of Friends where the sandwich is talked about. Before I got to work on making it for myself, however, I knew I needed to see why the sandwich was so important. So, I hurried to find season 5, episode 9 — "The One with Ross's Sandwich" — and sat down for a half hour of laughs to prepare for what could become the biggest (and best) sandwich of my entire life.
As I listened to Ross wax poetic about the deliciousness of Monica‘s leftover sandwich, I knew I had to make this sandwich immediately. In the episode, Ross gets pretty ticked off at his boss for stealing the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich that Monica made for him out of the office fridge. And one of the reasons why he got so upset is because this sandwich holds the Geller family trick: a gravy-soaked slice of bread in the middle of the whole thing.
Once the episode was over, I grabbed my leftover two-bread stuffing, made a delicious turkey breast in the air fryer and gathered the rest of the ingredients I needed.
Get the recipe: The Moist Maker
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Ingredients for The Moist Maker Sandwich
You're going to need leftover turkey and stuffing (1 serving or so of each), leftover gravy, cranberry sauce, romaine lettuce, mayo (optional) and three slices of white sandwich bread (I used sourdough).
How to Make The Moist Maker Sandwich
This sandwich is pretty easy to assemble once you have all of your ingredients. Take one slice of bread and layer on mayo (if using), romaine, half the turkey and half the stuffing. Dip one slice of bread into the gravy and place on top of the stuffing. Then take another leaf or two of romaine, the remaining turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce and top with the third slice of bread. You're also going to need a large toothpick to hold this baby together, so make sure you have one handy.
What I Thought of Monica's Moist Maker Sandwich
I was excited to use my leftover two-bread stuffing for this sandwich since I loved it so much. It took no time at all to grab and roast a turkey breast in my air fryer and buy a little cranberry sauce, sourdough and gravy from my local market. And if you had all of these ingredients leftover from Thanksgiving, it'll be even easier to recreate.
In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing bad about this sandwich. It was all the warm, comforting bites of Thanksgiving in one mouthful. And while Ross never specified in the episode if his sandwich was warm or cold (but since it was in the office fridge, I'm guessing cold), I heated mine up and it was heavenly. It was kind of like loading up your fork with tiny little bites of everything on your Thanksgiving plate all at once.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
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The middle layer, which was the bread soaked in gravy, held onto the rich flavor and added some much-needed moisture in the best way possible. And, it doesn’t gush out all over and ruin your day-after-Thanksgiving uniform (aka pajamas.
I will say though, that this is one enormous sandwich—as in a triple-decker, napkin-in-the-lap, knife-and-forker serious kind of sandwich. It's not one for the faint of heart (or stomach), but it is one of the tastiest ways to make use of all of your leftovers.
Tips for Making Monica's Moist Maker Sandwich
1. Grab your biggest toothpicks. This one is difficult to make without holding it together, so you'll need some large sandwich picks.
2. Use what you have. Don't worry if you don't have exact amounts; the key is the gravy-soaked bread here. So, sub out whatever you have leftover from your festivities; you will not be disappointed.
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