Soggy sandwich? It's the steam, not the soup.

Your sandwich gets soggy from steam and wet ingredients touching the bread — not from the soup itself. Solve those two things and you can pack soup and a sandwich together all week.

First, the soup goes in a proper leakproof thermos, not a Tupperware that might pop open in a bag. If hot soup is even slightly loose, forget it — that’s a crime scene waiting to happen. Also, don’t nestle a fresh hot thermos right against the sandwich in an insulated lunchbox. Heat creates condensation, and condensation is what kills bread.

Second, build a barrier on the bread. Butter or mayo on both inner slices before you add fillings — that fat layer repels moisture. It’s the classic trick and it works. For anything wet like tomatoes, pickles, or washed lettuce, pack those in a tiny separate container and assemble at lunch. And wrap the sandwich in parchment or a paper bag, not plastic wrap, because plastic traps the sweat and makes bread go limp.

A little extra effort in the morning beats sad bread at noon.