Grilled cheese is the classic American sandwich. Of course in its original incarnation, composed of wonder bread, cheese slices, and cooked in a pan, the grilled cheese contained neither cheese nor bread and wasn't even grilled. The beautiful thing about the grilled cheese is that its simple nature makes it super customizable. It's no surprise that like so many other cheap dishes, the grilled cheese has joined the gourmet ranks with restaurants using all manner of fancy cheeses, breads, oils, and ingredients.
For me, the grilled cheese will always remind me of the occasional Sunday lunch as a kid. My mom's were always perfect in my mind, nothing special, just good. Today they're still the perfect Sunday lunch, especially after a particularly long Saturday night.
A perfect grilled cheese really is an art form, and if not done right, it's a little too easy to end up with a cold cheese and carbon sandwich. Here's how to get it right every time.
* Start by warming your pan to just over MEDIUM heat
* Liberally butter (no margarine!) both the pan and one side of one of the pieces of bread all the way to the crust. Let the butter come up to room temperature for easy spreading, or warm it slightly in the pan
* Place the first buttered piece of bread in the pan, and immediately top with cheese. If you're using a lot of hard cheese, it might be a good idea to get a lid on it, but I find that this is usually unnecessary unless you're using too much heat
* As the cheese melts, butter the other piece of bread and assemble your sandwich
* By the time you're ready to flip, it should be almost the perfect color on the bottom
* Continue to cook until golden on both sides!
Some tips? A grilled cheese shouldn't be healthy. Save the brown bread for turkey sandwiches because it just doesn't caramelize like white. If you want to switch it up, I find that thick challah or brioche work particularly well. You can also try sourdough, but nothing beats a fresh croissant or even French toast grilled cheese if you're feeling particularly gluttonous. Experiment with cheeses, but always remember to grate them or cut them thinly. Soft cheeses will melt faster, so a combination of soft and thinly cut hard cheese is great. Think about flavor too - if you're using a strong cheese like blue or chevre, it might be nice to balance it with a milder cheese like Camembert or brie. In my mind though, nothing works better than a good sharp cheddar. If you're looking to add some other ingredients (basil, bacon, spinach, etc), it's best to cook both pieces of bread at the same time with a little cheese on both. That way the sandwich will stick around the ingredient and wont fall apart when you bite it.
Happy 'grilling',
Looks yummy!
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