# How do you make grilled cheese? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447 "2012-01-05T01:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/41 "2012-01-05T17:35:47Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Butter the bread on the outside, insert cheese, fry. > > I’ve also heated some olive oil, and fried up an unbuttered cheese sandwich in that. Pretty tasty, especially when I used 7 year old cheddar. > [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > George Foreman here too. I make more grilled cheese on it than I do burgers. Butter the bread, unwrap cheeze slices, add mustard and pickles, let George do his thing. Mmmm… 😃 > [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > Pam in the pan, real butter on the bread, American cheese between the bread. Pan on medium heat, for maximum browning but not burning. > And it must be served with Campbell’s tomato soup for dipping. Campbells Tomato soup definitly , it seems _wrong_ to not have the soup. Good sharp cheddar, yes. I can’t stand boring cheese. Slice of good am optional, also optional is a smear of Major Grey’s Chutney or good grainy mustard. Butter the outside of the bread, fry in dry pan gently until golden on both sides. Start with covering the pan to steam it lightly to melt the cheese, then uncover to brown both sides. I wish I coul dmanage to eat them more than a couple times a year - I am in the fabulous Fs\* for gallbladder issues, and diabetic so I watch what I eat very carefully. - > [@](#): > > Usually the patient is Fatty, Female (gallstones are more common in females), Fertile (women having more than two babies bear more chance for gallstones), over Forty years of age and she is Flatulent (due to disturbed fat digestion). This is often called the ’5 Fs’ of gallstone. Though I had 2 stillborns, and am not really flatulant unless I eat beans, onions or dairy:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/42 "2012-01-05T17:48:11Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Campbells Tomato soup definitly , it seems _wrong_ to not have the soup. My go-to soup with grilled cheese (and I agree it’s recommended, though not mandatory, to have soup) has become: > **[Amazon.com : Wolfgang Puck Organic Creamy Tomato Soup, 14.5 Ounce (Pack of 12) :...](https://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Puck-Organic-Creamy-Tomato/dp/B000EM2PH0)** > > Product Description Wolfgang Puck Organic Creamy Tomato Soup is a smooth, hearty soup made by simmering organic tomato puree, organic heavy cream, butter and spices. Garnish with croutons and a swirl of pesto to enhance the flavor. ... Not really trying to be snobby – it turns out Puck’s soup is in fact made by Campbells – but it just seems a bit more savory (less sweet?) than the red and white label variety. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/43 "2012-01-05T17:48:34Z")
Warm the cheese up first. Room-temperature cheese will melt faster and better. Butter in the pan, not too much. Lightly butter ONE of the pieces of bread. When you put the sandwich in the pan, the unbuttered slice goes on the bottom, soaking up the buttery goodness from the pan and turning golden brown and delicious. Then, flip it so that the buttered slice is down in the now-dry pan. It, too, will turn GB&D. Cut if you want, eat and enjoy. I find that this strikes a balance between, “Hey, my bread is all flat and soggy from too much butter!” and, “There’s not enough butter on the second piece!” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/44 "2012-01-05T18:53:39Z")
… Butter on bread (lightly spread) … 2 slices cheese … Grilled on both sides Sometimes I’ll cook some pepperoni slices (making them hard and crunchy) and put those on the sandwiches as well. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/45 "2012-01-05T19:16:52Z")
Butter on the outside, cheese on the inside. I think it needs to be stressed that a grilled cheese sandwich only has three ingredients: bread, cheese, and butter (or margarine if you prefer). Adding other ingredients may make for a dandy sandwich,but it’s not a grilled cheese sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/46 "2012-01-05T19:39:32Z")
Pre-build the sandwich (two slices of bread, enough cheese in a single, thick layer to cover the bread, tomatoes if desired). Butter a cast-iron skillet (medium-low heat) until melted, then add the sandwich. Place a plate atop the sandwich, and put a weight on the plate (I usually use several cans of beans or soup). Cook on one side for 3 minutes, then remove the sandwich, re-butter the skillet, and cook the other side of the sandwich for about 1.5 minutes (with plate/weights as well). Remove sandwich and enjoy. I got this recipe from the cookbook “How to Cook Anything” and it has served me very well. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/47 "2012-01-05T20:17:25Z")
Butter the pan. Drop two slices of bread in the pan. Toast one side. Pull the half-toasted bread out of the pan. Add more butter. Insert cheese between two slices of bread, toasted sides together. Pop sammich back into hot pan with newly melted butter. Flip, toast the other side. Serve with tomato soup. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/48 "2012-01-05T20:28:28Z")
I use mayo instead of butter on the outside. I prefer the taste it gives. You still get the fat and browning you get from butter plus yummy mayo tang. Good cheese inside, cheddar is best. I also like to add a little of a melting cheese for texture. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/49 "2012-01-05T20:35:18Z")
Wow a cooking subject that I can participate in ! Cheese on toast, if its the same thing. Toast one side of the slice(s) of bread under the grill. Turn over and put grated cheese, (Or in my case cheese that I’ve sliced off of a block) on untoasted side. Put under grill until cheese is melted and turning brown. I usually spice it up a little by putting tinned tomatos on top of the cheese with lots of pepper, or chilli powder. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/50 "2012-01-05T21:21:22Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I have made it 3 ways. The first and most delicious: butter one side of two breads, put cheese inbetween these two slices of bread, butter side out. Fry in dry frying pan. > > My aunt the lazy cooker taught me this way: Put cheese between two slices of bread. Melt a lot of margarine in a frying pan. Fry the cheese sandwich. > > Weight Watchers taught me this and this is the way I usually do it. Sadly, it is the least tasty way: Put cheese between two slices of bread. Put it, uncovered, in the oven (at 350 or so) on some foil. Remove when cheese is melted and bread is crunchy. I make it like your first option–butter both sides of bread. But I cook it in a Toas-tite! 😃 YUMMY!!! [http://www.toastite.biz/?gclid=CMrq1-jmua0CFcYRNAode2DYAw](http://www.toastite.biz/?gclid=CMrq1-jmua0CFcYRNAode2DYAw) Yeah, I’ve got an original one from the 40s since I’m that old! ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/51 "2012-01-06T01:52:59Z")
I don’t like tomatoes on a grilled cheese, but onions are awesome. Fried or raw, either works! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/52 "2012-01-06T02:18:32Z")
Absolutely no tomatoes on a grilled cheese for me. I love tomatoes, but not here. My cheese of choice tends to be muenster or even plain ol’ Kraft singles. Also, gimme the plain white Wonder-style bread. This is comfort food. I usually melt butter in the pan, fry one side, then stick some more butter in the pan, and fry the other side. However, I’ve been quite happy with a method I learned here on the Dope: put a thin coating of mayo on the outside of the sandwich before you fry it. This works surprisingly well, too, although you don’t get that butter flavor. If I want something a little more gussied up, then I’ll go for a croque monsieur or a croque madame, but, for me, a grilled cheese is the above. Nothing more. Nothing less. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/53 "2012-01-06T04:21:39Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > You did your [linky](http://i.imgur.com/Xhhgm.jpg) wrong. There is also the [ironing](http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Grilled-Cheese-Sandwich-with-an-Iron) method. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/54 "2012-01-06T14:53:11Z")
> [@Waenara](#): > > Aged cheddar cheese between two slices of bread that are buttered on the outside. I prefer sourdough bread or whole wheat bread. > > Fry in dry cast-iron frying pan on med-lowish heat. Don’t put the heat too high or the outside might get too toasted or even burnt before the cheese is totally melted. The only thing to do with a burnt grilled cheese sandwich is throw it out and start over, or possibly cut off the burnt part if it’s small. A couple times as a kid I remember my dad trying to convince me it was good enough to just scrape off the most burnt bits, but I never believed him. > > I don’t mind grilled cheese sandwiches with other stuff in them (e.g. bacon, or turkey slices, or whatever), but the ultimate grilled cheese for me is just the basic without other fillings. Every once in a while I get a craving for a basic grilled cheese sandwich with cream of tomato soup - childhood nostalgia meal for me. > > re: the crispy bits of cheese on the pan being the best part, I saw a recipe a few years ago for a grilled cheese sandwich that had parmesan cheese on the _outside_ - IIRC it was grated parmesan mixed with butter spread on the outside of the sandwich and then grilled to the parmesan melted and turned crispy. Has anyone ever tried that? The Parm-on-the-outside recipe might have been me; I know I’ve mentioned it here before as part of the “Triple grilled cheese” I used to get at some restaurant and adopted. It has cheddar ans a good Swiss inside, and the Parmesan sprinkled or pre-mixed out where it will crisp up. Also re the crispy bits: Shred enough cheese for a sandwich, spread in a cast-iron pan to the size of your bread, and drop one slice on top. When the cheese is crisp, flip it over to brown the bread. If you want, you can claim it’s low-cal because it only has half the bread. Or maybe go back for seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/55 "2012-01-06T15:40:03Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > this is the way I do it, except I use a sandwich press (actually a George Foreman grill, but you know, six of one…) Same here, though on a GF grill I use a lot less butter than on the frying pan. Alternate no-butter-required version: lightly toast a split English muffin; top each half with sharp cheddar, jack, and/or mozzarella and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!); broil until cheese bubbles and begins to brown. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/56 "2012-01-07T20:27:56Z")
For the method: Butter both sides of the sandwich, flip halfway through. For the ingredients: Cheddar and a sprinkling of rosemary. Sometimes I’ll add pickles or tomato, but if tomatoes are in season, I’m more likely to just make a tomato sandwich. And for an abomination the OP didn’t mention, in crowded cafeterias they’ll often fry the sandwich open, with the cheese on one half and both slices of bread on the grill at once, then assemble it as it’s taken off the grill. The problem is that the cheese only gets heated half as long this way, and doesn’t get properly melty. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/57 "2012-01-08T21:42:59Z")
Oat/multigrain bread, tomatoes and that fake Kraft singles “cheese”. I’m not keen on grilled cheese sandwiches unless they’re made with that crap fake cheese. I haven’t been wasted in a long time, but this was my go-to I’m carbing-off-the-alcohol diner order in my 20s. Along with a side of fries and diet coke or diner coffee, of course. Ugh, my gut is twisting thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/58 "2012-01-10T09:42:34Z")
I generally use cooking spray rather than butter. Then again, my current cooking spray is butter flavored. I’ve also made grilled cheese in a toaster–with a little bit of [fire insurance](http://www.amazon.com/Set-NoStick-Toast-Toaster-Bags/dp/B0012XGM92). I don’t know why they haven’t caught on, so I trumpet those from the rooftops. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/59 "2012-01-10T11:44:19Z")
Two slices of cheese (1 slice each of 2 of the following, depending on your mood: American, Velveeta, Cheddar, Swiss, Monterrey or Pepper Jack, Gruyere); insert between two slices of lightly toasted sourdough or Mountain bread; butter the outside of the top slice of toast; place sandwich bottom-side down in an iron skillet coated with sizzling real butter and Lawry’s Garlic Salt (wait till garlic salt begins to brown); smoosh lightly with spatula before flipping ; serve with Campbell’s Tomato soup or red curry bisque and a glass of ’04 or ’05 Duckhorn Merlot. When using a high melting-point cheese and thick sliced bread,pre-melt in microwave on high (1000-watt oven) for 12 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447/60 "2012-01-10T11:57:05Z")
…and do not bastardize this classic American sandwich by inserting any non-cheese ingredient between the bread (except perhaps a thin layer of black truffles), because that would be both gauche and pretentious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-grilled-cheese/608447.md?page=2)