I like mine made with Jewish rye. Otherwise, nothing exotic.
The absolute best cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich is those big blocks of “Government Cheese” that they give away for free… Is that still a thing? Absent that, though, any sort of cheddar or American will work. Alternately, you can replace half of the cheese with cream cheese: It’s not the same thing, but it’s good.
I usually add something else to the filling, as well. Thai sweet chili sauce is a favorite, but that stuff is basically just runny jam, and any other sort of jam also works. Sriracha is also fine, if I don’t have any Thai sweet. Pickles, of course, are also good.
All of those are cooked into the sandwich. Tomatoes are also good, but the rules are a little different for them. For tomato on a grilled cheese sandwich, you make the sandwich itself without the tomato, but with a layer of oregano and basil in between the slices of cheese (these help season it, of course, and also ensures that the cheese will pull apart). When it’s done, then you open it up, put the sliced tomato in between, and re-close it. That keeps the tomato fresh and raw.
Congratulations, you’ve re-invented cheese food. For all that everyone makes a fuss about it, “cheese food” just means two or more different cheeses blended together so they’ll melt better. All American cheese, incidentally, falls in this category.
I don’t like a “good” bread. I find they get too crusty and scratch my mouth insides too much. I like a little crisp, not crunch. Canadian White, maybe a butterbread. I use American cheese, but not individually wrapped kraft slices but the kind you get from the big block at the deli. One slice of American, one slice of provolone or cheddar or swiss. I like the blend of the two cheeses and no sandwich ever comes out exactly the same when I get a different brand or thickness of cheese and/or bread
A very reasonable POV. But…it’s a childhood nostalgia thing. While I enjoy a genuinely fancy grilled cheese, ye old Kraft Deli Deluxe has that nostalgia factor I can’t overcome. I simply can’t rate them below the fancier stuff.
The word everybody seems to be searching for is saganaki.
When using American cheese for some imitation purpose the critical point is the length of time on the grill. Resist the temptation to remove the curd when it starts to smoke. Leave it on the high heat until the charring stops. Then place in a suitable waste receptacle. A commendable service to humanity.
Yeah, no “wonder bread” (which is fine in some things)- bread with texture and character.
That works well.
Are you sure that it is mixing any cheeses together that improves melting? I thought that sodium citrate is the secret to a smooth melting quality.
I have read recipes that are fairly particular, with intended audiences that think of themselves as too sophisticated to stoop to using something like Velveeta. In such recipes, when they call for processed cheese/American cheese, there is usually a note sternly telling cooks to use the processed stuff, because the sodium citrate will enhance the results.
My kid worked in a lunch place in the financial district, and there was one menu special that outsold everything else.
I thought it was kind of cute that all those highly pressured young execs would go for grilled cheese. Not only that, but melted cheddar on white bread, with tomato soup.
They needed exactly what they’d had as “comfort food” as a kid.
Like BLTs I believe in keeping it simple. I stick to the basic recipe. White bread, butter, American cheese.
There may or may not be some other type of cheese involved, but there must be a sliced American cheese product in there somewhere no matter what. The classic yellow is preferred, but the white is acceptable.
Oh, I forgot about a couple of other things I do: Sometimes, I sprinkle cumin on the buttered side. In addition to flavor, it also, I think, improves the crispiness.
And sometimes, I sprinkle rosemary in the inside. But never both of these: The rosemary is only when I’m going with simple, tame flavors.
Sliced sourdough from a round, light coat of brown mustard on one side, 2-3 kinds of cheese (cheddar, colby pepper-jack, provolone, and havarti are good). Assemble sandwich and spray one side generously with EVOO and place oiled side down on a hot panini pan, put weighted lid on top of un-oiled side (otherwise it sticks), cook until browning and cheese appears melty around the edge. Remove lid and spray top side, then flip (tongs, not spatula, to keep it together) and use weighed lid again, cook until brown and crispy. Serve with dill pickles, and a little home made kraut.
No, no, no! It’s critical that the tomato be cooked and slightly runny. That’s what really makes it.
I enjoy a nice slice of raw tomato with a nice slice of raw mozzarella, and the usual seasonings. But that’s not “grilled cheese”.
This damned thread.
I tried to resist. Failed miserably.
Grilled sharp cheddar and ham for dinner.
Tomatoes on the side.
Mix of Kraft American and Swiss, with sliced onion added. I also add some precooked bacon most times.
I once ordered a grilled cheese and hash browns in a Waffle House somewhere in south Georgia. The waitress asked me if I wanted anything other than mayonnaise on it…
I was aghast!! Mayo on a grilled cheese? Who would presume such a thing? Yuck!!!
When I was a kid, it was white bread with American cheese and mozzarella and we always had it with Campbell’s tomato soup. Over the years, my tastes have changed, so mine is usually sharp cheddar on my homemade wheat bread, and if we’re having soup, it’ll usually be homemade split pea or vegetable. Sometimes I’ll use a different cheese or combination of cheeses, depending on my whim. Mr. Legend likes a smear of mayonnaise on the inside after the cheese is melted but before the sandwich is squished together; I find this so odd that even after 42 years, I forget about 25% of the time. Our daughter prefers a squishier bread, so she uses commercial white bread and Kraft Deli Deluxe cheese (I don’t know where I went wrong).
I also make fried egg sandwiches and tuna melts, but those aren’t grilled cheese even if they start with the same base, and I feel totally justified in having them in the same week as the grilled cheese.
Every now and then, I get an attack of nostalgia and make it the way my mom did, complete with the Campbell’s. And I just realized where my daughter acquired her taste for the throwback - her grandma used to make them for her!
I like plenty of sandwiches made with cheese. I also like a ‘grilled cheese sandwich’ specifically to consist of bread and cheese. The bread may be buttered, I haven’t tried mayo but have no objections, my mother had no idea people buttered the bread before grilling and that’s ok yet kinda dull, you can make it dorm style with a clothes iron if you want, the grilling method isn’t all that important. But that’s it, no other ingredients. Cut it up and serve it with whatever you want, put a slice of tomato on top, or cut it into triangles to dip in soup of the tomato variety if you like. A grilled ham and cheese is a delicious sandwich but it’s no longer a grilled cheese sandwich, and an uncooked cheese sandwich is also good in many forms but never a ‘grilled cheese sandwich’ to start with.
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To be clear… the mayo goes on the outside and is used in lieu of butter for browning the bread. It’s not inside like a condiment (at least as I make them.)
I’ve tried making them with Hellman’s and wasn’t all that impressed, though it absolutely does work. It’s a serviceable substitute if dairy butter is not available and a grilled cheese just has to be on the menu for some reason.
Velveeta is the WD40 of the cheese world, no self-respecting foodie would ever admit to using it*, but it does make the classic nostalgic white bread trailer-trash grilled cheese sammich. Mom always cut sandwiches in two triangle shape, and that first corner bite dipped in ketchup was always the best! LOL, thanks Mom.
- I like to use a small amount to help other types melt smoother.
The GC I’m most fond of is the classic white bread and american cheese. Fried slowly and gently, no crushing or pressing allowed. Evenly browned and crispy on the outside, fluffy and melty on the inside.