The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
As I mentioned yesterday when introducing this week's Cook the Book feature, James Peterson's What's a Cook to Do?
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The trick is to use the best cheese you can find, such as aged Gouda or real English cheddar.
For a Closed-Face Sandwich
1. Melt butter in a nonstick pan over low heat.
2. Butter one of two slices of bread, then add a slice of your favorite cheese. Assemble.
3. Put the sandwich in the bottom of the pan and cover the pan.
4. Cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Check every few minutes to make sure the heat isn't too high and causing the underside of the sandwich to burn.
5. When the underside of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melting out the sides, turn over the sandwich and brown the other side over medium heat.
For an Open-Face Sandwich
1. Toast crusty bread slices on one side under the broiler.
2. Turn over the slice and put cheese slices on the untoasted side; slide the bread and cheese under the broiler.
3. Watch closely until the cheese melts, bubbles up, and lightly browns.
Photograph from iStockPhoto.com
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15 Comments:
Ok, I sooo know what I am having for dinner tonight. :-)
mel at 7:07PM on 05/22/07
Has Pete Wells read this...
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22cheese+sandwich+chronicles
:)
Graham Holliday at 9:13AM on 05/23/07
I'm actually a big fan of Alton Brown's method of pressing the sandwich between two heated cast iron skillets. My kids don't go fr the mustard he suggests and they are usually quite happy with two slices of whole wheat bread.
crackblind at 9:27AM on 05/23/07
Echoing Graham's comment...
You know, Ed, this will set food bloggers' minds off remembering the great cheese sandwich debate of Feb. '06.
It was quite the unifying thing, I must say. Nearly bought a t-shirt. Instead, I bought a "Gimme Pancakes" shirt from Robyn, The Girl Who Ate Everything.
hereandthe at 12:25PM on 05/23/07
My problem with grilled cheese is never getting the cheese slices to fit the bread properly and ending up uneven. After a tip from somewhere (I can't remember where now), I started shredding the cheese using the largest shred size on my shredder. Piling it on the bread that way results in cheese levels much easier to control. Of course, this does mean that sometimes errant shreds of cheese spill a little out of the sandwich and get browned, but I've learned to love that....
proccers at 2:09PM on 05/23/07
Yay! Hopefully I will be able to make this sandwich without screwing it up!
jenki at 8:19PM on 05/23/07
I was raised with the above recipe with a smear of mayo (Cains brand), and I have never looked back. I know the "hot mayo" haters will reel backwards with disgust but I don't care HA-HA!
BreweRepublic at 1:07PM on 05/15/08
The ultimate grilled cheese sandwich includes either dijon mustard smeared on the inside of the sandwich, or worstershire sauce sprinkled inside, or quite possibly including sauteed onions.
The recipe presented here just gives you a good ordinary grilled cheese, exactly as good as all the other ordinary grilled cheeses.
kololo at 3:54PM on 05/15/08
Looks good! But add a thin slice of ham and one of a perfectly ripe tomato, and you will know perfection.
ruthy at 3:57PM on 05/15/08
@BreweRepublic:
Are you talking about mayo inside or outside? I always make it with mayo smeared on the outside instead of butter. It gives the sandwich WAY more flavor.
deeoh1 at 9:49AM on 05/16/08
What's the deal with buttering only one of the two slices of bread. Also, is it buttering both sides or just one? And if just one, then the inside or outside? When you stick it in the pan...does the already buttered slice go first or second?
wunami at 12:55PM on 05/17/08
I thought all of you grilled cheese connoisseurs would appreciate this:
http://www.grilledcheeseinvitational.com/
ChristineB at 3:02PM on 05/18/08
@wunami: My style is to butter BOTH sides of both slices of bread - makes it extra good. Most people I know only butter the outside of the bread though.
Another tip - don't try to be healthy and use Smart Balance or other type of 'butter substance'. That stuff will never brown and just gets the bread soggy.
raiderdav at 6:08PM on 05/18/08
Sigh... why does no one get the true secret to a perfect grilled cheese sandwich? The trick is this. Butter ALL FOUR SIDES of two pieces of bread. Then put the two pieces of bread in the pan until the pan-sides are crisp.
Then, flip both slices of bread over and put the cheese on top of one of the slices THAT WAS JUST COOKED. Then put the OTHER cooked side on top of the cheese. Cook sandwich as you normally would.
By putting the cheese between two HOT sides of bread instead of between cold sides, the cheese is perfectly melted by the time the bread is crisp on the outside.
Two advantages -- you don't have to wait so long or constantly check to see if you are burning the bread AND you get even more of the delicious crispy crunch, which is the true joy of a grilled cheese sandwich.
jb_dc at 12:51PM on 05/20/08
Aw, man! I totally need to learn how to deglaze plans! In Poland we're too lazy to butter four sides of bread, so we just make grzanki - an open faced grilled cheese toasted in the oven, then slathered with mayonnaise (ew) and ketchup (double ew). American grilled cheese is WAY better. Especially with Sriracha.
mballena at 3:45PM on 05/20/08