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i'm a very ol' fashioned grilled cheese griller: plain white bread, buttered, with an even distribution of american (deli sliced, to my credit). they're so yummy, that when i make them for my kids, i can't resist taking a bite out of a corner before handing over the plate!

ok I go with Kristygarr .. plain white bread, buttered, Kraft deli delux white American but when it's done very carefully open it, spead with Hellmann's, put in some pickles, close it back up YUMMY!

peasant bread, whatever kind of cheese - fresh mozzarella, sharp cheddar, fontina - or one of my local cheeses -- with olive oil and a press.

sometimes, if the tomatoes are good i'll put on a couple of lightly salted slices .... and if the sundried tomatoes are good, i'll put a couple on the mozz or fontina.

a grilled cheese on a good flour tortilla doesn't suck, either. with a couple of slices of avocado & a dash of hot sauce.

I love iggy's! I'm partial to their francese loaf and ficelle (for general eating not necessarily for grilled cheese making).

I've been experimenting with different cheeses, though I think for nostalgic reasons (and meltiness - if that's even a word =P) I tend to lean towards good old Kraft singles. I've had some success with soft goat cheeses - so good when they're warm and I also like sharp cheddar as you mentioned above. I tend to avoid other fillings, though I'm a big fan of grilled cheese with tomato soup =)

The bread isn't that important to me, I'll eat just about any type on a cheese sandwich but if I had to live out my days with just one, I'd probably opt for basic white. The only other time I'd say that would be for French toast... Cheese should be medium cheddar, American, or a basic white. I generally spread with reserved bacon grease or softened butter. Recently I've transitioned to a blend of butter and olive oil. The biggest transformation for me came about a month ago in the cooking method. For sixty years I've cooked them in a cast iron skillet but while researching some ideas for doing a shift as a camp cook, I came across a recipe that calls for baking. Gave it a try and doubt I'll go back to the skillet. You can cook from one to 18 at a time in a standard oven. If there's an interest, I'll try to post a link to the site that turned me into a "baker" or you can do like I did and Google it..! Oh, and I often slip in a slice of ham before cooking and almost always finish off with mayonnaise. Tomato slices and lettuce go in when I'm feeling elegant or showing off ;~D

Ciabatta bread (or some other hearty white), sharp cheddar, sliced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, and a smear of mayo. Toast bread, then melt open face under broiler.

hearty whole wheat bread, with sharp cheddar and caramelized onions, cooked on a griddle w/ butter.

any bread, any cheese, butter or mayo (makes it tangy) spread on the outside and grilled over low temp til it is crisp and melted...although I don't think a "bad" grilled cheese could ever exist, it is disappointing when the cheese is solid in the middle.

And I want therealchiffonade's bf to visit me for a grilled cheese sampling party!!!

Whole wheat sandwich bread, buttered on the outsides, with colby-jack cheese--it's nice and melty with just the right amount of sharpness. I lay a slice of cheese on each slice of bread, grill until the cheese starts to melt, then put the two together.

@chelle3230 - I'm with you! Any cheese, any bread. I've never met a grilled cheese I didn't like.

Handmade raisin bread with a sharp Vermont cheddar is a particularly good combination. The classic American cheese (i grew up on sliced land o' lakes from the deli section - i go for more natural options these days) on a fluffy white bread, grilled in butter on the stove is really the gold standard, though.

I can't wait until lunchtime now!

As long as I can dip it in bread n' butter pickle brine while I'm eating it, the bread and cheese are inconsequential!

I'm not choosy about the bread. I like sourdough, pumpernickle or rye best - although I made a 3 mustard loaf a couple months back that toasted really well and gave all the sandwiches we made with it a little something extra. If I have the foresight to take the butter out ahead of time to soften, then I spread it directly on the bread and grill away in the pan. Otherwise, I melt the butter in the pan and fry the constructed sandwich. My cheese preference is Land o' Lakes American (if I'm going the childhood comfort food route) or Jarlsberg (with or without ham in the sandwich). No tomato in my grilled cheese, please (but a runny fried egg is ok)!

any bread, any cheese, with mayo instead of butter :P

American on whole wheat, dry, cooked in the toaster oven. I eat it almost every day for breakfast.

My favorite grilled cheese is actually a variation on Welsh rabbit:
- sharp cheddar cheese
- some dried mustard
- some Worcestershire sauce
- (optional) a little mayonnaise
- toast (start with any bread you like, not too thick)

I grate the cheese, mix in the other ingredients -- the mayo makes is smoother & more spreadable -- then spread it on toast and broil open-faced for a minute or 2 till it's browned and bubbly.

Old fashioned Velveeta slices on white with butter for the hubby. Me? Swiss, ham, and tomato in a panini press with a funky kind of mustard or mayo...yum. And healthy!

My favorite thing for breakfast. Rye bread and plain old sliced American Yummy

OOO! I actually read this as cheese that was pan fried on its own, like Greek saganaki (set on fire and ugnh, marry me).

But, okay as a "grilled cheese", I love a melty strong cheese like Jarlsberg swiss, plus jalapenos and tomato. I'm gleaking just thinking about it!!

Rye Bread, Buttered with Sliced Mozzarella and Raspberry Jam

To this day my favorite is a simple mozzarella grilled up on any type of crusty bread. I like butter or olive oil.

And I'll even eat it with tomato soup! :)

Honey whole wheat bread, provolone cheese, a panini press (actually I use a Foreman because I don't have a dedicated panini press), and a bowl of tomato soup. No butter necessary, soup is welcome to be a can of Campbell's condensed sodium-bomb, and occasionally the provolone gets swapped out for fake melty stuff.

Count me in with the old fashioned crowd. All that hoidy toidy stuff is not what a true Grill cheese is all about . You guys are making something entirely different. All be it, much of it does sound good.

To a few old fashioned fans, I mus ask, mayo on a grill cheese? I don't like mayo at all, so of course I think it's nuts, but I've never seen anyone do it before either, so I am left with that funny confused look on my face.

On a personal level, I like mine well buttered with American or Cheddar cheese. I prefer to make mine in a cast iron skillet and before it's done, squish it nice and thin. I've been known to make a few on my charcoal grill as well, and they always come out wonderful. Take note, that I have cast iron grates on my grill as well.

Raiders757..................want the mayo scoop? use it instead of butter on the outside of the bread, then when it is grilled you get a tangy crust---think "my wheat bread tastes kind of like sourdough?!?" I know it sounds crazy, but I had a scrumptious grilled cheese at a diner and asked what kind of bread- they told me the mayo secret and you would never guess guess it was mayo!

@joylissa - mayo as the "outer" butter or "inner" butter...or both?
I'M INTREGUED!

I make grilled cheese as my father taught me - on a waffle iron. Not the kind used for Belgium waffles but an old time waffle iron.

Supermarket white or whole wheat bread, though sometimes I use Philadelphia's Metroplitan Bakery's whole grain bread. A healthy smear of soft and real butter on the sides meeting the grill.

Sliceable aged cheddar cheese - cut thick - enough to cover one piece of bread.

Optional, but should be mandatory - in-season tomatoes, the ones that still taste like tomatoes, and leftover baked ham. There should always be leftover baked ham in the fridge.

Fold the sandwich together, buttered sides out, and place on the heated waffle iron. Close the top and be patient. The sandwich is done when the bread is buttery crisp and the cheese starts melting onto the waffle iron's crevices.

Serve with waffle iron chese scrapings on the side. Those obsessed with such things, and I seem to be, will appreciate the grid network on the sandwich which promotes an orderly section by section and row by row consumption.

All of the mentions of raspberry or other types of jam made me think of my favorite type of grilled cheese sandwich on steroids... the Monte Christo.
I have never made one as good as the ones served to me by a waiter, and the best I have had were served in Las Vegas.
At home, it's sharp cheddar, sour dough, butter on the outside and mayo & mustard on the inside. Nothing to it!