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The Ten Most Recent Comments By eliah

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Using mayo on the outside of the bread, instead of butter, works wonders. It doesn't taste mayonnaise-y at all, but it vastly improves the texture of the sandwich.

eliah at 5:47PM on 04/15/08

From Recipes

Cocktails: Manhattan

Well, that depends on who you ask; Wikipedia claims, for instance, that the original Manhattan was made with American whiskey. I make mine with Maker's Mark, following those exact proportions above (though I don't usually bother with the orange), and it's my favorite drink. Damn tasty.

eliah at 12:21PM on 01/30/08

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Techniques of Healthy Cooking'

Grilled eggplant with raw garlic, lemon, and parsley

eliah at 2:49PM on 01/14/08

From Recipes

EVO and Yogurt Loaf Cake

Out of curiosity, why "place the pan on a lined baking sheet"?

eliah at 4:51PM on 01/10/08

From Serious Eats

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Bacon of the Month Club

Pliant, but I don't think I've ever refused crispy bacon.

eliah at 1:19PM on 12/28/07

From Serious Eats

Serious Eats Gift Guide: For the Baker

Alright, (re: JerzeeTomato) I agree that perhaps the methodology was not the best. But I don't think you're interpreting the results correctly, Dorie. *If* the testing is sound, and finds that fake is best, that doesn't mean just that there are some things fake won't ruin; it means that fake is best, period, and you won't get an improvement switching to real. But yeah, it would have been nice to see some other vanilla testing vehicles.

eliah at 9:55AM on 12/08/07

From Serious Eats

Serious Eats Gift Guide: For the Baker

I'm as surprised as anybody by this, but Cooks Illustrated recently did a vanilla test, and found that artificial vanilla was rated highest in a blind test. Since seeing that, I've been using the fake stuff in all my cooking, and honestly haven't noticed any negative effects.

eliah at 2:11PM on 12/07/07

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: Vegetarian Suppers

This time of year, anything with butternut squash, like a thick soup or just roasted squash with any of a number of seasonings. I'm also quite partial to the various Japanese noodle soups -- udon, ramen, etc.

eliah at 11:33AM on 11/20/07

Responses to Comments by eliah

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

third on the outside mayo tip.

avisualperson at 6:47PM on 04/22/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Purists don't look, but when I was little my favorite was a "pizza grilled cheese" sandwich: marinara sauce and mozzarella on Jewish rye, buttered and fried. It might not be a "real" grilled cheese, but it comes darn close to my favorite comfort sandwich.

natty at 3:39AM on 04/22/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

And I forgot...try it with Rye sometime....

tigger at 5:56PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

At least three cheeses,and try putting fresh tomato and sweet onion in before grilling..and being from the south mayo as always...

tigger at 5:55PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

i like to mix in some garlic powder with the butter on the outsides of the sammich. then fry it on high heat so it almost burns. so tasty!

boltchloer at 5:43PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

My dad's specialty was a split-cheese sandwich- lightly toast white bread, make a slit almost to the bottom but keep three edges intact, spread inside with mustard and slip in sliced imported swiss cheese and then pan-fry in butter. Quite delicious to this day!

deefine at 3:11PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Grown up version - Really sharp cheddar, Brownberry whole wheat bread, put open faced in toaster oven on "Toast" till it dings, then smoosh together.

Childhood memory version - Pepperidge Farm white bread, Kraft singles, made in a small nonstick skillet with Parkay spread on the outside. I used to eat the middles and dip the crispy margarine crusts in my chocolate milk.

akk328 at 1:37PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Though I love my Wonder Bread and 3 Kraft Singles, I graduated to Havarti and a thin slice of turkey on rustic white bread, toasted and dipped in olive & garlic salsa.

elswinger at 1:33PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

My former sister-in-law taught me to spread the inside of the bread with mustard. What a revelation! At our house, we prefer Plochman's, which is a nice stone-ground German mustard spiked with horseradish.

For extra kick, I often add minced raw garlic. (Fun story: once, when our house was invaded by sand fleas, I found out that fleas hate the taste of garlic. So I made everybody eat a grilled-cheese-and-garlic sandwich every day for about a week. Family was happy, fleas decamped, and we didn't have to flea-bomb the house. But I digress...)

Everybody's suggestions are fascinating, but I (reluctantly) agree with the cheese-only purists - when I make a grilled cheese sandwich, I want a hit of salt, butterfat, crunch and teh savory.

gentlyferal at 12:39PM on 04/21/08

From Serious Eats

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Being a cardiac bypass survivor times 2, I really watch my fat intake. Well, I really like grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany my tomato soup, so I have modified a few things and have still come up with an acceptable version. Kraft Fat-Free singles are the closest i've been able to find to the real fat-laden thing so I take two slices and put them in between whole wheat bread that I've brushed with olive oil. The cheese melts nicely and isn't rubbery. If you've got a cholesterol problem, try a grilled cheese sammich this way and change your way of eating. Since i've changed my eating style to lo fat and I go for daily walks, I have dropped from 191 down to 137 lbs and have not felt deprived at all.

susitee at 11:42AM on 04/21/08