Grilled cheese v. toasted cheese

[Peter the eater]

Which do you prefer: grilled cheese or toasted cheese?

Which one travels better? The grilled/toasted cheese is a midday sandwich.

[Kim Shook]

To me they are two different meals - grilled cheese is lunch - toasted cheese is breakfast!

I'm afraid I can't choose one over the other.

I'm with Kerry. This is what I thought before I even opened the thread and really read the question. I remember my mother cramming a piece of toasted cheese into my hand as I was leaving the house in the morning - it was almost the breakfast thing that my tummy could take as a child.

[Kerry Beal]

To me they are two different meals - grilled cheese is lunch - toasted cheese is breakfast!

I'm afraid I can't choose one over the other.

I'm with Kerry. This is what I thought before I even opened the thread and really read the question. I remember my mother cramming a piece of toasted cheese into my hand as I was leaving the house in the morning - it was almost the breakfast thing that my tummy could take as a child.

My mom too! With a little drizzle of ketchup.

I prefer my cheese toast on half a baguette, the oldest, sharpest cheddar I can find. And still a drizzle of ketchup!

[andiesenji]

I've been thinking about this all day and I remembered the first time I ever had "toasted" cheese. I was about 8 years old and was reading Heidi.

I questioned my grandpa about the scene where Heidi's grandpa toasted cheese on a fork over the fire and spread it on bread.

My grandpa, ever indulgent, got some bread, impaled a hunk of cheese on a long fork, removed one of the lids from the wood stove and melted the outer part of the cheese over the fire, scraping it off onto the bread as it became bubbly. It tasted so good that it became a periodic treat, usually in the winter when there were fires in the fireplaces. I think I was a foodie even back then.

(Actually, I think grandpa and grandma's cook was a bit annoyed about his usurping her stove for something like this so after that first time we were relegated to the fireplace to keep peace in the kitchen. It was often a pre-bedtime treat - anything to delay going to bed.)

[Holly Moore]

Ahem.

Grilled cheese - need the butter melted into the toasted bread slices. Unless - toasted means welsh rarebit or a welsh buck - pretty much a lost art hereabouts.

but nice recipe.

The day after writing the above I was at Pub and Kitchen in Philadelphia and welsh rarebit is indeed on the menu. Hooray.

[philadining]

Holly, I know it's a bit too far for a scooter ride, but The Whip Tavern out near Coatesville has a very good Welsh Rarebit on the menu.

but just to be a nudge, I'd put that in the toast-and-cheese camp, rather than toasted cheese.

For me, it's grilled cheese, over toasted, all the way, particularly if it's grilled under pressure, like my grandmother used to do in her waffle-iron that had grills that would flip to a smooth side. That created a very flat, compressed sandwich with cheese oozing out the sides. She made them with plain white bread, Kraft singles, and plenty of butter. Now, I tend to use better bread and cheese, but I still try to simulate the form of those sandwiches by leaning pretty hard on it with a spatula as it's browning in a regular pan.

I think the term "grilled" is confusing to many, evoking the image of cooking on a grate over hot coals. I presume using the word for frying something in a pan evolved from doing the same thing on a flattop "grill" in a diner. Why flattops are called grills is beyond me.

Edited October 13, 2010 by philadining (log)

[LJHdineSRQ]

I'm a BIG fan of grilled. I know that people are divided into two camps. I think it may have something to do with how you were raised. My Mother always cooked grilled cheese for us (kids), but, a toasted cheese for her. Hey, what's up with that. I guess I was left with the "toasted cheese is for adults" stigma. I don't want to really be an adult even now. So, I guess I'll just go heat that frying pan...

[helenjp]

Different dishes, definitely...and each subject to endless variation.

I think I like grilled cheese best with a chunk of solid cheese, so if I have only grated cheese available (usually the case in Japan), it's going to be toasted cheese. The good thing about toasted cheese is that if you are making enough for several people, you can mix an egg and seasonings or even chopped scallions into the grated cheese, and have a gooey soft-centered cheese on toast.

As it happens, today's lunch was grilled cheese made with some indifferent ham and the wizened left-over end of a block of cheese.

[BarbaraY]

How did i miss this topic?

I love them both. Mom used to make "toasted cheese" sandwiches for us kids but they were actually grilled cheese but she put "Ugh!" mayonnaise on them.

My first job entailed making burgers and grilled cheese in a tiny lunch shack. That's where I learned to put a heavy saucer on top of the bread as it grilled and no mayo

My grandma turned me on to real toasted cheese, toasted whole wheat bread, thin slices of sharp cheddar, and sprinkled with plenty of paprika before broiling. I still love the slightly toasty tasting cheese and paprika combo.

[pax]

I had the best Welsh Rarebit EVEH at Moosewood on St. Patrick's Day. I guess someone forgot to explain to them that Wales is not actually Ireland, but it was an excellent lunch. They put toasted walnuts on top, delishiousness!

For dinner, with soup, I do it in a cast iron pan. Melt butter, add bottom slice, dress as you like, top with another slice, when halfway melted, flip. I love rosemary bread rubbed with raw garlic, with sharp cheddar for taste and a gooey cheese for..gooeyness. Usually fontina.

At lunch time for a quickie, I toast the bread long and low, butter it, add thinly sliced cheeses as above, and put it open faced in the microwave for just a few seconds, to melt the cheese. Top with other piece of toast. If you do it on a bacon tray instead of a plate, the underside doesn't get soggy 'cause it's in and out so fast. Two minutes and it shuts my kid up, which is pretty much the goal at lunch time.

Butter makes everything taste better. : )

[SylviaLovegren]

After reading this, I had to make toasted cheese for lunch. Yum. Thanks!

[toolprincess]

I like both. My dad used to make "cheese toast" using a slice of white bread and taking 2 pats of butter (at least) and cutting them into small squares. He would place these on the bread in a pattern that resembled the five side of a die. Place in oven on 350 or so on a baking sheet. Cook until bread is slightly toasted and butter circles are melted. Take out and add 2 thick slices of medium cheddar side by side (cut from the end of a block). PUt back in oven on broil. Let cheese get bubbly. Remove and eat.

Additionally this method work great for cinnamon toast. The only difference in method is that he piled on the cinnamon and sugar (not a premixed but white sugar and ground cinnamon) before putting it in the oven. Then use the same melt butter at 350, then broil to your preferred toastiness. This makes a wonderful caramelization of the sugar on the bread and the pockets of butter, sugar, cinnamon are heavenly!

[Fat Guy]

I wonder if the mac-and-cheese trick from Modernist Cuisine could be applied here.

[andiesenji]

I've a friend who makes a "trick" version of grilled cheese for parties. He got the idea from the pictures on this blog.

He cuts a whole pullman loaf (unsliced) in long, thin slices, butters the bread and layers the slices with cheese and stacks them to make multiple layers. He wraps the assembled "loaf" in plastic wrap and puts it into one of the long, straight-sided loaf pans and adds a heavy weight for several hours.

After the layers have glued themselves together, he slices across the layers and grills the slices, then cuts them diagonally and arranges them on a platter in a herringbone pattern. It makes a neat presentation.

He often alternates yellow and white cheeses for contrast and sometimes adds a bit of mustard but never mayo and sometimes puts two of the slices together with yet another slice of cheese between.

I've asked him to let me know the next time he plans to do this so I can go over and take photos. I've also tried to get him to join eG but while he lurks as a guest from time to time, he says he is just not a "joiner" and won't sign on.

[SylviaLovegren]

I like both. My dad used to make "cheese toast" using a slice of white bread and taking 2 pats of butter (at least) and cutting them into small squares. He would place these on the bread in a pattern that resembled the five side of a die. Place in oven on 350 or so on a baking sheet. Cook until bread is slightly toasted and butter circles are melted. Take out and add 2 thick slices of medium cheddar side by side (cut from the end of a block). PUt back in oven on broil. Let cheese get bubbly. Remove and eat.

Additionally this method work great for cinnamon toast. The only difference in method is that he piled on the cinnamon and sugar (not a premixed but white sugar and ground cinnamon) before putting it in the oven. Then use the same melt butter at 350, then broil to your preferred toastiness. This makes a wonderful caramelization of the sugar on the bread and the pockets of butter, sugar, cinnamon are heavenly!

My dad used to do cinnamon toast that way, too. Maybe it was a guy thing? Heavenly, indeed. Never tried it with cheese, but it's on the calendar now.

[Toliver]

I think the term "grilled" is confusing to many, evoking the image of cooking on a grate over hot coals. I presume using the word for frying something in a pan evolved from doing the same thing on a flattop "grill" in a diner. Why flattops are called grills is beyond me.

Perhaps "Griddled Cheese Sandwich" would be more appropriate.

I prefer the classic version: Just generously buttered white bread and cheese, heated in a skillet on the stove until brown and toasted on one side, then flipped to brown the other side of the sandwich. By the time the second side is done, the cheese should be melted and gooey. If you're using Velvetta (which we had when I was growing up), you were guaranteed it would be melted and gooey by the time side one was browned.

Once plated, I pry open the sandwich and insert lengthy slices of dill pickle all the way across the inner cheese. Close up the sandwich and enjoy.

When I was a wee lad, a cousin once bought me lunch at a Woolworth's-type lunch counter. Whoever was behind the counter made the grilled cheese sandwich with mustard. Boo hiss. I just couldn't eat it.

[andiesenji]

I think the term "grilled" is confusing to many, evoking the image of cooking on a grate over hot coals. I presume using the word for frying something in a pan evolved from doing the same thing on a flattop "grill" in a diner. Why flattops are called grills is beyond me.

Perhaps "Griddled Cheese Sandwich" would be more appropriate.

I prefer the classic version: Just generously buttered white bread and cheese, heated in a skillet on the stove until brown and toasted on one side, then flipped to brown the other side of the sandwich. By the time the second side is done, the cheese should be melted and gooey. If you're using Velvetta (which we had when I was growing up), you were guaranteed it would be melted and gooey by the time side one was browned.

Once plated, I pry open the sandwich and insert lengthy slices of dill pickle all the way across the inner cheese. Close up the sandwich and enjoy.

When I was a wee lad, a cousin once bought me lunch at a Woolworth's-type lunch counter. Whoever was behind the counter made the grilled cheese sandwich with mustard. Boo hiss. I just couldn't eat it.

You are correct and I often forget to add the "flat" to a sentence in which I use grill in this context.

There are many confusing cookery terms and grill is certainly one - I always called a flat grill ad griddle (grew up in a house where a round griddle was called a spider, making it even more confusing) but when I attended a cookery school, I was told to call the "griddle" a flat grill.

I did what I was told because the chef instructor was not open to what he considered stupid questions.

There was an "open grill" and a salamander under which food was also "grilled" so I was totally confused and usually just pointed to the object in question when the testing was on.

I have a friend who owns a bakery and a small cafe and whenever I go in for breakfast and order an English muffin, he asks if I want it toasted or grilled, the latter is the flat grill and I know that now but others are unsure and look confused when this question arises.

I like your nomenclature of "griddled" to define the procedure. Perfectly clear meaning.

Edited April 18, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[toolprincess]

My dad used to do cinnamon toast that way, too. Maybe it was a guy thing? Heavenly, indeed. Never tried it with cheese, but it's on the calendar now.

Perhaps it was a guy thing! Hope you enjoy the cheesy version just as much!

Edited April 19, 2011 by LindaK (log)

[ermintrude]

It has to be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit

[maggiethecat]

My father was the go-to guy for grilled cheese sandwiches when I was growing up. But what we truly yearned for was a "Cheese Dream Supreme", a relative of toasted cheese.

Toast a crumpet and butter it so every dimple brimmed.Top with bacon (cooked) and slices of sharp cheddar. Broil until brown and bubbly. My brother and I would come to blows over the (very) occasional leftover.

[IndyRob]

My father was the go-to guy for grilled cheese sandwiches when I was growing up. But what we truly yearned for was a "Cheese Dream Supreme", a relative of toasted cheese.

Toast a crumpet and butter it so every dimple brimmed.Top with bacon (cooked) and slices of sharp cheddar. Broil until brown and bubbly. My brother and I would come to blows over the (very) occasional leftover.

That's getting perilously close to pizza bread on English muffins. Quite good, but a bit far afield.

I think the only toasted cheese sandwich I could get behind would involve garlic bread.

Welsh Rarebit was a childhood WTF moment for me. It sounded pretty exotic. Then "Really? You sauced a slice of toast?" I guess that's part of the joke. But it is that, IMHO.

[annachan]

I love them as long as it has gooey melted cheese!

At home, I do toasties more often as it's convenient. Since in Oz, I've been spreading a thin layer of vegemite of the bread before topping with cheese and going into the toaster oven. It's good stuff.

[SylviaLovegren]

My father was the go-to guy for grilled cheese sandwiches when I was growing up. But what we truly yearned for was a "Cheese Dream Supreme", a relative of toasted cheese.

Toast a crumpet and butter it so every dimple brimmed.Top with bacon (cooked) and slices of sharp cheddar. Broil until brown and bubbly. My brother and I would come to blows over the (very) occasional leftover.

Yes, Cheese Dreams! The ones I grew up with were in Betty Crocker and were toasted bread of some sort, topped with a slice of tomato, bacon, and grated cheese mixed with Worcestershire and a few other sharp things, maybe some egg. Broiled. I usually skipped the taste sharpeners and stuck to nippy cheese. Cheese Dreams were supposed to have been very popular with college coeds in the 40s and 50s, hence irresistibly sophisticated to preteen me. Plus deliciousness ensued.

I love your idea of crumpet as the bread base.

[teapot]

Toasted cheese rocks but it's got to be on a thick slice of excellent sourdough (toasted first on the side that won't have the cheese) with sharp cheddar and smoked paprika sprinkled on top. (I grew up on toasted cheese but it never occurred to me to have it for b'fast - great idea!).

The best grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had was made with Huntsmen Cheese (cheddar/stilton) and a slice of pickled green tomato (nice to have something to break up the richness).

[Tony Boulton]

Toasted is what I was brought up on back in the Mother Country. My family used to just toast the one side of the bread - that with the cheese on until I realized that most other Brits toasted one side of the bread first.

Wholegrain bread - mature cheddar (although where I come from Cheshire is popular, too) and either grind fresh pepper liberally or, for those that like it, Branston pickle on top. Branston is one of the few things I buy from our local specialty store The British Emporium here in Grapevine TX, to remind me of home.

My Texan wife introduced me to grilled cheese sandwhiches and I do like them but I believe they are two different animals - similar ingredients, but different results. As others have said, a "toastie" is something I would do in my Dualit toaster with ham and cheese. It's a toasted sandwich not toast.