Grilled Cheese

[NeroW]

I love me a grilled cheese sandwich. Even though I know it's not really grilled! Although I am uncomfortable with the idea of "comfort food" (isn't all food comforting?), if there were a comfort food for me, grilled cheese is it.

I used to like them with French's yellow mustard, but I've outgrown that now.

How do you do it? Do you butter both sides of the bread? I melt some butter in the pan and then dip both sides of both pieces of bread in that butter, then melt some more butter in the pan . . .

What kind of pan do you use? Lately I've been using an omelet pan.

What cheese do you use? What bread do you use?

What do you eat them with? I like them with tomato soup, potato chips, and French Onion dip

EDIT to say that if there is already a grilled cheese thread, I apologize--I couldn't find one!

Edited February 5, 2004 by NeroW (log)

[Toasted]

Cheap white bread, velveeta cheese, butter, and a small pan. Melt the butter

and throw that sandwich in there. Flip it over right away and mash it down

with a spatula until the bottom is brown- flip it over again and brown the other

side. Serve with tomato soup and Ritz crackers. Mix up a big glass of orange

Tang and life is good!

[Holly Moore]

Supermarket White Bread. Whole wheat and rye work good too.

Aged Cheddar - As aged as available. I like the 5 year old cheddar from WholeFoods.

Baked Ham or Bacon

Jersey Tomato

Butter on outside only

Cook on a basic waffle iron (small ridges - not Belgian waffle style iron).

[Modern Day Hermit]

For the full effect of the grilled cheese sandwich, I use a Toas-Tite like my grandmothers. It makes a nice pocket of melted cheese and brings back a lot of memories. I just made grilled cheese with it yesterday, as a matter of fact.

Ok, I actually made a big pot of tomato soup in the morning and had it with a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday -- it had been a while.

Anyway...

I vary with my grilled cheese sandwiches...sometimes I will use velveeta (ahh, childhood) with plain white bread buttered on the outside only. Especially when eating with some tomato soup.

Sometimes I will use my own bread and use provolone with some salami and dip it in mustard or it just depends upon what I have. Sometimes I will mix cheeses and use various breads...just whatever is available. However, the variables that are always constant would be the toas-tite and buttering of the outside only.

Edited February 5, 2004 by Modern Day Hermit (log)

[snowangel]

Many, many moons ago (mid-70's) when we lived in Bangkok, my mom and I went to look at the brand new Central Department Store.

We decided to have lunch in their cafe. We ordered grilled cheese sandwiches, and that's just what we got. Not a cheese sandwich grilled, but rather a blob of cheese on a grill, scraped up and put on awful white bread.

So, now, when we make them at home, I always call them cheese sandwiches, grilled. Butter on bread, cheese (sharp cheddar), on my trusty toastmaster griddle.

Should be calling them cheese sandwiches, griddled, me thinks.

[reesek]

grilled cheese and mustard - i still like that. has to be yellow "hot dog" mustard though.

version 1 - the (reese) traditional - rye bread - outside buttered with salted butter - thin sliced onions - sauteed first if i'm feeling ambitious. any cheese will do as long as it's a melter. when i was young - it was muenster or "american". as i got older i've gone with more flavorful options - aged cheddar, pepper jack on occasion...i made one with goat gouda not long ago that was very nice...for me this grilled cheese is about the crunch, the salt and the goo - i'm not picky about how i get there.

version 2 - summer only - caprese grilled cheese - i use sourdough for this - sub olive oil for butter - sprinkle bread with salt. fresh mozz. sliced, fresh whole basil leaves, tomatoes from my garden - s&p and a little more oil inside the sandwich - cook low and slow - no touching.

great thread - grilled cheese rules

[Mudpuppie]

Wheat, sourdough, or rye (whatever I happen to have).

A mix of cheeses -- always with cheddar, preferably something smoked also, sometimes blue cheese if I'm in a feisty mood.

No condiments. Have tried mustard a couple of times, but don't care for it on the grilled cheese.

Butter only the outside of the bread -- thusly, you don't have to add any extra oil to the pan. Lots of black pepper on the outside. Maybe garlic powder -- one of the few times I use it.

Any old pan. They all seem to fry up the same.

I'll add a tomato if in season. Arugula, too. Carmelized onions if I have them. Maybe some avocado, but that's getting fancy.

Tomato soup and a pickle spear, along with some pepperoncinis, are the traditional accompaniment in my family, and I adhere to this. (That's Campbell's tomato soup.)

[hillvalley]

I'm now craving a grilled cheese sandwhich.

American cheese on rye. Buttered on the outside only. It has been atleast a decade since I last ate this. A little sauerkraut on the side.

Must go shopping.

[snowangel]

This gets me thinking, about 6 months too early, about an open faced sandwhich I haven't made in ages: one piece of toast, topped with cheese, topped with a tomato slice, topped with bacon not-quite-done and stuck under the broiler.

But then again, I'm a real sucker for home-grown tomatos and BACON.

[nessa]

MMMM. cheeeeeeeeeese.

A comfort food for me is indeed nasty white american puffy bread and two or three slices of american cheese. Lots and lots of butter.

However, my favorite is seeded rye bread with roquefort. Must have tons of butter, and be grilled to a crunchy good crispness. Cheddar, Havarti, Grueyere...I don't think I've met a grilled cheese sandwich that I've not liked.

[Sandra Levine]

The best grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had was at Borough Market, in London, last October. There's a stand outside the branch of Neal's Yard Dairy, just outside the market, proper. The sandwiches are toasted in a press that rendered the edges deliciously crispy. Four or five varieties are offered. I chose Montgomery Cheddar and caramelized onions on Poilane bread. There may have been a third ingredient -- I'll be able to check when I get back in May. I can't explain why, but I think about this sandwich almost every day.

[GG Mora]

We're currently in a griddled-cheese and meatloaf phase. Crusty rustic farmbread (Rock Hill Bakehouse, for anyone in striking distance of Gansevoort, NY), buttered on the outside; Extra Sharp Cabot Cheddar, thinly sliced leftover GG's Excellent Meatloaf, ajvar (mild for hub & the kids, hot fer GG); large cast iron pan on medium heat. And yes, I'm quite sure there's already a Grilled Cheese thread (but not Griddled Cheese).

With apologies to the Purists.

[Huevos del Toro]

Any yellow cheese I have on hand, usually sharp cheddar. Whole wheat bread, buttered (I don’t allow margarine in my house) both sides but not inside. Cast iron skillet. Low heat, long cooking time. No smashing. Serve with pickled jalapeño peppers and a tall glass of cold milk. Sometimes potato chips but they’re not necessary (the jalapeño’s and milk ARE). Yum! Sometimes one isn’t quite enough so I’ll do a second one. I’m a bachelor so I can do as I please. I even drink straight from the milk jug!

[Basilgirl]

Sharp cheddar, BACON, raisin bread. Unbelievable combination. Buttered and GRIDDLED.

Provolone, thinly sliced roast pork, thinly sliced red onion. Yum.

And don't forget about those ToastNServe bags!

[Chris Cognac]

Sourdough bread, with Ms Dash herb and onion as well as parmasean (sp) cheese on the outside...then grill it till its crisp....oh yea baby!

[adoxograph]

Whatever bread is handy - but bread type does determine sandwich variations (rye bread gets brown mustard and swiss, white/wheat bread gets cheddar and nothing but butter).

Omlette pan gets butter in it, sandwich goes in, and top slice is buttered on the outside while in the pan - I never remember to take the butter out of the fridge to soften it, so this helps spreadability. Flip, brown, and cover briefly to ensure full meltability. No smooshing.

Interesting test taste - the SO insisted forever that proper grilled cheese (which he calls toasted cheese) should be prepared with I Can't Believe Anyone Buys This Stuff. So, one day, I made mine, and then made his with the last dregs of his tub from his old apartment. He took a few bites and said, "This doesn't taste as good as usual. What did you do to it?"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Serves him and his hydrogenated oils right.

Grilled Cheese, regardless of any other accessories, should be served with a good beer or hard cider.

How long until dinner?

[sequim]

Some good ideas here for my favorite nothing-in-the-fridge meal.

I like the basic grilled cheese, any type of bread (although my sister's dark rye is great) with generally cheddar, omelet pan with lots of butter, low slow cooking until crisp, brown and melting. Served with dill pickles. Sometimes a glass of pink grapefruit juice.

[Basilgirl]

I never remember to take the butter out of the fridge to soften it, so this helps spreadability.

I've solved that problem by using the new Land O'Lakes spreadable butter.

[Oreganought]

10 years ago I converted from pan to oven broiler.

A softer butter is preferable ,not only is it easier to apply but the

browning process is consistantly more even.The result is a crisper

bite and more of a butter flavour.Hard to describe,but have converted

just about everybody that tried it.I first tried this one day when I didn't have

stove top space and if you give this a try,do not preheat the tray,it

will melt the butter on the bottom slice prematurely.

[FistFullaRoux]

I'm in the white bread/processed American cheese food camp. But I do insist on the Deluxe slices at least. I will melt anything I have in the house, but I usually stick with the classic. I smash lightly, only to ensure good contact between all components.

Melt butter in any old pan, dip one side of each bread slice into said butter. Now buttered surface of one slice is put back into the pan (after checking to make sure there is sufficient butter in there). I build the sandwich in the pan. Add the cheese, a slice of grilled tomato (if they are in season), and the final slice of bread, buttered side out. Grill until crispy and golden brown.

On the side, usually Doritos or Fritos, occasionally bread and butter pickles, and some kind of dipping sauce. Slice the sandwich into strips, and dip away. I like marinara sauce (From a jar if I have to), salsa, my quick and dirty remoulade, or the packets of horseradish sauce from Arby's.

[jackal10]

Lea and Perrins Worcestshire Sauce

[fischwlu]

Back in my poor college days (not too far past) we would put munster cheese between a Hawaiian bread roll and butter and grill it on the George Forman. When you are drunk at 3 am it is a little bit of heaven.

[Joni]

Holly...perhaps a stupid question...do you close the griddle? And about how long..I saw this in Gourmet, I think.

[Brad Ballinger]

Bread - whatever is on hand.

Cheese - I prefer Fontina. It's a good "melter," and one thing you want with a grilled cheese sandwich is fully melted cheese. I also have been know to mix in some colby.

Other ingredients - sometimes tomato, sometimes bacon, sometimes both.

Preparation - butter the bread on the outside only. Cook in a covered skillet.

[GG Mora]

...should be prepared with I Can't Believe Anyone Buys This Stuff.

Ick. My brother swears by this crap, which my sisters and I refer to as I Can't Believe They Think This Shit Tastes Like Butter.