Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What goes well in a grilled cheese sandwich? ›

Tuck in a little sautéed spinach, caramelized onions, chopped steamed broccoli, roasted red peppers, or roasted tomatoes. Add fruit. For really gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, use a mix of Gruyere and brie cheese along with thinly sliced apples or a slather of fig jam.

Fruit: Add thin apple slices or pear slices for a little sweetness. Sweet Spreads: If you like sweet, you can also spread jam, chutney, or apple butter on the inside. Protein: Bulk up your grilled cheese with turkey, ham, or cooked bacon slices. Pickled: Add sliced pickles or pickled red onions.

My favorite formula for grilled cheese comes from the tv show, Jane the Virgin. The main character says the perfect grilled cheese is made with equal parts American cheese, yellow Cheddar and white Cheddar cheese. Since yellow and white Cheddar don't have much of a difference I opt for ½ American and ½ cheddar.

Butter goes in the pan not on the bread. To ensure golden (not burned) toastiness, the exterior of the sandwich should be slicked with mayonnaise, which has a higher smoke point and possesses the combined browning power of oil and egg yolks.

For each grilled cheese, you'll need two slices of bread, at least 1 tablespoon of butter, and 2-4 slices of cheese (depending how gooey you like it). American, Cheddar, Swiss, muenster or Gouda all work well—feel free to mix and match your cheeses.

A skillet preheated to medium or medium-low is optimal (adjust yours accordingly). Start by placing one slice of buttered bread face down in the pan, top with shredded cheese. Add the second slice buttered side up. Cook 2-4 minutes per side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Grilled cheese = bread, buttered on the outside, with cheese on the inside, cooked on a griddle or in a pan. Toasted cheese = bread, cheese on top, cooked open-face in a toaster oven or under a broiler.

Crisp bacon, thinly sliced apple, caramelized onion, prosciutto, jam, roasted tomatoes, fresh herbs... there are tons of ingredients out there that can add sweet or salty (or both!) flavor to a grilled cheese sandwich.

For good measure: While most recipes today call for unsalted butter, often so the cook can control the amount of salt in the recipe, the grilled cheese sandwich is clearly one place where salted butter belongs. It adds more flavor and helps turn the bread more deeply golden.

What two cheeses are best for grilled cheese? ›

Cheese options – For the best grilled cheese, you want to use a combination of mozzarella (for its cheese pull and non-greasy melting qualities) with a flavoured cheese – because mozzarella actually has a very mild flavour. A good vintage cheddar or gruyere are my absolute favourites.

For the best results, toast your bread first. A quick toast will help your bread develop the golden edges and luscious crisp that you're after. It'll also help prevent the bread from getting soggy, no matter how many fillings you add.

Grilled Cheese Method: Butter

I followed the steps described above, spreading one side of each slice of bread with 1/2 tablespoon of softened unsalted butter. Results: This method is arguably the most common for making grilled cheese — and it's the way I've always cooked grilled cheese myself.