How To Make The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Learning how to make perfect and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches will be a breeze after reading this article. To make the best grilled cheese sandwich it really comes down to two basic requirements. The best grilled cheeses are crunchy and golden brown on the outside with gooey, melted cheese on the inside. For a simple version, you only need three ingredients: bread, butter and cheese. Stick some cheese between two slices of buttered bread and grill it up! Now I will discuss how to make the simple, no-frills kind of grilled cheese you remember from your childhood.
What Kind of Bread Should I Use?
You should plain old white sandwich bread! Yes, just like the Wonder Bread that you've been eating Ham & Cheese and Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches on since forever. This bread is great for grilled cheese because it is airy and has lots of those tiny holes to absorb the butter. This will help to make the outside of the sandwich really crunchy and the inside soft and chewy.
How About the Cheese?
Processed American Cheese is made for this sandwich! It's square shape matches up perfectly with the bread. Also, when this kind get really melty and makes for most gooey interior you can imagine.
Do I Have to Use Butter?
What about margarine? Olive oil? Non-fat cooking spray? Dude, it's your sandwich! You can make it anyway you want. I will say though that after making a ton of grilled cheese sandwiches, salted butter makes the best grilled cheese. It's tasty, a little bit salty and makes the best crust on the outside of the bread - very crunchy and perfectly golden brown.
Now that we have those three ingredients ready, how should you cook the sandwich? Even though it's a called a grilled cheese sandwich, using an actually grill won't give you best results. That will come from a perfectly flat surface, so think about a flat-bottomed frying pan or electric griddle. The bigger the surface is, the better. This is because you can grill both pieces of bread at the same time, and this will give you more even results.
Now follow these steps!
1) Heat up your pan/griddle. You're gonna want it at medium-low heat, closer to low actually. This will cook the outside of the sandwich slowly and give enough time for the cheese inside to melt. If you use high heat, the outside is gonna cook way too fast and by the time the cheese is melted the outside will be scorched.
2) Butter the bread before cooking. You don't want to melt butter in the pan and then throw the bread in. Believe me, it works much better. I like to melt the butter and brush it on with a clean cooking brush. You only have to butter one side of each slice. As far as the amount of butter you use, just use a moderate amount all over the bread. Try not to miss any spots, this will result in even cooking and an even golden crust. Keep in mind that if you use too little butter and you won't get a crunchy, golden brown crust...too much and the sandwich will come out greasy and soggy.
3) After you've brushed on the butter, stick however much cheese you want in between the two slices of bread, with the buttered sides facing outside. Now stick it in the pan. You want to cook it slowly over low heat for a long time. No exact cooking times here, just take a fork and lift up the bottom to peek at the progress every now and then. Don't be shy and check often to make sure you get the crust exactly as you like it.
*If you're pan is big enough, you can cook both pieces of bread at the same time and this will ensure perfect even cooking. I like to make them this way. Just throw both pieces butter side down on the griddle. When they are finished (it should be at the same time), just arrange them together cheese sides facing each other and press the top with a spatula.
4) When you're satisfied with the bottom half, flip and cook the other side to golden brown deliciousness.
5) You're done! Let it rest a little because the inside will be hot and you don't want to burn yourself on the first bite. Pair up with a bowl of tomato soup...that's some serious comfort food people.
Easy right? Just remember, the two most important points to take away from this best grilled cheese sandwich recipe are 1) that you want to butter the bread before cooking. You don't want to melt butter in the pan, swirl it around and then add the bread. This won't work nearly as well. And 2) the key to cooking the grilled cheese is low and slow. Even though it takes more time and the aroma of the sandwich will have you tempted, just show some patience because the finished product will be that much better. Thank you for reading about how to make the best grilled cheese sandwich, now get cooking!