Are you looking for a great way to make your grilled cheese sandwich so that you can enjoy it while watching your favorite show? Check out these awesome tips!
We all can safely say that grilled cheese is comfort food for just about anyone. It is something that can be good even if it is not. Like processed waxy cheese, it is still delicious. But why would we intentionally eat a half-decent grilled cheese sandwich anyway? A grilled cheese sandwich is the queen of comfort foods, and it brings back so many memories from your favorite after-school snacks to your going to break-up food to make you feel better. Grilled cheese is always there for us. It is only fair that we return the favor by respecting this queen of dishes by making it better than ever.
There are many ways to make a grilled cheese sandwich. With hundreds of delicious toppings you can use, grilled cheese sandwiches are that flexible dish that allows you to be creative and play with your taste bud, and the best thing is making sandwiches have never been easier and quicker. The kinds of modern appliances help us get our sandwiches whenever we want them without making it feel like a hassle. We all have the 3 am cravings, especially during the Netflix binges, and this craving is easily satiated with the best sandwich maker, no need to wash pans anymore. Be it on appliances or old-fashioned pans, the tips provided in this article will help you take your grilled cheese sandwiches to an extra level.
You might enjoy more sandwich recipes from our Pinterest Sandwich Board.
Butter or Mayo?
There is always that debate about which one is better for toasting your bread. The butter takes a long time to toast, whereas spreading your mayo on the bread and toasting it is faster. Honestly, it is a personal preference. If you like a slight tang to your toast and a specific flavor, like sweet or spicy mayo or even honey mustard, that’s up to you. The one with mayo goes soft faster than the butter. But for me, I like butter better because of butter! Even though I have to wait for it and spread more butter to make it a heavenly toast. The buttered toast is more flavorful and gives the classic toast that will always smell and taste delicious. Oh, and I will go with just about any type of grilled cheese. You can use mayo on the inside of the bread while buttering it up on the outside. That sounds delicious.
Grate that Mozzarella
Grated cheese melts faster! Grated cheese can also be piled up as much as you want and spread evenly on the bread. This helps to give you an all-around cheese-filled sandwich. This is my tip. I always season my grated Mozzarella (my go-to cheese) with black pepper and a little paprika. Trust me, and this changes the entire game. A little kick and flavor go a long way. The perfect seasoning brings together the buttery and cheesy feel of the dish.
If you use a pan, always use a cold pan.
This is why using a sandwich maker is more straightforward than using a pan. The sandwich maker stays cool, and after buttering the bread, you just put it in and turn on the sandwich maker. Simple and easy, the machine does it for you. But if using a pan, several things need to be kept in mind, like using a non-stick pan and making sure not to heat it. The pan needs to be cold. Otherwise, you will burn your toast, and no one wants that. If you are making your grilled cheese on the sandwich maker, butter up the sandwich maker even if it is non-stick to make the crunchy texture, and this also gives a smoky flavor to your grilled cheese. If the sandwich maker is not non-stick, then use enough butter. Otherwise, it will be disastrous.
Which bread?
Now, you know it’s grilled cheese, which gives you complete freedom on whatever you want to use; I mean, one of the most attractive features of grilled cheese is that it’s simple. However, we are talking about adding the extra level. Sourdough bread is better than your regular white bread because it becomes crispier, and the cheese pull is extra satisfying. If you want a cheesy Monte Cristo, though, using Texas toast bread is better. It depends on the type of grilled cheese you are opting to make; if it is a simple grilled cheese sandwich, go for sourdough.
Perfect blend Cheese
Now we have come to the most crucial tip. The cheese, the showstopper. This may be the most debatable topic out there. If you want a beautiful cheese pull, then you might want to go for Pepper jack. However, after testing numerous combinations, I found that the mixture of three kinds of cheese with sourdough gives a great grilled cheese sandwich; I am not going to say best because it’s a grilled cheese sandwich, and there are probably numerous kinds of best-grilled cheese sandwiches out there. And they are all right. Anyway, the best three combinations for me are Mozzarella, and I know not your typical cheese to add in a grilled cheese, but so good, Cheddar and Gouda. These three kinds of cheese grated together, and stacked in-between is heaven.
Use toppings
I am going to repeat. There are a thousand ways you can make your grilled cheese, with so many diverse toppings to choose from! There is that pepperoni grilled cheese sandwich, ham, and pepper jack grilled cheese sandwich. You can add Mac n Cheese to your sandwich or fresh grilled cheese with Mozzarella, tomato, and basil if you want to make a fajita grilled cheese sandwich, where you add chicken, onions, bell peppers grilled together with chili powder and Pepper jack cheese. One of the unique grilled cheeses out there is the French onion grilled cheese. It sounds complicated, but it’s not. You start by caramelizing your onions with butter, splashes of beef broth, and thyme, and top it with your choice of cheese and bread and grill it together. When it comes to toppings, there truly is no end. Last night, I made myself a corn and green chili grilled cheese sandwich, and it was so good that I finished it in two bites. The more topping, the better.
Vegan grilled cheese
For all my vegans, here are some toppings you can use in your vegan grilled cheese sandwich. Use your favorite vegan butter and generously spread it on your bread, and this goes to all the vegan and non-vegan alike; the more the butter, the better. Then sprinkle the buttery side with garlic powder; this gives you a flavor of garlic bread. Add oregano as well. Then put on some pesto paste and grill your sandwich. This simple pesto grilled cheese sandwich is so good. That garlic powder does the trick; you can also add your favorite vegan chicken patties or ham. This is just one example of how you can take your vegan grilled cheese sandwich to the next level. If you want a cheese pull, you want to go for Field Roast Chao Cheese Original. One of my favorites.
Avoid bread with added sugar.
Bread with sugar burns faster. This is why whole wheat sourdough bread with less to no sugar is a great compliment because they can hold together a lot of melty cheese and be crispy also gives that satisfying crunch you want from a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. You do not want soggy bread. Bread with added sugar is also hygroscopic; it is water absorbent, preventing a nice and crunchy bite. I mean, if you can’t get a satisfying crunch from your grilled cheese, then that makes it pointless right? So make sure to buy bread with no sugar.
The bottom line, using better cheese and better bread makes a huge difference in how your grilled cheese sandwich will turn out. There is no secret scientific method to it. Although a little technical. It’s all about using the right ingredients and a good combination of the correct elements to get the best outcome. Better and thoughtful usage of cheese and bread will give more flavor, texture, and crunch. These quick and easy tips are not difficult to remember and will provide you with that flavor, texture, and crunch. You can incorporate them and make something of your own even, and it will be amazing. That’s the great thing about grilled cheese, you can mix a lot of ingredients, and it will never go wrong. After all that grilled-cheese talk, I am craving a mac n cheese grilled cheese, so that is what I am about to do now. Don’t forget to flip your sandwich with a spatula if you are using a pan.
We love grilled cheese with this creamy tomato soup.