Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

I LOVE Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!  Who wouldn't?  That nice crusty, toasted bread and the melty cheese!

Grilled Cheese: Defined

Exactly what is and what isn't a grilled cheese anyway? Obviously, cheese and bread must be involved, as well as some form of grilling.

A Grilled Cheese Must...

• be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
• have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
• be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
• be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
• be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown.  A grilled cheese may never be baked in the oven - that is a toasted cheese sandwich.

Agreed? Let's move on to some details on ingredients.


A grilled cheese doesn't work with just any old cheese. You've got to have a cheese with just the right melting characteristics. Favorites include the classic American and young Cheddar or Swiss-style cheeses.  As long as it melts, it's got a place in my sandwiches.

As far as the bread...Aside from necessarily being sliced, the only other rule here is that it can't be too hole-y (or your cheese will drip out), and it can't be sliced too thick, (lest your cheese won't melt). White bread and American is what I grew up on.

The Method

Use butter on the outside of the bread.  Or, if you want to really wild, leave off the butter and instead spread a layer of mayonnaise on each surface of your sandwich before grilling. It'll melt and brown, adding a touch of its sweet and tangy flavor.
Low and slow is the way to go. Grill your sandwiches at medium-low heat. Try to speed up the process and you end up with a sandwich that's hot on the outside but still cool and unmelted in the middle. It's also harder to get it to brown properly.
Keep things moving. I like to swirl my sandwiches around the skillet or griddle with a light pressure the entire time they cook to make sure that they get a perfectly even, deep brown color.
Serve 'em while they're hot!