Grilled cheese - how do you make it?

[firelily99]

I love grilled cheese, especially when I can couple it with a good tomato soup. Do you have a special way of doing it, a secret ingredient that makes it better than all the rest?

 

[Kate]

I really don't have a special ingredient or anything... but I do know that they taste a lot better with minimal flipping... flip too much and they get overly flat. I like it better when I just flip it a time or two... and I never smash it down with the spatula as I've seen some people doing.

I like to melt that cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich over a couple slices of tomato when they're in season. Makes a whole new and different sandwich.

Oh, and real butter definitely... never ever margarine!

 

[firelily99]

I really enjoy experimenting with various cheeses when I make it; I love cheese in general so I have a lot of fun with trying different combos out.

 

[zestery]

Oh, I'm totally a spatula masher!

I used to do them dry, but now I subscribe to the buttered bread method, or if I have any I use bacon drippings in place of butter.

And just a couple of days ago I grilled some mushrooms and added those in, next time I might try a little grilled onion instead.

 

[Tara]

I make a grilled cheese with pesto, tomato slices, mozzarella and a few leaves of fresh basil. It's delicious. I was inspired by a panini I ate at Starbucks. I make mine a lot cheaper than $5.45USD.

 

[apike]

I make my grilled cheese with gouda or provolone cheese. I love sharper tasting cheese and I refuse to ever use American sliced cheese. My mom taught me from a young age to make grilled cheese with tomato slices. So good! Grilled cheese is definitely one of those things that I'm really picked about. I'm very, very particular on the type of cheese because it has to taste just right, lol.

 

[zestery]

Okay, I gotta ask; the folks making it with tomato slices... do you grill the slices separately beforehand? Wouldn't they just get mushy otherwise?

I love a nice cold tomato, butter, and cheese sandwich on crusty bread so I'm down with the possibility of adding them to me grilled cheese as well, just not visualizing it very well.

 

[apike]

Sometimes I'll put the tomatoes on with the cheese and grill the sandwich that way. They don't really get mushy to me but I think that's because I put the tomato in-between two slices of cheese. I guess it kind of melts around the tomato, lol. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just throw a slice of tomato on top of my grilled cheese and eat it that way. When I use tomatoes on grilled cheese, I try not to mush the bread down and I'll grill it on lower heat.

 

[Jade]

I like caramelized onions on mine. I find grilled cheese kind of boring on its own, so I usually add some extra ingredients to make it a bit fuller. I'd also sometimes add bacon to it, which at that point, I'm unsure whether or not it's still technically just a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

[Tara]

Okay, I gotta ask; the folks making it with tomato slices... do you grill the slices separately beforehand? Wouldn't they just get mushy otherwise?

I don't grill my tomatoes. I use firm tomatoes. They don't turn out mushy. They are nice and warm.

 

[firelily99]

I don't grill my tomatoes. I use firm tomatoes. They don't turn out mushy. They are nice and warm.

Yes indeed, nice firm tomatoes are the best to slice and keep their consistency. I use a variety of combinations for my grill cheese but generally I stick with rye bread to put my creations on. So many types of cheese, so many options.

 

[dustysmommy2013]

I keep my grilled cheese sandwiches pretty basic. Sometimes I will add pepperoni slices or lunchmeat. Also, sometimes I will sprinkle garlic on the buttered slices of bread before throwing them onto the griddle. I suppose that's another thing: I use butter. I thought that was the way it was done by everyone but then my husband told me that his mom uses mayonnaise. That was seriously the weirdest thing I've ever heard...but my husband claims to like mine better so I guess I'm doing something right!

Thanks guys, I think my son and I are going to have grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch today!

 

[forextraspecialstuff]

I don't have a preference when it comes to butter or margarine but I do prefer full fat cheese when I make my grilled cheese, only use naturally slender if I have to. I usually use white bread but sometimes use rye to mix it up. I generally just make a grilled cheese but have also added tomato, bacon and once I even added the Ikea swedish meatballs and it was soooo good but probably not too good for me.

 

[Verity Darkwaters]

Use real butter. Don't use margarine. It'll taste better, trust me. Use sharp chedder slices, pepper jacks slices, swiss cheese, something other than that plastic like American cheese or a plain cheese. I also usually put a little pepper and garlic powder on the bread before I "grill" it. I think it tastes very good together. But be careful with the seasoning, you don't want it overbearing, you just want a hint. It is also good if you put something like black forest ham or roast beef in it.

 

[OhioTom76]

I use smoked provolone and extra sharp cheddar that I get from the deli window. I love the combo of flavors, and they melt together really nicely. I always use a crusty sturdy Italian bread - none of that spongy soft cheap-o sandwich bread that goes flat like a pancake. There is no need to smash the sandwich down at all, just take your time over a medium low heat and let it slowly get toasted while the residual heat melts the cheese. I usually use room temperature butter, but I also sometimes use mayo, which works surprisingly well too. Actually if my butter is still too cold, I will use the mayo. You don't really taste it, it just spreads much easier, and seems to brown more evenly.

I play around with different cheeses from time to time, such as Butter Cheese, or Brick Cheese - both of which are very good. Around the holidays, I always wind up with a bunch of jars of that Harry & David pepper and onion relish. It's fantastic in a grilled cheese sandwich paired with extra sharp cheddar. Pesto or Olive Tapenade is fantastic with creamier tasting cheeses. Even fruit preserves, like Apricot, can be interesting when paired with cheeses.