What's the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich?

Whatever bread you like would be best. The best ingredients you can afford help, too. (though there’s nothing wrong with an old fashioned diner made sandwich)

I make one almost daily for my son. By buttering two slices of Brownberry bread, then putting the organic American cheese in the iddle (dry sides of the toast) and putting it in an already hot skillet.

Personally, I prefer “grown-up” versions of grilled cheese with tomato added to good cheese and crisp bread.

Welcome to Fluther. A better way to create a discussion on this question would be to ask this same Q in a way that creates discussion, such as: “What’s on your favorite grilled sandwich?”

SpatzieLover – When is lunch?!

Brownberry bread sounds good!
I do like the tomato added. Hated it when I was a kid.

@ChazMaz I hated it as a kid, too ;) Lunch is in minutes. Get your napkin ready. Do you want a side of cheesy chips (SunChips) & green juice, too (Naked Green Machine)?

Yummy! Cheesy chips too??

Napkin already in my shirt! :-)

Green Juice? I am game.

I like to use soy cheese (Yes there is such thing) and natural whole grain bread. It’s flavourful and healthy.

“I like to use soy cheese”

Does it melt like cheese?

@ChazMaz The green juice is my sneaky way of getting some veg into my son

You are a good momma!

Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience:

-Agree with the tomato comment. Thinly sliced is sometimes better for heat transfer. Heirloom if you can get ‘em. Beefsteak for volume. You can also grill them first, and add them to the sandwich before you grill it. You can also add red grilled peppers, sauted portobello mushrooms, or a combination of all of these, although then it’s straying away from a strict “cheese” sandwich. (also, all three makes the sandwich pretty slippery. With tomatoes I try to layer cheese and tomato to avoid losing the slices. Use the melted cheese as a kind of adhesive.

-softer cheeses are better. They have lower melting points. Muenster is absolutely excellet in this regard, but it has a very mild and buttery flavor. Cheddar is pretty great at melting quickly, and packs a punch.

-sourdough develops a really great “soft” crunchy quality. Thinner breads tend not to transfer the heat to the cheese, and get really hard and rough on your mouth by the time you’re done cooking the sandwich.

-Cooking the sandwich for a longer time on lower heat gives the cheese a chance to melt without burning the bread. Also, adding a lid over the pan helps trap heat and encourage melting. Of course, this is not the route to take if you’re really hungry and want food imediately.

-experiment with spices. Spanish smoked paprika adds a meaty flavor.

Depends. The ones I usually buy melt just as well as normal cheese

@SpatzieLover GREEN JUICE IS AMAZING! Also, Naked finally got around to making their bottles more universally recyclable, but only in the large size so far. No one I know (beyond my husband and myself) seems to like it much though. It can be a life saver when you’re on the go and need food. Also, I choose Naked over Odwalla everyday.

Sourdough bread and Tillamook Medium Cheddar

I get the skillet warm and melt a little butter on the pan. Then I smear a slice of bread on the melted butter. I like to use very little butter. Then I add the cheese (and ham if I have any).

Then I add the other slice of bread to the top. I cook it at a very low heat to ensure the cheese melts. Then I lift up the sandwhich and add a bit more butter to the pan and flip the sandwhich over. Then I let the other side brown.

Cut diagonally and eat.

“Cut diagonally and eat.”

Does that add flavor?

@ChazMaz the cut makes all the difference!

For me sharp cheddar with avocado and bacon on sourdough is the ultimate grilled cheese. Maybe put a bit of parmesean cheese on the outside as well. (make sure its grated parmesean cheese, not the powder.)

@Beta_Orionis I agree about the bottles & the taste. We only buy the big bottles because we tend to drink at home. But the small bottles are convenient on road trips. I have convinced several parents to buy it, after showing them how much their kids love it ;)

@justn I’ll have to try that. Except the bacon and parmesean cheese part

I love this thread. I am skipping my Tofurky sandwich and switching to grilled cheese for the day.

How I love Tofurkey, It’s up there with my lover and Velvet Underground. Can not wait to eat it next week for Thanksgiving.

@SpatzieLover If you love naked, you should try Bolthouse. You get more for less and IMO it tastes better

@SpatzieLover Excellent! :D

oh man -am I hungry for grilled cheese! It’s one of those foods that once you think about it, you have to have one. (BLTs, for some reason, are another.)

One tip that works well for me: I butter the bread lightly and cook it over a low to medium burner til the first side is brown. Then after turning it over, I put a plate that is slightly smaller than the frying pan on the sandwich to weight the sandwich down. It helps with the melting process so the bread doesn’t get too brown.

All I know is grilled cheese sammitches pair well with tomato bisque.

FYI guys, I make the best grilled cheese evar. Over the summer, my services were in high demand. Me and my 2 friends even engaged in a grilled cheese contest with a judging panel, and I won. It’s for real. Feel free to come visit me and I’ll gladly make you one.

Mission complete. That sandwich was awesome. Tomatoes + cheddar on whole wheat. And a pickle.

Also, I play radiohead while making them to bring out the flavor in the soy cheese

I prefer to broil the grilled cheese sandwiches instead of cook them in a frying pan. My dad always made them that way, and until I saw a friend cook them on the stove in high school, I didn’t know there was another method! Broiling browns and toasts the bread better, IMO.

I put some aluminum foil on a cookie sheet, butter the outside of the sandwich, and broil until nice and brown. Flip, and brown the other side. You have to watch it or the bread can burn fast. The cheese melts perfectly, and the bread gets nice and crisp on the outside. My kids prefer American cheese, but I also like muenster, cheddar, mozzarella, and colby. Tomatoes are a nice touch too! For a perfect lunch, dip a grilled cheese sandwich in tomato soup. Mmmmm!

There are a lot of good answers to this question above; I would only suggest using a Croque Monsieur griller. It makes a beautiful shape, and seals the edges.

I hate to go to much trouble, so I toast some sourdough rye bread in the toaster, then butter one side of two slices, put whatever cheese I happen to have around on, the place in the microwave for a few seconds.

I made a really good one in the oven using french bread, a swiss cheese blend, and a bit of good ol’ Kraft singles with olive oil and black pepper on the bread. I’m not big one having things other than cheese in my grilled cheese.

Kraft American cheese on white bread, lightly buttered. Spray PAM on a hot clothes-iron. Don’t use the mist setting.Apply for 30 seconds on each side.