Making A Grilled Cheese Sandwich

[AnnieDrews]

Please give input on the technque to making a good grilled cheese sandwich. I have never had much luck at all. Usually, the bread gets burned before the cheese even starts to melt. I have skillets and I also have a grill/griddle that can be placed on the gas burners of my stove.

I found a thread on grilled cheese ingredients, but I am looking for the specific technique to making one perfectly.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[chopper]

Gosh, I just made grilled cheese yesterday for lunch. I think the trick is having the heat at medium, and watching it carefully. I like spreading the butter, margarine, or spread on the bread first before putting it on the hot surface (grittle, skillet, or whatever). I used cheddar cheese yesterday (shredded-because that is what I had) but I have used american, swiss, or any kind of cheese we happen to have at the time. Don't forget the soup to go along with it!

 

[Rocklobster]

As much as I hate to say it, margerine is better than butter for grilled cheese sandwhiches. Butter will brown and burn before marg will. Chopper is right with the medium heat. It needs to be timed right to have the outside and inside done at the same time. Sometimes I will brown both sides, turn the heat down and put a lid over the sandwhich to help melt the cheese.
I've probably cooked over a thousand of them in my line of work, and sometimes when I am in a hurry, I will brown both sides and then fire it in the microwave for about 15 seconds to melt the inside.
There are many ways to skin a cat....

 

[NAchef]

People either put butter on bread or in pan, try both and see what you like.
I agree to shred cheese first.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f152/the-ultimate-grilled-cheese-59555.html

 

[AnnieDrews]

NAChef-That is the link I found, but it just talks about specific ingredients, not the actual technique. Thanks!

I guess I might try the lid trick or the microwave trick.

 

[pacanis]

I make mine in either a CI skillet if I only want one, or a CI griddle if I'm making two. I use butter and melt it on the griddle, set the sandwich in it, move it around, then do the same with the other side, adding more butter if needed. Then I cover it with a pot lid so the inside melts or warms as the outside toasts. Flipping and heat control is something you just get the hang of. Don't be afraid to lift it, flip it and check often, it's not like a pan seared tuna

 

[DaveSoMD]

I make mine in a small non-stick skillet. I keep the heat at medium or just below and butter the bread liberally AND melt butter in the pan. Once the butter in the pan is melted and starting to bubble I add the sandwich and cover the pan. I think covering helps keep the heat in and melt the cheese. I check after about 2 minutes to see how it is looking and flip when GBnD, recover, and let the other side brown up.

 

[FrankZ]

I turn my skillet (or griddle) all the way up then once things are hot I turn it down to med-high. I use butter, though I have a butter bell and the butter is soft when it goes on the bread.

I turn them after it has sat in the pan for a minute or so, then flip when it is ready.

I have burned 'em but usually that happens when I get distracted.

 

[forty_caliber]

I must have made a gillion grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids over the years and never really thought about the process...

Liberally butter the bread add 2 slices of American and cover with another buttered slice. Drop in hot skillet and flip every minute or so until the cheese is melted and both sides are browned. Hold in a warm oven until the soup is ready.

.40

 

[Zhizara]

I like to spray with buttery flavored cooking spray. I was always getting too much butter/margarine and ending up with a greasy sandwich.

Medium to medium low heat will melt the cheese as well as toast the bread. Low and slow works best here.

 

[Andy M.]

Non-stick skillet on medium to md. high heat (setting number 6.5 or 7 out of 10).

Two slices of bread, add cheese in between, When the pan is hot, put a little pat of butter in the pan to melt. Place the bread in the pan and move it around to sop up all the butter.

Use a broad spatula to press the sandwich flat. After a couple of minutes, lift a corner of the top slice to see if the cheese is beginning to melt. Lift the sandwich out with the spatula and add more butter. Flip and cook the second side.

This works for me based on the stove, pan, bread and cheese I use. Your results may vary.

If you're burning the bread before the cheese melts, turn the heat down. If the cheese melts before the bread browns, turn the heat up. Practice makes perfect.

 

[joesfolk]

I like to spray with buttery flavored cooking spray. I was always getting too much butter/margarine and ending up with a greasy sandwich.

Medium to medium low heat will melt the cheese as well as toast the bread. Low and slow works best here.

Z, I hate to contradict you but I mean really, there just is no such thing as too much butter!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Annie, I'm in the butter the bread (liberally) first camp.....I like a sharp or extra sharp cheese....Into/on cast iron over medium hot heat...(hot at first if you like)... be patient...give it time to brown...Ok to smash it a bit with your spatula....When nice and toasty/brown serve hot with chips and dill pickle...

Enjoy!

PS...Next time we'll talk about making grilled cheese with pimento and cheese.

 

[jabbur]

I always butter my bread. My MIL would do the butter in the skillet. Since I've had both ways, I prefer the buttered bread. I use margarine and cook them on a non-stick griddle. The burner is on med high (6-8) heating the griddle while I put together the sandwiches. A light spray of Pam before the first sandwich goes on. I tend to use sliced cheese mostly but it can be American or Swiss or whatever slices I have around. Never had a problem with the cheese not melting but I have burned my share from inattention or a too hot griddle. It's best to have everything else ready before you cook your sandwich so you can concentrate on getting it right. Once you practice enough, then you will know how much time you have before needing to flip and what you can safely do while it's cooking (like getting out the plates).

 

[AnnieDrews]

Wow, you all are a wealth of knowledge! You would think a 48-year-old mother of two boys would be an awesome grilled cheese chef....just never made them all that often. I'll work on it!

Has anyone ever used the method where you put the two pieces of bread in "open faced" with the cheese on top of the bread then put them together when brown?? This may be over-thinking here....but I am real good at that....

 

[Andy M.]

Whatever works for you.

 

[Kayelle]

I like to grill the bread on each side, granted it's a little messy buttering each side of bread. Grill one side and turn them over, then slap a piece of sliced cheese on each piece, and let it melt as the underside browns, then slam the two slices together. The cheese will be perfectly melted.
As mentioned before, keep the heat down to avoid burning the butter.

That's the way I saw my mom do them.....I just thought everyone did the double grilled thing.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Has anyone ever used the method where you put the two pieces of bread in "open faced" with the cheese on top of the bread then put them together when brown?? This may be over-thinking here....but I am real good at that....

Yep, I use a toaster oven, lightly toast the bread, add the cheeses and finish toasting. I call that a toasted cheese sandwich, as opposed to grilled cheese.

 

[Zhizara]

Z, I hate to contradict you but I mean really, there just is no such thing as too much butter!

Too much on the outside ends up on my clothes.

 

[retiredguy]

Use an un-buttered non stick skillet med heat. Make up the grill cheese sandwich buttered only on the outside and put it in.

As it browns keep flipping it, the cheese will melt but not run...we put tomatoes in ours and the sandwiches are delicious.