Grilled cheese is delicious any time of day. Two slices of white bread with gooey American cheese is a perfect lunch order at your favorite diner. Whole wheat toast with melted slices of Swiss makes a perfect snack after a stressful day. For a full-on dinner, we love to create gourmet sandwiches with great artisan bread, imported cheese, and fresh vegetables.
For example—try pairing sourdough bread with Danish fontina cheese, which melts into an extraordinarily gooey filling. For veggies, try adding a few summer heirloom tomatoes, spicy leaves of rocket, and rings of red onion.
Once you’ve picked your ingredients, it’s time to focus on technique. The goal is to crisp the bread at the same rate that the cheese melts. You’ve got to use enough fat—butter olive oil, or mayo—in the pan so that the bread gets really golden. Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips for making great grilled cheese sandwiches. Read on to become a sandwich pro!
Our Tips for Making the Best Grilled Cheese
The Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese
Cheese is arguably the most important ingredient in this sandwich. Use a melty cheese for the best results. For a flavor, fontina and gruyere are two of our favorite options. For pure meltiness and nostalgia, American Cheese is the answer. Avoid soft cheeses like goat cheese and feta, which don’t melt easily.
The Best Bread for Grilled Cheese
When it comes to bread, any loaf that you like will work well. What matters most is how you prepare if. For the best results, toast your bread first. A quick toast will help your bread develop the golden edges and luscious crisp that you’re after. It’ll also help prevent the bread from getting soggy, no matter how many fillings you add.
Apply Pressure
Press down on the sandwich with your spatula. This flattens the exterior against the hot pan, ensuring even cooking.
Fillings for Grilled Cheese
Add flavor with great filling ingredients, like fresh or sautéed vegetables, avocado slices, bacon, or pesto. Hearty fillings can transform this simple sandwich from snack into dinner. Try the recipes below for inspiration.
Recipes
Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese with Butter Lettuce Salad & Creamy Fig Dressing
Sweet Pepper & Fig Grilled Cheese with Butter Lettuce & Peach Salad
Muffuletta-Style Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Baby Romaine & Pistachio Salad
Fan Favorite tips
The best version has a THIN layer of mayo on the grilled-sides of both pieces of bread instead of butter. No grease, crispier bread, and meltier cheese! —Alyssa Kevlahan
Melt butter in the microwave, then brush the bread before putting it on the pan. Makes for the perfect medium browning throughout. Can use olive oil, in place of butter. But butter is better! — Christopher Perusse
Sounds weird but bread and butter pickles and potato chips- on the sandwich. Yum! — Danni Skaricki
Dijon mustard and multi-grain or sourdough bread. —Jane Rizza Scammon
My son’s grilled cheese trick, at the age of 8, was to toast his bread in the toaster. Butter both sides of both bread slices, place cheese between the bread slices and microwave for 40 seconds. He made me one once, it was actually pretty good. — Doug Riggle
