Great Grilled Cheese. Four Easy Steps.
In order to transform your grilled cheese from “good” to “great,” follow these four simple steps:
1. A great grilled cheese starts with... GREAT CHEESE. It's tempting to use “easy-melting” artificial cheese, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: most cheese is “easy-melting” when you shred it first. So, pick a great cheese (nothing too aged, as its moisture is so low), shred it, and spread evenly on the bread.
2. Use olive oil, not butter. Many recipes recommend butter, but in the time it takes to properly toast the bread and melt the cheese, butter tends to burn, blacken, and smoke. Ick. I use olive oil instead – its higher smoke point is your friend here (and its flavor will enhance the sandwich).
3. Press, cover, and cook slowly. Place your sandwich in the hot oiled pan, press firmly with a spatula, then cover the pan and cook on low until the bottom bread is nice and toasty. Then, flip the sandwich, press again, and cover again. Your cheese will melt perfectly without burning the bread.
4. Give it a rest. After removing from the pan, let your sandwich sit for a minute before cutting (this prevents the gooey cheese from squishing out the sides). And remember - your cheesy creation will be HOT, so bite carefully.
1. A great grilled cheese starts with... GREAT CHEESE. It's tempting to use “easy-melting” artificial cheese, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: most cheese is “easy-melting” when you shred it first. So, pick a great cheese (nothing too aged, as its moisture is so low), shred it, and spread evenly on the bread.
2. Use olive oil, not butter. Many recipes recommend butter, but in the time it takes to properly toast the bread and melt the cheese, butter tends to burn, blacken, and smoke. Ick. I use olive oil instead – its higher smoke point is your friend here (and its flavor will enhance the sandwich).
3. Press, cover, and cook slowly. Place your sandwich in the hot oiled pan, press firmly with a spatula, then cover the pan and cook on low until the bottom bread is nice and toasty. Then, flip the sandwich, press again, and cover again. Your cheese will melt perfectly without burning the bread.
4. Give it a rest. After removing from the pan, let your sandwich sit for a minute before cutting (this prevents the gooey cheese from squishing out the sides). And remember - your cheesy creation will be HOT, so bite carefully.