I recently noticed a Yahoo article on how to make the best grilled cheese sandwich, but I didn’t find anything I didn’t already know in that article. It didn’t provide any information that most others wouldn’t already know either, and I began thinking about what really makes a better grilled cheese sandwich.
I’ve been making tasty grilled cheese sandwiches for years, and over the years I’ve received some pretty good tips from friends and people I know in the restaurant business. They’ve provided tried and true tips and advice how to make a better grilled cheese sandwich. Give these ideas a try, and once you discover a better ingredients, and a better method of preparation, you’ll never consider making a grilled cheese sandwich the same way again.
Making a Large Batch the Easy Way
Before I discovered this easy way to make a large batch of grilled cheese sandwiches, I stood in front of my stove buttering and grilling sandwich after sandwich. Since cold grilled cheese sandwiches aren’t very palatable, while everyone else was eating, I was still buttering and grilling. When my cousin was visiting for the day, she filled me in on a very easy way to make a large batch of grilled cheese sandwiches. She came from a family of six kids, and this method is by far the best if you don’t want to stand in front of the stove while everyone else is enjoying their meal.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and butter enough bread to completely cover a baking sheet. Cover the bread with cheese and other toppings of your choice, and complete the sandwiches with additional slices of buttered bread. Bake them until the tops begin to brown, and move the sandwiches around if necessary so they brown completely and evenly. Once the tops are brown to your liking, turn the sandwiches over, and keep an eye on them until they reach a desired level of doneness. You’ll end up with better sandwiches that are crispy, crunchy, and absolutely delicious, and the job couldn’t be any easier.
Mayo Anyone?
Many in the restaurant business don’t bother using butter when making grilled cheese sandwiches. They know the key ingredient to a better grilled cheese sandwich, and that ingredient is mayonnaise. Surprisingly, many restaurants use mayo, and they come out as good or better than the classic buttered varieties. Give this a try next time you have a hankering for a grilled cheese sandwich. You’ll be surprised by how good it turns out, and you may never use butter or margarine again.
Thin and Crispy
A soft puffy grilled cheese sandwich isn’t as desirable as a crispy one, so instead of using extra thick bread be sure to use thinner slices for a better outcome. The finished product will be crisp and oozing with hot melted cheese, and the sandwich will have fewer calories and carbohydrates. A healthier sandwich is always a better choice.
A Splash in the Pan
Do you like the flavor of olive oil? In addition to spreading the outside of the bread with mayo, margarine, or butter, add a light coating of olive oil to the pan. It will give the bread a little more flavor, and if you like the taste of olive oil, you’ll absolutely love the results. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on the spread, and you’ll have a flavorful sandwich unlike any other you’ve ever tried.
I love cream cheese, and one day I decided to try a grilled cheese sandwich with classic American cheese and a generous layer of cream cheese. It was delicious! The cream cheese was warm and creamier than ever, and the flavors blended well together. Regular cream cheese has a significant number of calories, and consider the fat content of a regular grilled cheese sandwich, this isn’t something I would do all the time. It is however a delicious change from the usual variety, and it’s definitely better.
How About Tomato?
I don’t know about you, but I get tired of ordinary lunchmeat sandwiches topped with tomato slices. One day I decided to try a few thin slices of tomato on my grilled cheese sandwich, and it was great. When I have tomatoes on hand, I sometimes add a few slices for color and flavor. If you want to try something different, make your ordinary sandwich better, and give this one a try.
Bacon is the Best
Crispy bacon and melted cheese are two tasty combinations, and I occasionally love a few slices on a grilled sandwich. Try a bacon grilled Swiss, or a bacon and Monterrey jack cheese sandwich sometime. It puts a whole new spin on a classic sandwich, and besides making it better, it turns an ordinary lunch into an extraordinary meal.
Garlic Powder
Do you love the flavor of garlic? If so, after buttering the bread before grilling your sandwich, sprinkle on a little garlic powder. It will add considerably more flavor, and it would go very nicely with a hot creamy bowl of homemade tomato soup. Alternately you could make this sandwich using mozzarella cheese, and serve pizza sauce for dipping on the side. The options for creating a better sandwich are truly endless!
