Trials and Tribulations of the grilled cheese

McStew

I'm so tired of the everyday RTIC, prime rib, turkey, ham XMAS things that happen every year here.  I figured I would start something new.  My wife and I had a grilled cheese off last night I'm convinced mine won over hers and she feels the same about hers.  With so many different bread / cheese combinations / techniques, what is your go to method. 

Personally I like Sourdough Bread with a light spread of Mayo on it with American Cheese cooked on a CI pan.  What is yours?  

buzd504

Cheddar cheese, dill pickles (preferably Wickles), pickled jalepenos, creole mustard, and fresh tomato on toasted muligrain bread then baked in the oven.

McStew

@buzd504 that what I'm talking about fully loaded.  I personally like the baked GC too 

RRP

I got totally turned off grilled ham and cheese sandwiches due to my dislike of Kraft singles that I used for years. What I found and love is Boar's Head yellow American cheese from the deli. It rocks and runs circles around Kraft!

fishlessman

white american, white bread, slice of tomato, extremely light dusting of blue cheese. toasted/fried in butter, NO squashing it flat with a spatula. and most important is to NOT CUT DIAGONAL. whats with all the diagonal cutters out there freaky

EGGcellent_Smithers

American, Swiss, and cheddar on rye, with grilled onions and tomato slices.

Botch

Diagonal is how any American would cut their grilled cheese!  
 

 

Griffin

Mayo instead of butter on the bread and cut diagonal.

fishlessman

if the sandwiches are cut diagonal, im taking only top crust pieces, you guys can have the bottom crust pieces

BEHOLD...top crust on both pieces

McStew

It could almost be considered un American if you don't cut diagonal 

bud812

Who cuts a flippen samich !!!

fishlessman

nothing worse than stuff falling out of the corners of a diagonally cut welfare sandwich with no sandwich top crust

GuitarEC

Been using the cast iron skillet that came on our new gas range.

My preference is spreadable butter on honey wheat bread and a combination of American and Havarti slices with bacon.

Eric "GuitarEC"
Metro Atl., Ga.

fishlessman

diagonal cutters must like muffin bottoms better than the tops too

gdenby

I like an approximation to the French croque madame. Crusty white bread w. at least black forest ham, speck if I can find some, and emmentaler, or baby swiss. Toast the bread, brush w. egg and milk wash, fry, and place an egg on top when the cheese gets melty. Flip quickly to set egg.

Griffin

bud812 said:

Who cuts a flippen samich !!!

Those who are dipping it in soup.

blasting

Great thread idea @McStew     Grilled cheese, for me, always starts with sourdough, extra sharp cheddar, buttered outsides.  Always cut horizontally - top half, bottom half.  Will add other cheeses depending what I have on hand - pepperjack, havarti, blue, gouda, white american.  Sometimes I'll add hot peppers, chopped bacon, diced tomatoes, or some charred onions.  

I love grilled sandwiches, but when I load them up with a bunch of pulled pork or brisket, I don't consider them grilled cheese anymore.

If you love grilled cheese, a Blackstone is worth it for these alone.  I believe it was @Thatgrimguy that said the Blackstone does something magical to grilled cheese.  It's true.

McStew

@blasting thanks i'm over the same old holiday threads trying to think outside the box a bit  

Botch

fishlessman said:

if the sandwiches are cut diagonal, im taking only top crust pieces, you guys can have the bottom crust pieces

BEHOLD...top crust on both pieces

I don't share, and eat the top crust half last, like saving the center of a watermelon slice for the last bite!  

GuitarEC

BigWings

I won a grill sandwich cook off last year, using minced smoked ham from the egg.   However the secret was just the slightest dollop of stone ground mustard.    It made a night and day difference no matter what other ingredients or techniques I used.   

Lit

White bread with American cheese, tomato with oregano and adobo on it, mayo on the bread but butter in the pan. 

Botch

Hmmm, adobo!  

McStew

adobo hummm the wheels are turning 

jeroldharter

Cast iron pan, brush bread with EVOO, a slice of American plus a slice of baby Swiss. Perfect.

Griffin

You start adding anything besides cheese and to me it stops being a grilled cheese and becomes another sandwich. Meats and veggies do not belong on a grilled cheese. Just cheese. Now I like adding ham, but then its a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

McStew

food for thought 

buttering the bread or melting the butter in the pan two different taste profiles in my opinion. 

baking 

CI vs Non Stick pans 

butter / mayo / EVVO

how much cheese is to much? 

bread combinations with different cheeses example 
Honey oat bread needs to have Havarti cheese hands down and only one slice  

SmokeyPitt

One of my favorites was something we copied from a restaurant.  I'm not 100% sure as it has been a few years but I think it was sourdough bread, vermont cheddar, gruyere, and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. 

One thing I have found is with a thick hearty bread the cheese isn't melty enough.  I think I will try covering them with a big foil pan.  

I like a melted sammich out of the oven but I think of this more like cheese toast.  I actually prefer the toaster oven if I am going this route.  I think many people think of the toaster oven as something you should stop using once you are out of college but it is nice and even and I don't have to flip it.   You can do the same with a broiler but you have to toast one side and then flip and add cheese.  I like the way the toaster or broiler browns the cheese.   

McStew

@SmokeyPitt in college we would toast the bread int he toaster and put it in the microwave for 60 seconds to melt the cheese 

fishlessman

griddled cheese with rooster sauce this was sharp cheddar

HendersonTRKing

I follow Roy Choi's take on it, as interpreted by Jon Favreau.  At the very end of the movie Chef, after the credits, Roy does his version.  The scene below kind of sums it up for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BTfctEmg5w