Gourmet Grilled Cheese Bar Ideas | Recipe | Ain't Too Proud To Meg (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to the best grilled cheese? ›

Low and slow is the way to go.

Cook your sandwiches at medium-low heat. Try to speed up the process and you'll end up with a sandwich that's hot on the outside, but still cool and unmelted in the middle. It'll also be harder to get it to brown properly.

Familiar names are: toastie (UK), grilled cheese sandwich (US), jaffle (Australia), panini (Italy), and croque monsieur (France). The toasted sandwich is not limited to these countries, however. You will find this popular snack, lunch, or dinner in every corner of our planet.

Adding ingredients like chutney, pepper jelly, tomato jam, or bacon jam can totally change the flavor profile of your grilled cheese.

Using a cast iron-pan, add a touch of olive oil and get pan hot over medium-high heat and add sandwich. After about 30-45 second push sandwich so it crisps and cheese melts. Flip after about 2 minutes, once slices are nice and crunchy. Keep flipping and pushing down until cheese is melted.

Build it with better bread: Ditch white sandwich bread for something with more body and taste. A firm artisan bread will grill up nicely. And you can try breads like dark rye, pumpernickel and even walnut or olive bread to create grilled cheese sandwiches with added layers of flavor.

Tuck in a little sautéed spinach, caramelized onions, chopped steamed broccoli, roasted red peppers, or roasted tomatoes. Add fruit. For really gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, use a mix of Gruyere and brie cheese along with thinly sliced apples or a slather of fig jam. Pickles, please!

There are some British foods that ooze comfort at the mere mention of their name, and none more so than the cheese toastie. Alongside a bacon butty (bacon sandwich), the toastie is the one that makes everyone drool. Cheese toasties are basically the same thing as American grilled cheese and just as delicious.

A Monte Cristo sandwich is an egg-dipped or batter-dipped ham and cheese sandwich that is pan or deep fried. It is a variation of the French croque monsieur.

The quesadilla is a regional favorite in the southwestern U.S., where it is similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, with the inclusion of local ingredients.

Sprinkle parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, and dill over the cheese; top with remaining bread. Spread the top of sandwich with 1 tablespoon butter. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Gently flip sandwich, buttered-side down, into the hot skillet; spread remaining 1 tablespoon butter on the top.

What is the best bread for grilled cheese? ›

For the ideal grilled cheese, look for bread with a soft-but-hearty texture with even slices of medium thickness (about 1/4 inch). Hearty sandwich bread, sourdough, brioche, and rye all work very well. Avoid rolls and loaves with large holes in the interior.

Preheat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the assembled sandwich. Once the cheese starts to melt and the bread on the bottom is golden brown, flip the sandwich; avoid pressing with the spatula to flatten. Grill until cheese has fully melted and the other side is golden brown.

Lay one slice of bread butter side down onto the George Foreman Grill. Add both cheeses. Top with the remaining slice of bread - butter side towards the grill plate and cook for 4-5 minutes or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Serve with a side salad if you fancy - enjoy.

The overall verdict? If you want a low effort, high reward grilled cheese, use mayo. But if you want to make an extra special sandwich, use a mayo-butter combo.

Chefs have a huge choice of cheeses that melt well. These include provolone, a tangy cheddar, nutty Swiss cheese, and soft cheeses. Fontina melts well, and so does raclette and the stronger-tasting taleggio. Gouda is ideal too, and asiago, but cheese that doesn't melt well can also be added in with a good melting one.

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.

Butter goes in the pan not on the bread. To ensure golden (not burned) toastiness, the exterior of the sandwich should be slicked with mayonnaise, which has a higher smoke point and possesses the combined browning power of oil and egg yolks.

Ina encourages using a mix of butter and olive oil because butter adds a rich flavor to dishes while the olive oil helps prevent the butter from burning.