Simple pleasures. The grilled cheese sandwich...

[Moutaineer]

So, last night, for the first time in years, I was fed a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and a bowl of home made tomato soup.

Oh my word. That sandwich was heaven between two slices of toast.

I realize that I really have no idea how to do this properly. What cheese, for example, works best? What is the procedure for getting crispy but not burned toast and melty cheese, and a lightly cooked tomato?

Your tips, please!

(Love our mountain Stitch & Bitch gatherings. Not a lot of stitching gets done, but we eat and drink well I drove halfway home on gnarly, snow covered dirt roads going "damn, it's dark tonight!" before I realized my headlights weren't on...)

[Chancellor]

Snow covered roads? You keep it.

[Moutaineer]

8000 feet or so in the Rockies, we'd better start seeing a bit of snow by now!

[PaulaO]

Velveeta cheese, white bread. Toast the bread lightly in the toaster. Let it cool a bit, then slather one side of each piece of toast with butter. Heat skillet, layer bread with cheese (bacon and tomato optional), top with other piece of bread (buttered sides out) and skillet til it is brown to your liking.

[Snork]

Don't believe PaulaO Mountaineer, she's trying to poison you. Velveeta is actually not edible.

Depending on how you like your grilled cheese you can go with a good quality cheddar, gryere or fontina. Buttering the sides facing out is right, and you can use either skillet or panini maker (my favorite).

But dear lord, just not Velveeta.

[piedmontfields]

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite "cheat" food.

Bread quality matters: Day old challah works great, but a good sourdough is also nice.

Cheese: I'm with Snork on this. Quality matters, but pick what you like. Gruyère is classic, but I also enjoy goat gouda or even a good cheddar. For west coast style, go with monterey jack and add on some avocado and/or new mexico chile.

For good melting, slice cheese fairly thin or grate the cheese.

For increased decadence,lightly toast one side of the bread in butter before assembling the sandwich with the first toasted side in and the other buttered side out.

Add-ons: In winter, sun dried tomatoes are nice. Mango chutney is great with cheddar. And Dijon mustard is wonderful with other cheeses.

Soon it will be cold enough here for me to make this! (it is still in the 70s today...crazy weather)

[Rockabilly]

For good melting, slice cheese fairly thin or grate the cheese.

But don't buy the pre-shredded cheese. It doesn't melt well because "something" keeps it from sticking together and also it is not the best quality.

[piedmontfields]

For good melting, slice cheese fairly thin or grate the cheese.

But don't buy the pre-shredded cheese. It doesn't melt well because "something" keeps it from sticking together and also it is not the best quality.

Indeed. That stuff is frightening...I have trouble imagining that grating to order is difficult (and I am quite lame in the hands...).

Grate is a *verb*!

[myleetlepony]

But don't buy the pre-shredded cheese. It doesn't melt well because "something" keeps it from sticking together and also it is not the best quality.

That "something" is wood pulp aka cellulose powder I buy blocks of cheese and grate my own.

Re: Velveeta. I remember when it first started coming out back in the early 80's, my cousin's stepfather worked for Kraft. I remember her telling me that her dad found a way to make fake cheese out of leftover food cheese scraps and plastic. He had told her it was cheaper food so people that couldn't afford real cheese could eat it, too. I think I was around 7 or 8 when she told me that.

[myleetlepony]

I had to introduce my SO to grilled cheese and tomato soup; he had NEVER eaten the two together before! My mom always made it for us when we were sick and had grown tired of chicken noodle soup, and I guess I assumed that everyone ate them together!

I like making GC by melting butter in the pan over a low flame and setting the bread into the butter. When ready to flip, just add another pat of butter before putting the sandwich back in the pan. I think it comes out *slightly* less greasy, but still buttery and golden.

[bascar]

Aged cheeses have lots of flavor but don't melt well, young cheeses melt but have no taste - so you need a combination of the two in about a 1:3 ratio of aged to young. Good bread is essential, you need something robust, but absorbent, not too crusty and not too chewy - day old sourdough is my choice. I spread the inside with mayo mixed with mustard, put in cheese and black forest ham, spread butter on the top, then heat olive oil and butter and fry one side,flipping over onto the buttery side - don't let the oil get too hot or the butter will burn.

[WheresMyWhite]

Snork and piedmontfields have it right for cheeses. It isn't just the age of the cheese but the type of the cheese... ones with more fat melt better.

I like a sourdough bread, buttered on the outside (I've tried the mayo version and didn't like it).

My only problem with tomatoes is because of their high water content, they get much hotter than the rest of the sammich But a good ham or thinly sliced roast beef along with the cheese is yummy...

They do take a bit of practice to get the heat and amount of butter balanced but oh so worth it!

[Tulsa]

Bacon with fig or apricot preserves makes a nice add in. Usually do this with gruyere and/ or smoked cheddar on brioche. Yumm!

Goat cheese, bacon, mushroom and cranberry also happens on a fairly regular basis, with balsamic reduction for dipping. It might sound odd, but it's divine! (even without the bacon)

[silk]

Do you people not have toastie machines?

toastie.jpg (9.04 KiB) Viewed 27380 times

[KathyK]

I am a lover of butter, but once I discovered using mayo instead of butter on the bread I never looked back. Do yourself a favor and try it.

[Woost2]

Grilled cheese and tomato soup were the American public schools' homage to Catholic meat free Fridays in the '50s. Friday lunch was either fish sticks (loved 'em) or grilled cheese and tomato soup. Always.

My fav is Deli Deluxe sharp cheddar (which is, in fact, American cheese with flavor--no plastic wrap) on caraway rye. I cannot have these two things in the house or I will have grilled cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it is gone.

Re: Velveeta. I remember when it first started coming out back in the early 80's, my cousin's stepfather worked for Kraft. I remember her telling me that her dad found a way to make fake cheese out of leftover food cheese scraps and plastic. He had told her it was cheaper food so people that couldn't afford real cheese could eat it, too. I think I was around 7 or 8 when she told me that.

Velveeta has been around since the early 1900s. The cheesemakers were looking for a way to use the left over bits and scraps and discovered adding whey (pun... ha ha) turned the bits back into a block. Just the industrial revolution at work. Certainly no plastic involved.

[galopp]

Sharp chedder (with anything...but with bacon/tomato/avocado); or combinations of three cheese (gouda/gruyére or manchego have a better/sharper taste ph; but also swiss/muenster work) s; or taleggio with apples and bacon; gouda with pears. Love the recipes here http://www.bustle.com/articles/105630-1 ... -delicious ...and love a good tomato soup!

[Maple]

Good gawd, I've been obsessing about grilled cheese lately and lo and behold, a whole thread about it.

Must be the weather

I recently stumbled across this list and I want to make and eat every single combination! Make sure you have a napkin ready to catch the drool.

[demi]

My grandma always called it "velveeter". My sibs and I would gag and laugh everytime she asked us if we wanted "velveeter" on our sandwich.

[Moutaineer]

Good gawd, I've been obsessing about grilled cheese lately and lo and behold, a whole thread about it.

Must be the weather

I recently stumbled across this list and I want to make and eat every single combination! Make sure you have a napkin ready to catch the drool.

Maple! You enabler, you!

I bought fontina in the grocery store this evening. You have to realize that I haven't eaten cheese in any form for 3 years due to a supposed dairy allergy.... a myth my new allergist exploded in a single pin prick. I'm making up for lost time here.

Cheese and Cadburys fruit and nut... I'm going to weigh 400lbs by Christmas.

[Minz]

Grilled cheese is my Mecca food. I told the owner of the new fromagerie in town that her store was my mothership. She laughed and is helping me work my way through her products country by country. I have a notebook where I try to comment on each cheese, but for the most part I just want to say "yummy" for all of them. There are very few cheeses that I don't like. I will make grilled cheese from just about any type of cheese. For Christmas a few years ago I got a mini George Foreman grill/sandwich maker that has made grilled cheese with other ingredients even easier. I love to add chutney when using Brie, apples and pears with blue or cheddars. Someone mentioned avocado and bacon. There are so many different combinations I could have a cheese sandwich every day and never repeat the ingredients. I am making notes on suggestions I found in this thread!!

[bascar]

You have to realize that I haven't eaten cheese in any form for 3 years due to a supposed dairy allergy.... a myth my new allergist exploded in a single pin prick. I'm making up for lost time here.

I'd be looking for someone to sue

[PaulaO]

Also, must have potato chips as a side. And pickles.

Off to buy Velveeta.....

[Paints]

Old cheddar.

One of the tricks is to be patient. Keep the heat on your frying pan low so that the cheese really melts and the bread gets evenly toasty. Oh........damn this Wheat Belly diet LOL. no bread for me.

[Tarlo Farm]

Me too Paula!!! (the Mayo mixed with butter on the outside is decedent and wonderful too)

[no.stirrups]

Next time you are passing through Ohio make a point of stopping at Melt Bar and Grill, specializing in gourmet grilled cheese:
http://meltbarandgrilled.com/menu/melt-menu/
The only complaint I have about it is that their sandwiches are so filling I am full after half of one, and I really want to try so many!

[Tarlo Farm]

That's when you go with a few friends and cut your sandwiches into quarters to sample them all.

[piedmontfields]

Since we are not holding back, I thought I should mention the special pleasures of quality homemade southern pimento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Heavenly.

[Rockabilly]

Since we are not holding back, I thought I should mention the special pleasures of quality homemade southern pimento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Heavenly.

Oh, that does sound divine!

[gypsy still flies]

I love a toasted munster cheese sandwich. It melts great and even provides strings when pulled apart. But I hate tomato soup.

[angela9823]

You guys are making my mouth water! My recipe: croissant, black forest ham, granny smith apple slices, provolone (because I don't like sharp cheeses - swiss works for those that likes that cheese), honey mustard. Heat butter in pan, put everything else in between the croissant, then put in hot pan until brown on one side, flip and brown on other side. Serve with tomato soup. I so wish I had the ingredients now!!

[angela9823]

Since we are not holding back, I thought I should mention the special pleasures of quality homemade southern pimento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Heavenly.

Yummy! I like that on a burger.

[angela9823]

Do you people not have toastie machines?

toastie.jpg

No! But that looks awesome!

[viscountessleftfield]

Melt is freaking amazing!

My mom makes the best grilled cheese - she roasts garlic, mashes that into a paste on the bread and uses whatever cheeses she has on hand. Since good cheese is a food group in her house, it's wide open what's around. Usually it's sharp cheddar, parmesan, swiss, for a while we had horseradish cheddar. Sometimes she'll put bacon, Avocado, or tomatoes in them, too. Love her grilled cheese!

And, I make great tomato soup. I need to make a batch up soon now that it's getting cold! That sounds amazing tonight!

[Minz]

Next time you are passing through Ohio make a point of stopping at Melt Bar and Grill, specializing in gourmet grilled cheese:
http://meltbarandgrilled.com/menu/melt-menu/
The only complaint I have about it is that their sandwiches are so filling I am full after half of one, and I really want to try so many!

OMG, that restaurant has been emailed to the friend I go to Equine Affaire with. The menu is to die for!!! We are definitely planning one of our meals there next spring when we go to Columbus. And of course we will be stopping at "Grandpa's Cheese Barn" on the way. The first time we drove by I thought the name was funny, but it was closed when we stopped by. The next year it was open and I wasn't laughing anymore. It had a gazillion different types of cheese, and you can sample just about every one. The problem was not blowing my spending budget before I even reached Equine Affaire, because they not only had cheese but meats and gourmet foods too.

[mari]

Okay, granted I just scanned through here, but I didn't see anyone advising to put cheese on the OUTSIDE of the sandwich too, which is, quite frankly, grilled cheese amateur hour....

Make a sandwich with tomato, pepper, salt and cheddar (sliced or grated). FINELY grate some extra cheddar (or go all out and use parmesan), and press that in a thin layer onto the buttery outside of the sandwich. Then use a hot non-stick pan to fry, while pressing down with a spatula, until golden.

[angela9823]

Okay, granted I just scanned through here, but I didn't see anyone advising to put cheese on the OUTSIDE of the sandwich too, which is, quite frankly, grilled cheese amateur hour....

Make a sandwich with tomato, pepper, salt and cheddar (sliced or grated). FINELY grate some extra cheddar (or go all out and use parmesan), and press that in a thin layer onto the buttery outside of the sandwich. Then use a hot non-stick pan to fry, while pressing down with a spatula, until golden.

I would have thought the cheese would stick to the pan that way.

[mari]

Angela - not in a good non-stick pan

[hoopoe]

we have food trucks that come to my work and today is the grilled cheese truck

They do a manchigo apple pecan that is heaven

alas they do not offer elbow macaroni with the tomato bisque. That is Mom style

the secret of getting the toasting on the bread is low and slow. you cannot rush a toasted cheese sandwich

[bascar]

here you go - all you ever needed to know - the comments BTL are worth reading for an extra hit of Brit humor

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... e-sandwich

[Chancellor]

I have a friend whose mother made grilled cheese like this:
Toast two pieces of bread in the toaster, Remove them from toaster and put a slice of velveeta between them. HORRORS! Not growing up with a good grilled cheese sandwich!

[WheresMyWhite]

INELY grate some extra cheddar (or go all out and use parmesan), and press that in a thin layer onto the buttery outside of the sandwich. Then use a hot non-stick pan to fry, while pressing down with a spatula, until golden.

I would have thought the cheese would stick to the pan that way.

I've done this with Parm (never tried it with cheddar). Nope, a decent non-stick the cheese won't stick. Think about it... the cheese (at least the way I make melty cheese sammichs) often melts past the edge of the bread and down onto the pan and sometimes that nice crunchy cheese is the best part

And yes, Parm on the outside as part of the toasted sandwich is yummy!

[Crisscreek]

Yummmm....

Large batch grilled cheese-butter outside of bread, layer with your preferred cheese (real cheese!), mayonnaise, and any other good things. Bake on parchment on flat sheet in the oven @425 for about 7 minutes, flip them over and cook another 5 to 7. Perfect!

[piedmontfields]

Since we are not holding back, I thought I should mention the special pleasures of quality homemade southern pimiento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Heavenly.

[heddylamar]

Ditto the pimento cheese, with added hot peppers.

A favorite here is fresh goat cheese with something hard and aged (romano, etc) with tomato jam and arugula. Combines well with more tomatoes in soup form Pear or apple preserves work well too.

For the cheese on the outside, you don't need a nonstick pan, I make grilled cheese that way in a cast iron skillet.

[Saddlebum]

I was glutton free for over a year and felt so great, young and full of energy. I missed my grilled cheese and tomato soup. I started back on bread this past summer and went right for the grilled cheese - OMG! what a treat.

The type of cheese is important as is the bread. These all sound so yummy I might not go back to glutton free until I've tried them all!

[PrairieSky]

I ordered Comte cheese (and Cantal and Beaufort) from Fromages.com just for the ultimate grilled cheese. With the Comte I use chunks of spicy green olives scattered inside. I wasn't going to order this year because postage nearly doubled -- but then they sent me an email offering Comte at a sale price I couldn't resist.

Now I can go back to frugal cooking for the next 12 months. Has anyone else ordered cheese from europe?

[Josette]

No way eating white bread. Grilled cheese with salami on really good rye bread. Yum yum.

[silk]

Lunch was a wrap (no bread in the house) spread with cream cheese, slices of roast veges (onion, beetroot), some roast paprika chicken and some melty Colby cheese (a really mild, young cheese - mostly for melt value as it has a subtle flavour). Into the toastie machine for a few minutes and voila! lunch. Delish!

[bascar]

I was glutton free for over a year !

That would be a serious problem for me.

I have a date tonight. That is I am meeting someone for dinner, not that I have a single fruit to eat. I figure that if it is at the brew pub if nothing else, at the very least, I'll be able to command the pool table.....