Gabrielle Hamilton's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Should you use mayo or butter for grilled cheese? ›

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.

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.

Deli meats: They're easy to add, salty, meaty... basically just what you want in a grilled cheese. Jams, chutneys, and other condiments: Anything that would work well on your cheese plate will work well in a grilled cheese. I particularly like sweet, jammy things like guava paste, cranberry relish, or fig jam.

Butter bread – Slather both sides of each piece of bread with the butter (yes, all 4 sides!). Light toast – Heat a heavy-based skillet or frying pan over medium low heat (no oil or butter). Pile on cheese – Flip one slice of bread, then pile on the cheddar cheese followed by the mozzarella.

"The Miracle Whip adds a little zip to a golden sandwich. It replaces the butter of the usual grilled cheese. Recipe is from Kraft."

For each grilled cheese, you'll need two slices of bread, at least 1 tablespoon of butter, and 2-4 slices of cheese (depending how gooey you like it). American, Cheddar, Swiss, muenster or Gouda all work well—feel free to mix and match your cheeses.

Sharp cheddar, Gouda, Fontina, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Pepper Jack, and brie are all good options. The amount of cheese you use will depend on the size of your bread. I love sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda together.

Place sandwiches in skillet (in two batches, if needed). Reduce heat to medium-low; gently top sandwiches with a lid slightly smaller than skillet for even cooking. Cook, flipping once halfway through, until crisp and golden on both sides and cheese is melted, 7 to 9 minutes. Serve immediately.

Fill these yummy sandwiches with whatever feels right – prosciutto, grilled eggplant and mozzarella, or smoked salmon, rocket and melting Gruyère. If you don't feel like firing up the grill, they cook well in a dry frypan.

How many times do you flip a grilled cheese? ›

I flip mine about 10 time total per sandwich: I butter both sides of 2 slices of bread. Put them in a hot cast iron skillet for about 4 minutes a side, so that both sides, of each slice, is toasted.

Sourdough bread works great for a grilled cheese sandwich since it's sturdy and can hold up to the weight of all those cheeses super well. It also has a distinct tangy flavor that pairs so well with the cheeses here.

It's ok to go right up to the edge. Cover the pan: Cover the pan with a lid. Let the cheese melt until it's almost entirely melted, but you can still see some distinct cheese pieces, 2 to 3 minutes. Top the sandwich and flip: Uncover the pan and top the sandwich with the other piece of bread (buttered side out).

What matters most is how you prepare if. 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.

Mayo has its advantages

It has a high oil content that promotes browning as well as butter, and cooking with it creates a pleasant eggy-flavored coating to the bread. One of the major reasons cooks prefer using mayonnaise here is because of its high smoke point.

If you undercook the bread, the sandwich is soggy and the cheese might not melt properly. If you overdo it, then all you taste is char. That's why the secret to perfect grilled cheese is mayonnaise.

your better bet is mayonnaise, which contains less saturated fat than butter (1.5 g per tablespoon versus 7.3 g in butter).