Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Who doesn't like a grilled cheese sandwich?! It is easy to make, inexpensive and so delicious. I just love biting into that warm, crunchy crust with that melted, gooey cheese center. But to get it just right there are a few little tricks that if followed will get you perfect cheese sandwiches every time.

Ingredients & Tools:

• Best cheeses to use: Cheddar, Fontina, America, Emmenthal, Gruyere, Jarlsberg, Gouda, Muenster, Jack
• Nonstick pan
• Unsalted butter
• Bread of your choice - sliced not too thick
• Other sandwich toppings

Technique:

• Make sure all ingredients are room temperature, especially the bread and cheese.
• Shred the cheese: by shredding the cheese the surface area increases and cheese will take less time to melt
• Nonstick pan: I prefer to use a nonstick pan. There is less of a chance of the cheese burning and sticking to the pan
• Unsalted Butter: I like to use unsalted butter, because the cheese already adds a lot of salt. Also, butter will give the crust a much better flavor that any kind of oil.
• Low heat: cheese prefers low heat. If cheese is exposed to hight heat the proteins in it will tighten and squeeze out the water and fat making the cheese rubbery and tough. Also, if the temperature is too high the bread will be browned on the outside before the cheese got a chance to melt on the inside.
• Preheat the pan on low temperature: when the pan is hot add some unsalted butter, but only if it bubbles on contact. Place the sandwich in the pan and place a pot or other fairly heavy object on top to weigh down. Check the sandwich every so often to be sure it browns evenly and does not burn. When it has reached the desired crust flip it over and brown the other side.

Follow these few steps and you will get a perfectly crunchy and melted cheese sandwich. Enjoy!

You can use any kind of bread, but be sure it is sliced not too thick.