Dads Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipes

DAD'S PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut the slices of cheddar cheese; not too thick, but not skimpy, either; cut one slice in half.
• Take the two slices of bread and generously butter each of them on one side.
• Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Get yourself the cover from a Revereware saucepan, or another cover of about the same size.
• Place one of the slices of bread, butter side down, in the hot skillet.
• Spread 2 and a half slices of cheese on the bread, then cover it butter-side-up with the other slice of bread; eat the extra, unused half of the cheese slice.
• Push the bread down a little with the metal spatula, then cover the whole thing up with the saucepan lid (the idea is to heat the air up underneath the lid and melt the cheese faster as you're also browning the bread).
• Uncover every minute and check the cooking bread color- you want it golden, not burnt (no matter what Mom says - she likes 'em black for some reason).
• When it's to the color you like, carefully flip the sandwich over, press down on it with the spatula to squish the bread and cheese together, and re-cover with the saucepan to continue melting the cheese.
• After about 3-5 minutes of slow cooking, you'll have a wonderfully golden, melty, gooey grilled cheese sandwich!

THE PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Oven method (great for a crowd of six or fewer): Put a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Make one sandwich per person: Sandwich 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread. Spread or brush the outside of the sandwich with 1 tablespoon of fat. Place on the preheated baking sheet and cook until the cheese starts to melt, about 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich and bake until golden brown, an additional 5 minutes.
• Panini press method (for crispy crunchy sandwich that needs minimal attention): Sandwich 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread. Preheat a panini press to medium heat. Spread or brush the outside of the sandwich with 1 tablespoon of fat and place in the press. Close the top and cook until lightly browned and the cheese is melted, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Skillet method (fool-proof and low-tech): Sandwich 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread. Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat. Spread or brush the outside of the sandwich with 1 tablespoon of fat and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the sandwich, and continue cooking until browned and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Great combos:
• 1. Pepper jack and sourdough, brushed with chili oil
• 2. American and white bread, brushed with butter
• 3. Swiss and rye, brushed with mayo
• 4. Cheddar and brioche, brushed with butter

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Generously slather one side of each piece of bread with your room-temperature butter. The buttered sides will be on the outside of the sandwich, so if your bread is a crazy shape like mine was and you want the pieces of bread to match up when the sandwich is closed, plan accordingly.
• Turn the bread over, unbuttered side up. To one piece of the bread, add a single layer of cheddar sliced 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick. Cover every last little bit of the bread, overlapping here and there if necessary.
• Top the sandwich with the second piece of bread, buttered side up.
• If you're using an electric griddle, set the temperature to about 275 degrees. Or use a roomy saute pan over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich on the preheated cooking surface and let it cook for about 5 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's not burning (it probably won't at such low heat, but cooking surfaces vary from kitchen to kitchen). It's tempting, but don't press down on the sandwich! Unless you like your grilled cheese extra flat, in that case, go for it.
• After the first five minutes, carefully flip the sandwich with a spatula and cook the other side for 5 minutes.
• Flip and cook each side for a couple more minutes each. The bread should start to get golden brown and the cheese nice and melty.
• After about 15 minutes of cooking over medium-low heat, increase the heat to medium and, turning every so often, watch the sandwich carefully until the bread is perfectly toasted a golden brown.
• Remove the sandwich from the heat, carefully cut in half if you would like, and enjoy your perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice ciabatta horizontally into thirds; reserve top and bottom crust for bread slices.
• Place bread slices on work surface, crust side down; butter cut side of each slice. Top 1 slice with 6 slices cheese, tomato slices seasoned with salt and pepper, and basil leaves. Top with 6 more slices cheese and then with remaining bread slice, buttered side down. Butter 1 exterior side of sandwich, seasoning with salt and pepper; halve sandwich to fit grill pan.
• Place sandwich butter side down onto grill pan. Weight sandwich with a large cast-iron skillet; cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan, butter exterior side of top bread slice; turn, weight down sandwich, and cook for 3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining sandwich half. Slice sandwiches crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Serve immediately.