The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes

THE BEST EVER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread 3 tablespoons butter on 1 side of bread slices. Toast bread, butter side down, in a large skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat until golden brown, 2-3 minutes; remove. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, Manchego cheese, onion powder and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. In another bowl, combine cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gruyere. , To assemble sandwiches, top toasted side of 4 bread slices with sliced Brie. Sprinkle cheddar cheese mixture evenly over Brie. Top with remaining bread slices, toasted side facing inward. Spread mayonnaise mixture on the outsides of each sandwich. Place in same skillet and cook until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

BIG CHEESE SQUEEZE

Steps:

• Place two 10-inch cast-iron skillets over high heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spread the mustard on one slice of bread. Distribute the cheese evenly over the mustard, season with pepper, and top with the second slice of bread. Brush the bread surface with the clarified butter. Go for even coverage, but don't soak the bread or it won't brown.
• When the pans are hot, kill the heat and place the sandwich, top-side down, in the middle of skillet number 1. Brush the newly exposed bread face with butter and lay the bottom of skillet number 2 right down on top of the sandwich. Wait. In 3 to 5 minutes, you will hear the sizzle of melted cheese oozing out into the pan. (If you don't, you went skimpy with the cheese.)
• Gently remove the top skillet and use a flat metal spatula to remove the sandwich to a waiting cutting board and wait 60 seconds. You will be hungry, so at this time you may want to examine skillet number 1 for toasty little bits of cheese, which you can hungrily devour. When 60 seconds is up, you may wish to cut the sandwich in half with a serrated knife. It won't make the sandwich taste any better, but there's something about biting into that cut side that's very satisfying.

THE PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Heat a pan over medium heat.
• Completely butter one side of each slice of bread.
• Place one slice of bread in the pan, buttered side down, sprinkle on the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up
• Turn the heat down a notch and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.
• Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2-4 minutes.

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.

AWESOME GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Butter one side of 9 slices of bread, and place butter-side down on a baking sheet. Arrange cheese on each slice of bread. Spread butter on 9 remaining slices of bread, and place them buttered-side up on top of the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, and bake an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

THE PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Bring non-stick skillet to medium heat.
• Spread mayo on one side of each piece of bread.
• Place one piece of bread onto heated skillet, mayo side down.
• Layer your two pieces of cheese.
• Sprinkle a dash of garlic salt to taste (optional).
• Top with remaining piece of bread, mayo side up.
• Cook until golden brown on both sides.
• Enjoy!

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.

THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Butter one side of each of the bread slices. Place 4 slices of bread, buttered side down, on your work surface. Distribute the cheese over the bread slices. Place remaining bread, buttered side up, on top of the cheese.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches into the pan, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cover and turn the sandwiches, pressing each one firmly with a spatula to flatten slightly. Cook for 1 minute or until underside is golden brown. Turn the sandwiches once more, press with the spatula again, cook for 30 seconds, and remove from the pan. Cut in half and serve immediately.