Are you ready for the BEST grilled cheese you’ve ever had?
Yes? Then this is the recipe for you. Forget the white bread. Forget the orange slices of plastic. We’re going to take the ingredients to a whole new level. After painstakingly making and eating many thousands upon thousands of grilled cheese sandwiches, I couldn’t decide which cheese I liked best. After another thousand or two sandwiches I realized I didn’t really like any of them! The two that made the top of my list though were Colby Jack and Extra Sharp Cheddar. But the Colby Jack didn’t have enough kick for me, and the Extra Sharp Cheddar was a bit overpowering. Then one magical night in the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator and realized I didn’t have enough of either to make the grilled cheese sandwiches I was planning. There I was staring at half a block of Colby Jack and half a block of Extra Sharp Cheddar, and all of a sudden it hit me. If I mix the two together, I’ll have enough! So that’s exactly what I did and it turned out to be the greatest grilled cheese sandwich in the history of mankind. The Extra Sharp Cheddar kicks up the Colby Jack and the Colby Jack tones down the Cheddar, giving a perfect balance of cheesy goodness with a nice zing to it. Certain facts above may or may not have been slightly embellished, except for the fact that these sandwiches really are perfect!
Recipe Road #1
This recipe is the first building block in our Recipe Road series designed to teach anyone how to cook and build their skills in the kitchen. Why did we choose this recipe to be the first you ask? Because it’s a great recipe to teach the concept of “heat control” in your pan. This was something I had no concept of when I first started cooking. I quite literally cooked everything on HIGH. Eggs? HIGH. Veggies? HIGH. Chicken? HIGH. I burnt the s#!t out of everything I touched 🙂
So let’s take this recipe as an opportunity to learn how to manage how hot our pan gets. We want to make sure that we’re allowing the food we prepare the time to cook thoroughly without overcooking or burning it. Grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect for three reasons. Number one, they are very forgiving. Number two, you won’t get sick if you undercook it. Number three, they still taste pretty good with a few scorch marks on them!
Depending on whether you have a gas or electric range and what kind of pan you are using the technicalities of heat control can vary, but the core concepts are the same. That’s what we’re going to focus on here. We want to get the pan hot enough to fully melt the cheese inside the sandwich, but not burn the bread to a crisp before the cheese melts. It’s a delicate balance. Too low and the cheese will take a minimum of 8 lifetimes to melt and you’ll have no crusty goodness on the outside. Too high and you’ll be left with something that looks like a burned lump of charcoal and will shred the roof of your mouth when you try to bite it. If we get the heat just right however, we’ll end up with a perfectly crusty sandwich, filled with melted cheesy deliciousness!
My suggestion here is to set your heat right in between Medium and Low. Let the pan warm up for a minute or two if you’re using an aluminum nonstick, stainless or steel pan, or four to five minutes if using cast iron. Next drop an 1/8″ thick slice of butter in the middle of the pan. It should sizzle and foam and start to turn brown about 20-30 seconds after it hits the pan. If the butter doesn’t turn brown you’re heat is too low. If it instantly turns brown you’re heat is too high. Make small adjustments till you get the heat just right. This will become your starting point.
Now we’ll turn the heat up just a tiny bit and then start cooking. Follow the recipe and instructions down below carefully. Use your spatula to lift a corner every so often and see if you’re getting a nice toasted crust. If you think its starting to burn the quickest fix is to flip the sandwich over! Once it’s flipped lower the heat a little so you don’t burn the other side.
Key Idea– When you introduce food to the pan, the food will start to absorb heat, which in turn cools the pan. You may have to adjust your heat a bit higher once food is introduced.
Ok let’s get to cooking the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Some tips and tricks to make the best grilled cheese sandwich
- Read all the instructions and get everything you need before you start.
- Take your butter out of the refrigerator an hour before you start so it’s nice and soft.
- Use the coarsest set of teeth on the cheese grater. Too fine and it will all clump together.
- Look for a sourdough loaf with nice wide slices. You want them more square rather than long and skinny.
- Grab a can or two of your favorite tomato soup for dipping! (Mine is Progresso Tomato Basil)
If you make these I know you and everyone you share them with will love them. They’re a deliciously perfect meal that’s easy to make and easy to eat.
Gotta Have It Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
Description
Full Ingredients
Instructions
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Prep the Cheese
Using a coarse grater, completely grate both the extra sharp cheddar and the colby jack. Gently mix the two piles of cheese together until fully combined.
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Prep the Bread
Remove eight slices of bread from the loaf and lay them on your cutting board in pairs. Using a butter knife spread the softened butter on the outsides of each pair. Make sure to completely coat the slices all the way out to the edges.
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Preheat the Pan
Turn your pan on medium low and allow to preheat. 4-5 mins for Cast Iron. 1-2 minutes for anything else. Drop an 1/8" thick slice of butter in the middle of the pan. It should sizzle and foam and start to turn brown about 20-30 seconds after it hits the pan. If the butter doesn't turn brown you're heat is too low. If it instantly turns brown you're heat is too high. Make small adjustments till you get the heat just right.
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Cooking
Once you're satisfied with your pan temperature, turn the heat up just a little bit more. Just a TINY bit more. Place one slice, buttered side down in the pan, grab a nice handful of cheese and pile it on there about 1/2" thick. Don't press it down, just pile it up. Place the other slice on top, buttered side up. Let cook for about 1 minute and then flip the sandwich over. This is a two hand maneuver as you have to keep the top slice from falling off and loosing all the cheese. Once flipped use the spatula to squish the sandwich down a bit. Cook until bottom slice is nicely browned and softened, about 2 - 3 mins. Flip sandwich back over and repeat. Remove from pan and repeat until all sandwiches are cooked. Depending on the size of your pan you may be able to do two at once. However, that's some expert level s#!t so only attempt if you're a trained professional.
