How To Ruin A Grilled Cheese

By Lawrence Marcus, Senior Digital Editor, Food & Wine

It's hard to imagine a bad grilled cheese, but melty perfection isn't a given. Here, the James Beard Award-winning cookbook author behind this year's Grilled Cheese, Please!, Laura Werlin, reveals five ways to fumble this deceptively simple sandwich.

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1. Go overboard with bread. The ratio of cheese to bread should be 50-50. "Too much bread prevents the sandwich from getting crisp, which is crucial," says Werlin. Too little cheese also yields disappointing results: "If you cut the sandwich open and there's nothing gooey in the middle, why make one? People do that, amazingly." Slideshow: Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes

2. Slice the cheese. Grated cheese melts more quickly and evenly. If you're using the right amount of cheese and it's sliced, it won't melt before the bread burns—unless you cook it over a low flame for a long time. "Who wants to wait half an hour?" asks Werlin. "Grilled cheese is all about immediate gratification"

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3. Add butter to the pan. "The minute you put your sandwich in the pan, it absorbs the fat, and it doesn't get distributed evenly," explains Werlin. Instead, spread butter on the bread first. Press down on the sandwich with a spatula to achieve ideal crispiness. Slideshow: Delicious Cheesy Recipes

4. Use anything other than a nonstick pan. Cast iron might seem rustic, but the benefits of nonstick are twofold, according to Werlin. "First of all, the sandwich doesn't stick, but neither does the cheese that inevitably comes oozing out," she says. "So then you get to pick up those little extra bits of cheese that get all toasty at the bottom of the pan. You don't want to leave those behind."

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5. Skip condiments. This depends on your audience, since kids might not appreciate chutney, but "myriad ingredients can elevate a grilled cheese sandwich from good to great," notes Werlin. She likes roasted peppers, arugula, olives and herbs, as well as artisanal breads, like those baked with olives, dried cranberries or herbs. Werlin's favorite alternative to traditional bread might be the croissant: "You've already got the butter built in, and it becomes supercrisp because it smashes down so well. Boy is that good."

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Comments

[GraceNotes]

05:03 PM on 02/02/2012

I had always used butter until I tried spreading a little mayonaise on the outside of the bread. Delicious!

[violettefemme]

12:58 PM on 01/27/2012

Oh, and I use cast iron too...probably why my grilled sandwiches come out so nice and crispy on the outside, and perfectly melted inside.

But of course, that's against the rules ;)

[violettefemme]

12:57 PM on 01/27/2012

Sorry, I break all your silly rules....I use olive oil IN THE PAN, and have sliced the cheese...and my grilled sandwiches come out beautifully.

[Ashley L Coates]

03:35 PM on 01/23/2012

I like my grilled cheese made with pumpernickel bread, a spicy mustard, tomato, and usually two kinds of cheese- a medium cheddar & Vermont cheddar.

And always, shredded cheese. I prefer the taste of freshly grated anyway.

[tam2128]

03:12 PM on 01/23/2012

I like to use softened butter on the outside of the bread and a bit of grapeseed oil in the pan. Med. high temp. to start to start the browning then down low to continue .I like to use Guyere cheese & mustard (sometimes with sliced BF ham) on the bread ,sourdough ,thinly sliced. Must be served with crunchy dill pickles /or homemade coleslaw and creamy tomato soup. I don't fuss around moving the sandwich around. just leave it alone to do it's thing.
Mmmmmm. now I'm hungry.

[Seafoamrush]

12:18 PM on 01/23/2012

#3 is wrong, always add butter to pan and swish it to evenly coat pan, otherwise you end up tearing your bread apart unless you are usinf pre-softened butter, then put grilled cheese in 250 degree oven for 7-10 mins afterwards to crisp up while you do side apps

[archarabia]

12:02 PM on 01/19/2012

I don't agree with the grated cheese recommendation. Who wants to clean up that mess? I think using the right kind of cheese will make a good sandwich, even if sliced.

[mlaiuppa]

10:43 PM on 01/18/2012

I use a non-stick crepe pan. And I do melt the butter in. The trick is to use enough and then to move the bread around to soak up all of the butter evenly. Since I started doing this instead of spreading the butter on the bread, I've had perfect grilled sandwiches each time.

You also need to turn the pan down low enough to toast the bread and still melt the cheese. Too low and the bread never browns. Too high and the bread burns before the cheese melts.

No condiments for me. I do like a side of freshly sliced tomato or hot tomato soup, depending on if it's summer or winter.

The consistency of the bread is very important. The worst sandwiches are made with either too soft bread (like that tasteless limp white stuff. Wonder comes to mind) or bread that is way too dense. I've got a nice home-made recipe that also works well in the bread machine that makes a really good loaf for grilled cheese. And I can slice it just the right thickness.

[odyssey58]

07:25 PM on 01/18/2012

I make mine in a Revere ware stainless skillet and I cover the pan. I make a darn fine grilled cheese that way. It never sticks and browns perfectly. Add a few slices of sweet pickles and some Wolfgang puck's creamy tomato soup. Yum.

I tried making a grilled cheese for a someone else at her house using light butter spread. It didn't work. The bread stuck to the pan and it didn't brown.