How to make a grilled cheese
Today’s question comes to us from Cheesed Off in Albuquerque:
Some friends and I were discussing the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich. It seems like a third rail. There’s already been a fistfight and a divorce (not at the same time.) How do you make a grilled cheese sandwich?
A grilled cheese (sandwich isn’t necessary) is one of those magical items that seems like it would be incredibly easy to make, and it is, but you have to get a couple of foundational things right.
And much like life, once you nail those foundational things (treat others the way you want them to treat you, take care of the things that need the most care first), the amount of variety you can experiment with is mesmerizing.
To make a grilled cheese you will need three categories of things: equipment, ingredients, and time. That’s not so different from most tasks you’d take on in life. Tools. Raw materials. Patience. With patience, and a few tools, a pile of wood can become a birdhouse.
Let’s start with time. First off, carve out 30 minutes. It takes as long as it takes. If you don’t have 30 minutes, just make a cheese sandwich. Cheese sandwiches are both quick to make and great. But if you’re craving a grilled cheese you’re not going to be satisfied with a shitty half-assed grilled cheese. And then you’ll be pissed off that you have the clean up after an unsatisfying meal, which takes just as long as cleaning up after a satisfying meal. There’s also a fair amount of waiting involved so I suggest you put on some music. Something soothing. Myself? I like to listen to Sade when I make a grilled cheese. (I’m listening as I type this, as a matter of fact.) It eases the spirit, you cry a little bit, and then you reward yourself with a grilled cheese.
On to equipment. To make a good grilled cheese you need both heat and steam. The heat grills the bread, while the steam melts the cheese. This bears repeating: to make a good grilled cheese you need both heat and steam. The heat grills the bread, while the steam melts the cheese. Which means you not only need a pan, but you need a lid. Otherwise all you’re getting is a burned cheese sandwich, and you don’t want that. My pan of choice is a Lodge cast iron pan. (Some of you will call it a skillet.) It’s a beast of burden of a pan. A good cast iron pan will meet the majority of your kitchen needs. It’s the hammer of pans. It’s (subjectively) affordable, and if you treat it well, it will outlast you. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, any pan you have will also work, but half as well for a fraction of the time. Lodge also makes a pan lid, which is nice. But if you don’t have a proper lid, lots of items in your kitchen will also double as lids. Just make sure they can withstand a little heat. But without a lid you cannot make a grilled cheese.
Let’s do ingredients. This is the most subjective of all our categories. But let’s all agree on two things: you will need some foundational ingredients, and all improvisation is good. So go nuts, and add things at will. I would, however, encourage you to nail a simple grilled cheese before you go adding a bunch of stuff to it. A simple grilled cheese is bread, cheese, and butter. And if you’re gonna go bougie on any of those things it should be the butter. Irish butter is best. Salted. Your bread should be soft enough that it can soak up some butter and then crisp up, but solid enough that it can withstand the manufacturing and cooking process. Personally, I’m a big fan of a Jewish Rye, but you do you. Cheese-wise, I’d encourage you to start with something that has a low melting point, and child, this is what American cheese was literally invented for. You can experiment with other cheeses later. Havarti is also nice.
Take your room temperature butter, because you don’t store butter in the fridge, and spread it evenly on both sides of your bread. Yes, both. Use a luxurious amount of butter. It’ll get messy. Maybe use a spatula. Then slap a couple slices of cheese between them, and, boom, you’re ready to move it to the pan.
Turn your heat on low. Low. LOW! This is very important. Otherwise you’ll burn your bread before the cheese melts. Let your bread get acquainted with the pan. Once the butter has begun to melt, maybe slide it around a little bit until it feels like it’s at home. Now put the lid on.
If you put on Sade’s Lover’s Rock when you started this endeavor, you should be around the second song which is Flow. It’s a dreamy song and you should feel free to take a seat and let it wash over you because you’ve got some time to kill. When the song ends, feel free to check the pan. Lift the lid, and be careful cause you’re gonna get some steam. It probably needs another minute, so put the lid back on. Somewhere towards the middle of King of Sorrow check again. It’s probably ready to flip, so grab a spatula and with one hand gently on the top slice, flip it over. It should be a nice golden brown. Put the lid back on.
It’s worth noting that steam and smoke are two different things. If your pan is smoking it’s probably because your heat is too high. Turn everything off. If your smoke detector goes off, you’re pretty much fucked because those things are impossible. Just pack a bag and move.
Check your fridge for pickles.
The second side will take a little less time than the first side because things are heating up in there. But stay patient. Sade just started Somebody Already Broke My Heart, which deserves your time. About halfway through that song, which is heart-breaking, check your pan again. Your grilled cheese is probably ready. The bottom slice, which you can see if you very carefully lift it up a little bit, should be golden brown, and the cheese should be gooey. Use a spatula to move it onto a plate, cut it diagonally, and put a pickle between both halves.
Magically delicious.
If you made it right, the bread and cheese should be fused together. Don’t pull it apart. If you want to add things to it, take notes. Because those’ll be the things to add to the next grilled cheese. Personally, I’d get some tomatoes and horseradish in there next time. Once you’ve figured out the foundational simple grilled cheese you can start playing with all sorts of stuff like fancy cheeses, condiments, etc etc. Sky’s the limit.
Oh, and you’re never finished until you’ve cleaned up the kitchen.
Enjoy.
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