Introduction
Grilled cheese is a sandwich and one might not find anything special about it but this sandwich is one sandwich of legends and taste bud that brings joy with every bite. Originally it was a fast food, and now, this filling has become the object of novelty: as to it application possibility almost unstopping and everyone can selected something to individual preference.
For those of you who get your kick out of a good simple grilled cheese sandwich or for those of you who want to get experimental with your toppings, this guide will equip you with the knowledge on how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. In this article we are going to find out more about the history of grilled cheese, some facts that might be unknown to us, the type of cheese and bread that can be used, some do’s and don’ts, how to prepare a perfect grilled cheese and some of its varieties.
History of Grilled Cheese
Today’s GCS has its origins from early 20th century and it includes a cheese sandwich with melted cheese between two slices of bread. Although the idea of putting bread with cheese has its origins in the past, the formation of the grilled cheese sandwich as far as the contemporary consumer is concerned capitalized on with the advent of the twentieth century, specifically the 1920s.
During this period, there was easy access to processed per-sliced bread, sufficiently cheap processed cheese and made grilled cheese a reachable low cost easily accessible entertainment for low income families. In the Great Depression, grilled cheese sandwiches was something more of a main meal due to the inexpensive and quick method of preparation. They were normally served as a form of an open sandwich that is topped with melted cheese and accompanied by tomato soup. This basic yet gratifying partnership became familiar to Americans throughout the nation. This snack was further developed over time and exposed to change as the time passed by.
During the middle of the twentieth century it became a standard item on diner and home kitchen menus across the United States. Grilled cheese is now known as something which can be made in many different ways and can be quite delicious, even with exotic cheeses, special bread and additional ingredients included in the sandwich.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
Cheese Selection In a grilled cheese sandwich, core ingredient is cheese and this is where the decision making should begin. Here are some popular options:Here are some of the options that are famous among people:
Cheddar: The other better type of cheese that can be used to prepare a grilled cheese sandwich is cheddar cheese due to its sharp taste as well as its great melting abilities. It also as well applies moderate and sharp cheddar, according to your taste preference.
American Cheese: It has a buttery tendency, low in taste intensity, has a smooth texture with good mouth coating and good melting characteristics; these are the qualities that defines the usage of American cheese in making of traditional grilled cheese.
It is suitable to those who have a low tolerance threshold as it is slightly less flavorful as the other types.
Swiss: On the type of cheese used, Swiss cheese gives the sandwich a nutty slightly sweet taste of cheese. It melts well and it also goes well with the rye breads or pumpernickel breads.
Gruyère: This is a speciality Swiss cheese for it has great taste and has most optimal characteristics for melting ever. Gruyère is much better for the more lustre of the grilled cheese.
Mozzarella: Mozzarella is a soft cheese between crusty that has a smooth and soft like texture and when melted in sandwich it also has gooeyness in it. It is recommended to those who prefers a lighter and whipped caramel flavor as opposed to the machi-caramel flavor.
Fontina: Fontina is one of those cheeses that are semi-soft and these cheeses are characterized by a buttery nutty flavor. You can melt it very nicely and takes a grilled cheese to an classy sandwich.
Brie: If you desire to be extra special then you can never go wrong with brie cheese. It is thick in the consistency and very, very smooth to the taste and it feels delicious when taken with fruits or nuts in a sandwich.
Blue Cheese: If you would like to spice up your grilled cheese and you adore blue cheese or any sharp smelling cheese for that matter then read on. These could be accompanied with milder type of cheese to provide a balance of the strong flavours of the curry.
2. Bread Selection Just like with the bread, the type of bread that you settle for truly has a say in the success of your grilled cheese. Here are some popular bread options:Here are some popular bread options:
White Bread: White bread is fluffy, tender and slightly sweet and low in fiber which makes it ideal for sandwiches where cheese is the star. It goes golden and cripsy on the surface while the interiors are soft that perfectly complements with melted cheese.
Sourdough: Sourdough brings that extra matchstick feel to your sandwich as a result of its tangy taste. Its outer shell is thick but has a soft interior which makes it ideal for a better kind of a grilled cheese.
Whole Wheat: Whole wheat bread has a nutty taste and less in size than the white bread, and of course, it is healthier than the white one. It does go well with the sharp type of cheeses, i.e., cheddar cheese or Gruyère cheese.
Rye: Rye bread has a very specific taste which is perfect for the Swiss cheese and other products from the group of soft cheeses in general. Because of it slightly tight, the product brings heft to your sandwich.
Brioche: If one wants a bread with better flavour and more texture, brioche bread is a good substitute. The raisiny flavor pairs well unctuous, velvety cheeses such as Brie or a fresh, juicy mozzarella.
Multigrain: Multigrain bread has a thick and rich texture that provides a great, savoury start to your grilled cheese. Its seeds and grains are particularly brought to add texture and fit well with almost any cheese type.
Ciabatta: Soft and dry consistency of Ciabatta’s crumb structure and rather caramelised crust ensures deliciousness of the standard grilled cheese. It is especially useful for multilayered sandwich or those with many toppings and fillings.
Prepare the Perfect Grilled Cheese: A Step-by-Step Guide
This article should be used as a guide in order to have a perfectly melted grilled cheese on your table.
Ingredients:
Again, you should use two slices of the bread of your preference.
1-2-3 pieces, or about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grated cheese of the cheese variety of your choice.
2-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter; the butter should be softened
3-Optional: additional toppings ( e. g. pizza sauce, tomatoes, bacon crumbles, avocados, caramelised onions)
Equipment:
1-Skillet or non-stick frying pan preferably cast iron
2-Spatula
3-Knife or cheese grater
4-Cutting board
Instructions: Prepare Your Ingredients:
1-Stir the cheese and chop or shred it with a grater if necessary, put it aside.
2-If you are planning to add extra fillings ready them now, e.g cook bacon slice tomatoes.
Butter the Bread: ->To each slice of bread spread a thin, even layer of softened butter only on one side of the bread. It is helpful to make sure that the butter has been spread out on whole of the surface so as to get an even toasting.
Assemble the Sandwich:
1-Take one slice of bread and spread butter on one side of the bread and place it flat on the chopping board or a clean plate.
2-Spread the cheese over the bread, to form another layer. If you also wish to have the fillings, you have to put them on top of the cheese.
3- Place on top of this the second slice of bread, exactly placing it butter side up.
Heat the Skillet: For this recipe prepare your cast iron skillet or any other non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. It is recommended you let it continue to bake for one or two minutes to allow even cooking.
Grill the Sandwich: Gently transfer the sandwich which has been assembled to the hot skillet that has been warmed earlier. Depending on the kind of meat or fish, sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side using a spatula to press gently on the food and facilitate even browning on the surface area that is in contact with the pan. The bread should be featured as golden brown and crispy to the surface.
1-Flip the Sandwich: Take the spatula and spoon the sandwich in order to turn the sandwich to the other side. Stir for another 3-4 minutes occasionally pressing down on it gently to make it stick to the base. The second side should also be golden brown, and the cheese for that matter should also be melted.
2-Check for Doneness: To make certain that the cheese has melted well enough you can gently pat on the upper surface of the sandwich or even open the sandwich with the spatula and check. If the cheese is not fully melted then place the lid back over the skillet and cook it for one or two more minutes.
3-Serve: Take the sandwich out from the skillet and keep it on a chopping board. Having taken a good one to cook, allow it to stand for a while before slicing. This makes it possible for the cheese to be a little firmer, and so easy to cut in terms of portion size.
Tips and Techniques for the Perfect Grilled Cheese
Here are some tips and techniques to ensure your grilled cheese is golden, crispy, and perfectly melted every time:Here are some tips and techniques to ensure your grilled cheese is golden, crispy, and perfectly melted every time:
Butter the Bread, Not the Pan: To get an equal browning and crispness it is recommended for one to use butter to coat the outside of each slice of bread as opposed to melting some butter on the pan. This is to prevent the side of the bread to be toasting from being saturated with grease to the middle of the toasting process.
Low and Slow: Listening to music might not help but there are certain things that require a lot of time especially when making grilled cheese. Warm your sandwich over low heat so that cheese warms up well while the bread does not burn. This slow method of preparing the beef makes it possible to realize a well done rare, and outer cover crunchy to the extent of being slightly burned.
Cover the Pan: A common problem whilst toasting cheese is getting the cheese melted before the bread turns brown, you should try covering the pan. This retains heat and aids the process of melting the cheese faster as compared to the air.
Use a Cast Iron Skillet: It is important to note that a cast iron skillet will maintain heat very well and will heat it evenly thus recommending it for grilling of sandwiches. It also aids in achieving beautiful crust which is very crisp.
Grate the Cheese: For example, it is better to grate the cheese instead of slicing it and placing on the top of the dish to enjoy fast and even melting. Shredding of cheese enhances its melting and its ability to make the sandwich moist with the right texture while making the bread crouton like.
Add a Crunchy Element: If you want to add some crunchy food to your sandwich recipe you may do so in a form of a filling. Such as crispy bacon, potato chips, or pickles; they will be of great help in creating a right balance to the creamy cheese.
Experiment with Fillings: With the regular grilled cheese sandwich , they are just as fantastic on their own, but feel free to inject some added inventiveness into your sandwich combinations. Some of these are onions sautéed in olive oil, mushrooms, tomatoes or avocado which, when added to the sandwich will make it taste even better.
Pairing Flavors: Reflect on the flavors that are associated with the cheese you would want to use and that bread which you deem most appropriate. For example, sharp cheddar cheese is ideal when accompanied by the tartness of sourdough whereas mild mozzarella is best eaten with buttery brioche.
Fascinating Facts About Grilled Cheese
World Record: The record for the world’s biggest grilled cheese sandwich broke the scales at over 2,000 pounds and was cooked in Great Britain in 2014. A very large quantity of cheese and bread was used in it and it was prepared for the loved sandwich.
Cultural Icon: The custom of consuming grilled cheese sandwiches is very popular in United States of America that it has been taken as a specialty of this nation and has even a special day of its own, i.e. August 12th is observed as National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.
Global Variations: Although the nation’s standard of the grilled cheese sandwich is very iconic, virtually all cultures have something similar to this meal. For instance, the French have the croque-monsieur, the Cubanos have this sandwich, they come with local spices common to the Indian sub continent.
Nutritional Value: Still, if the common ingredients are utilized, the grilled cheese sandwiches can be considered as rich in protein and calcium. But they can also contain fat and calories; thus, opting for breads and cheese that are low in fat and calories make them better for you.
Versatility: Grilled cheese sandwich is versatile and can be taken at any time of the day including breakfast as in the picture below accompanied with bacon, boiled eggs, bread toast and fruits.
Pop Culture Presence: Grilled cheese is used in many Movies, TV shows and books as a plot symbol of comfort, simplicity, and children of the past.
Delicious Grilled Cheese Variations
1-Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: Gruyère cheese, caramelize onions and thinly sliced apples are topped on the sour dough bread.
Method: Top the Gruyère cheese, caramelized onions and the apple slices equally spread on both the slices of buttered sour dough bread. They have to be grilled until the bread turns gold and the cheese is melted. This is a bit of a different taste from what is expected in a classic bacon wrapped appetizer but it is sweet, savory, and tangy all at the same time.
2-Caprese Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: Mozzarella cheese that is fresh with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and topped with balsamic glaze served on ciabatta bread.
Method: Place the mozzarella, the tomatoes and the basil on one slice of buttered ciabatta bread and top it off with another slice of ciabatta bread. Let it grill until the bottom part of the bread is crunchy and the cheese is soft. Basting with balsamic glaze just before serving, gives a new taste to Italian grilled cheese sandwich.
Other examples include the bacon and avocado grilled cheese and the list goes on.
Ingredients: Cheese melted cheddar, bacon which is crispy and avocado that has been sliced served with between whole wheat bread.
Method: Place a layer of cheddar, some bacon, and avocado on one slice of buttered whole wheat bread. Cook until the bread is crisp on the outside and the cheese is melted in the inside. The avocado adds a kind of creaminess to the destruction of the dish while the bacon brings in a crispy taste.
3-Pesto Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: This one consists of mozzarella, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes on multigrain bread.
Method: Place pesto onto the inside of both slices of bread; arrange the mozzarella as well as the sun-dried tomatoes on top. It is grilled until the bread is brown and the cheese have melted. The pesto brings a lot of flavor that sits well on the mozzarella that is not so sharp in taste.
Thanks to the deli section at the grocery store pulled pork is easy to find and affordable which makes it perfect for this BBQ pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredients: This is cheddar, BBQ pulled pork, and pickles served on brioche bread.
Method: Place the cheddar, the pulled pork and the pickles between 2 slices of brioche, previously buttered. Grill until the bread expansive and the cheese is oozing. The sweet and smoky BBQ pork complement the cheddar well while the cheddar brings out the creaminess that will balance out the sweetness of the glaze.
Conclusion
Grilled cheese is not a mere sandwich, rather a blank check for chefs to invent and provide their audience yummy satisfaction. Whether one is using the traditional type or creating gourmet one, the truth is that the secret of a good grilled cheese sandwich is in the types of cheese, bread used and preparation. Where and how to buy cheese, which bread to choose, how the cheese should be melted and the creation of ‘the crunch factor’ each of these comes into play when taking that first satisfying bite into a perfectly made warm melt.
The next time you try out a new variation or a new technique, what you will realize is that this is a meal that is as old as new, having that comfort feel to it but can also be reinvented to meet the modern generation’s taste buds. Therefore, turn on your stove, prepare your ingredients and start savoring the process of creating the best grilled cheese sandwich!