the secret to perfect grilled cheese

it’s not revolutionary, but it’s true: buttering your bread with mayonnaise is the secret to a perfect grilled cheese! everyone can cook low & slow, babying their precious sandwich, but if there is not enough evenly-spread fat to fry the bread in, the result will not be a perfect golden crust. I can use far less mayo than anything else, and its super-soft texture allows it to easily spread in a whisper-thin, perfectly even layer across the entire slice of bread without saturating it with melted butter or tearing the surface with cold butter. it’s a very well-known trick, and it really does work. have you tried this before?

here’s some more grilled cheese/griddled sandwich tips since I feel a little bad leaving you with such a basic secret:

breads: brioche, challah, and rye grill up wonderfully

cheeses: american has an unmatched melt, sharp white cheddar is a classic, and wine-soaked cheese from costco or trader joe’s is delicious! grating can help it melt better, and if you have issues flipping neatly, try a tiny bit of ricotta to stick everything together, or use a thick mornay sauce with shredded gruyère if you’re fancy! the thicker and denser the cheese bits, the lower and slower you’ll need to go to melt it properly.

method: a large thick-bottomed pan will provide a super even fry, but you could also bake them in the oven if you’re making lots- look up a recipe for croque monsieur as a guide! be careful using a pancake griddle unless you are very familiar with it, since they tend to have spotty heat distribution.

additions: try a little chili oil, or a sprinkle of smoked spanish paprika for warmth. if you have a sweet tooth, apple butter, dried cranberries, or caramelized onions are great. I love a single slice of ham or diced cherry tomatoes too.

my hot take: grilled cheese sandwiches can have ingredients other than cheese on them without being classified as a melt! to me, the key distinction is whether the extra ingredients are there to highlight the cheese, or whether they are the star of the show. so a sandwich with a single slice of ham that’s just there to make the cheese tastier can still be a grilled cheese, but hot pastrami & cheese on rye would be a melt. similar to how a cheese board can come with other accoutrements without the name becoming totally inaccurate. it’s a weird opinion but I hold it firmly lol. don’t worry, I would say that the first photo is a croque monsieur, not a grilled cheese (the second one only has cheddar).

do you have any grilled cheese tips?

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