Last updated on January 25, 2014 by Liza Hawkins
Who doesn’t like a good grilled cheese?
As an adult, I like fancier grilled cheeses. In fact, the other day I was at Kelsey’s in Ellicott City, and I ordered their Gourmet Grilled Cheese: brown butter mushrooms, caramelized onions, plum tomatoes, provolone and gruyere cheeses – finished with a balsamic glaze. Aside from needing a little help from my friend the salt shaker, it was pretty darn good.
Note: While Kelsey’s might be the go-to place for those 50 and under on St. Patrick’s Day in Ellicott City, the regular everyday lunch group is no younger than 75. I swear.
At home, grilled cheese is one of our simple and quick dinner options. But I make it the old fashioned, retro way: buttered bread, American cheese…toasty goodness!
There are two keys to a perfect classic grilled cheese.
- You must butter the bread all the way to the edges, and the butter needs to be soft or else you’ll rip the bread.
- Cheese slices need to cover the entire face of the bread – single layer OR double layer if you’re feeling spunky!
Then, with your frying pan preheated to medium, simply cook for 4 minutes on the first side – buttered sides facing out. Flip. Then cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. You want both sides to be golden brown, and the cheese to be melty.
Let the grilled cheese sandwiches cool for a couple minutes before cutting, but definitely serve warm.
I just found your blog from Reading Kingdom. Very inspiring and I LOVE the photos. I’m a foodie (sort of).
Yum! I also like to eat my grilled cheese with tomato soup.
Banana
@Christina Thank you so much!
@Banana As a kid, I hated tomatoes…including tomato soup. Now? I LOVE it. Especially good when the grilled cheese is dipped in the soup. 🙂
Liza, I have a small George Forman Grill…It gets used all the time for grilled cheese…both sides get grilled, perfectly, at the same time!!!
@Audra We used to have a GF grill that we used all the time – like 10 years ago. Those things are so practical, and simple to use/clean. I bet they *would* make a good grilled cheese!