Darn good grilled cheese..

famous grilled hellim

Talk about not so good grilled cheese - I had a friend who would toast some crap white bread and then put a slice of government type cheese in it and microwave it for a bit to melt the cheese. It was edible but not exactly a darn good grilled cheese. I think they call those ghetto grilled cheese lol.

While in Indianapolis I had a sandwich similar to that (Mac & Cheese + BBQ). Was absolutely fabulous.

I LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches and the variety of different takes you can do with them. I make monthly menu's for cooking at home (so we can do one main BIG shopping week a month) and barely a month goes by where I don't have SOME kind of grilled cheese-esque thing on the menu.

My go to recently has been the inside out grilled cheese. Two big slices of white bread. Something creamy and mild in the middle, like cooper cheddar, in sliced form. Then I'll shred up some sharp cheddar and keep it on the side. Butter into the pan, then the sandwich. Once that side has got a bit warm but not FULLY grilled brown, I'll flip it. While the other side cooks, I spread half the shredded cheddar on top of the hot side of the bread. Once the other side's at a similarly good grilled spot, you flip it over again. The cheddar you put on top sticks to the bread a bit making the flip easy, and it fries while you put the other half of the cheddar on top. One final flip to fry the cheddar on the other side, and you're done.

It's became my absolute favorite way to make grilled cheese. The outside becomes this wonderful cheesy crunchy goodness, as the cheddar caramelizes to the outside of the bread. Meanwhile, the nice creamy cheese inside gives you that gooey goodness that you need in a grilled cheese. I'll normally slide bacon into mine, just to spruce it up a bit, but not necessarily needed.

But change up little things here and there and you can do all sorts of fun.

For example, I do an "Italian" take on it at times. I'll prebutter the bread in this case and add garlic powder to it. Fresh mozzarella on the inside, and if I'm feeling more "sandwichy" I'll throw in sundried tomatoes and/or a slice of prosciutto. Instead of the traditional "dunk grilled cheese in tomato soup", go for some marinara.

One of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've had came from a corner store with a lunch counter in the Bronx.

Rye bread, sharp cheddar cheese, (real) bacon bits, oregano and mustard. Lightly coated with mayo on the outside, thrown on the grill with bacon grease, and done when the cheese was oozing...

Ambrosia.....

Chomsky said:

I've been allover the Midwest, Northeast, West, and even some Southwest. I know much of Canada like the back of my hand.

But for no particular reason I never ventured Due South or Southeast. Two years ago I just barely missed a road-trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains to get a roll-bar installed, and to hopefully tear-up the lessor traveled North Carolina side roads along the way. At the last minute we chose another vendor in Wisconsin, so me and the kid took a road-trip further North (as if that's possible) instead. But I know I missed-out on so much great food and culture!

Click to expand...

Trust me- you need to go to New Orleans. It's the South, but it's not.

I'll tell you where to eat if you divulge the Chicken shack location.

I did make a grilled cheese the other night in which I put cheddar cheddar cheese, monterey jack, bacon, and jalapeno cream cheese. Twas yummy. Also I used homemade bread which made it yummier.

Add a slice of tomato.

threegoofs said:

trust me- you need to go to new orleans. It's the south, but it's not.

I'll tell you where to eat if you divulge the chicken shack location.

Click to expand...

ygpm.

I just add guacamole to my grill cheese and it is to die for!

PoS said:

Adding pork to it means its not a grilled cheese sandwich anymore.

From the movie Chef- it's a pretty good lesson on how to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich:

Click to expand...

not really. they cut from non melted cheese to fully melted cheese. given the amount of layers of cheese, that would be a pretty impressive stunt without a bowl over the open ends first. You can actually tell not only did they use a bowl, they put a little water under it to steam the cheese, this is why you see the bubbles like you do in the cut to melted cheese scene.

woodsman said:

I was watching a cooking show the other day about a food truck that only makes grilled cheese sandwiches. One caught my eye because of how crazy it was and I had all the ingredients to make it. This certainly isn't a calorie counter type sandwich or in anyway healthy.

The first layer was a slice of cheddar, topped with mac and cheese then another slice of cheddar. The next layer was pulled pork dressed lightly with apple cider vinegar and caramelized onions atop the pork. One more slice of cheddar and the top piece of bread.

I used the trick by the food truck with the mac and cheese, layer a small sheet pan with wax paper and then layer the MC onto it, chill in the freezer for ten minutes so it firms up and then slice it into the shape of the bread slice. I would think if you don’t do this it would just make a mess and leak out.

Click to expand...

I love grilled cheese. But, instead of mac and cheese, I like a little bacon and a few slices of pickle on mine. Oh, and a heaping spread of Mayo certainly never hurt.

The idea of a grilled cheese food truck is brilliant. It certainly has me wishing one would come around here right now.