Grilled Cheese Sandwich

By Julia Moskin

Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Rikki Snyder for The New York Times
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(3,027)
Comments
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The trick to making the best grilled cheese sandwich isn't just in the ingredients (mayonnaise and butter, together at last). It's also on the stove. Achieving a golden, crusty outside and oozy inside takes a little patience: if the heat is too high, the outside will scorch before the cheese melts. Cooking the slices separately at first gives the cheese a good head start. There’s no need to search out artisanal loaves or local cheese (though they won’t hurt), but definitely do not use homemade mayonnaise. Mustard, chutney or even strawberry jam (believe it) can be dabbed on the cheese as it melts, or add ham, prosciutto or slices of apple or tomato (drain on paper towels first). You can use any melting cheese, such as American, Muenster or Swiss, but not too much: part of the perfection here is in the proportion of bread to cheese.

Featured in: A Field Guide to the American Sandwich

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Ingredients

Yield:1 sandwich
  • 2slices bread, either soft sandwich squares or large peasant-style slices, not more than ½ inch thick
  • Butter
  • Mayonnaise
  • 1 to 2ounces grated cheddar (or other cheese), depending on size of bread
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a heavy pan over medium-low heat.

  2. Step 2

    Thinly spread one side of each bread slice with butter. Spread the other side of each slice with mayonnaise and place the bread, mayonnaise-side-down, in the pan. Divide the cheese evenly on top of the buttered slices. Adjust the heat so the bread sizzles gently.

  3. Step 3

    When the cheese is about halfway melted, use a spatula to flip one slice over on top of the other, and press lightly to melt. Keep turning the sandwich, pressing gently, until the sandwich is compact, both sides are crusty, and the cheese is melted.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,027 user ratings
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Comments

Julia Moskin

Since mayonnaise is made mostly from oil and salt, it makes sense to use it as the cooking medium for a stovetop sandwich. If you cook it in butter, the bread will tend to burn before the cheese is melted.

Kevin

- Butter not mayo
- Cheddar cheese or don't bother
- If you really want the cheese to melt, when the sandwich is open, put a glass lid on the pan. It'll heat the cheese better from the top-down.

ellen

Why does the sandwich need to be greased inside and out? What purpose does the butter on the cheese side provide? Isn't the cheese fatty enough to carry its own weight and melt without the additional? I'm no cardiac surgeon, and I do love both butter and mayo -- but what does the mayo do? Why no butter on the outside, and that's that? Can someone be kind enough to explain this technique to me.

Sonia

I use ghee, or clarified butter, to grill the sandwiches. It is not as greasy as mayonnaise and doesn’t burn as quickly as regular butter.

William

mayo on both sides. keep it thin and the heat med-low. brioche bread hit. lil garlic powder and oregano optional.

Karen L

I just don’t like the taste of the mayo. All good but next time I’ll try only butter

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