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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 17, 2024 17:26:01 GMT
I feel like we may have had this discussion before but the toast thread made me wonder what the Peas do. For virtually all my life, I would make a grilled cheese by putting a little butter on the inside of the bread to stick the cheese in place, put the sandwich together and then spread more butter on the outside of the bread from edge to edge and grill it in a pan (or in more recent years, make it in a panini press). But somewhere along the line I read that in restaurants they make grilled sandwiches by spreading mayo on the outside of the sandwich to get that perfectly browned, crispy exterior. š¤Æ
We donāt have grilled sandwiches all that often, but when we do I never remember to do it that way. Also, grilled cheese sandwiches should ONLY be made with American cheese. I know other people like other kinds of cheese and thatās okay, but to me a classic grilled cheese is only made with American cheese. My favorite American cheese of all time is Land Oā Lakes that used to come in a big brick but I havenāt seen that in any stores forever. I miss it.
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,433 
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Post by naby64 on Jun 17, 2024 17:29:52 GMT
I've always been a butter on the outside only. Do a slow cook and that gets the cheese melted on the inside.
However, I have also heard about the mayo thing. DH wanted a grilled cheese here in the last couple of weeks so I experimented. Butter on one side and mayo on the other. Both sides looked the same. I was concerned about some sort of mayo taste. He ate it and didn't say a work so I am assuming it was fine.
I'll most likely just stick to the butter. I always have softened butter on the counter. Just habit.
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Post by Merge on Jun 17, 2024 17:32:27 GMT
We've done it both ways. I like the mayo method because I rarely have softened butter available (though another method is to quickly melt the butter in the pan and plop the sandwich on top of it).
Def. American cheese only, and white or sourdough bread.
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Post by gar on Jun 17, 2024 17:33:42 GMT
I havenāt tried (or heard of) the mayo thingā¦will have to look into that one. I donāt put butter inside but if it helps the cheese stick thatās probably a good idea!
As for the cheese - well i donāt know what American cheese is but I use a standard hard cheese like cheddar usually. And I LOVE it with slices of tomato and/or ham in too š
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,596
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jun 17, 2024 17:33:50 GMT
When I was making grilled cheese in a frying pan (and not a sandwich maker) I didn't butter the bread on the outside, but did melt butter in the pan first. I have never tried mayonnaise.
I don't butter my sandwich maker because I don't want to wait for it too cool down and then have to clean butter out of all the crevices.
I usually use cheddar cheese, I don't buy American cheese but almost always have cheddar in the fridge.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jun 17, 2024 17:46:44 GMT
I melt butter in the pan, salt it lightly since I use unsalted butter, and then put the prepared sandwich into the butter. Usually, its just bread and cheese, but sometimes I add a thin slice of meat or avocados.
ETA: I spread the butter on the outside of the bread for years and years. Melting it in the pan is a game changer. So much easier!
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Post by Laurie on Jun 17, 2024 17:49:25 GMT
I do butter on the outside only.
I usually don't order grilled cheese in restaurants but now knowing they may use mayo I am for sure not ordering it.
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Post by disneypal on Jun 17, 2024 17:56:24 GMT
I don't spread the inside of the sandwich with anything. I just put the cheese inside. I grew up using butter on the outside, but I read somewhere (on this message board I think) about using mayo on the outside and I started doing that years ago. It does seem to make it crispier, which I like so I always use a very thin layer of mayo on the outside of the grilled cheese.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 17, 2024 17:56:44 GMT
We've done it both ways. I like the mayo method because I rarely have softened butter available (though another method is to quickly melt the butter in the pan and plop the sandwich on top of it). Def. American cheese only, and white or sourdough bread. We almost always have softened butter on the counter too, but if Iām making grilled sandwiches for the whole family if there isnāt a whole stick there wonāt be enough, LOL. We also almost always have mayonnaise and the eggs and oil in it supposedly have a different smoke point than butter and promote browning. I really need to remember to try it the next time weāre in the mood for a grilled cheese. I think that in general if the sandwiches are made with the butter melted in the pan, the sandwiches turn out more greasy especially on the first side. Wouldnāt the bread soak up most of the butter when you first plop it in the pan? I donāt think I would like that aspect of it. When Iām making pancakes, the first one always seems a little greasier even if Iām spraying the pan with something like Pam vs. butter. |
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Post by aprilfay21 on Jun 17, 2024 17:57:05 GMT
I put butter on our grill and grill 2 slices at once, then flip one, add cheese, and put the other on the cheese grilled side down. Spread a little more butter while flipping to grill both sides. So essentially, all 4 sides of my sandwich are grilled. Makes it nice and crispy and melts the cheese nicely.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 17, 2024 17:59:00 GMT
When I was making grilled cheese in a frying pan (and not a sandwich maker) I didn't butter the bread on the outside, but did melt butter in the pan first. I have never tried mayonnaise. I don't butter my sandwich maker because I don't want to wait for it too cool down and then have to clean butter out of all the crevices. I usually use cheddar cheese, I don't buy American cheese but almost always have cheddar in the fridge. My Breville panini press has flat sides so itās really easy to clean but I donāt think there would be an easy way to ābutterā the top half of the press so I just butter the bread instead. |
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Post by Merge on Jun 17, 2024 18:01:38 GMT
We've done it both ways. I like the mayo method because I rarely have softened butter available (though another method is to quickly melt the butter in the pan and plop the sandwich on top of it). Def. American cheese only, and white or sourdough bread. We almost always have softened butter on the counter too, but if Iām making grilled sandwiches for the whole family if there isnāt a whole stick there wonāt be enough, LOL. We also almost always have mayonnaise and the eggs and oil in it supposedly have a different smoke point than butter and promote browning. I really need to remember to try it the next time weāre in the mood for a grilled cheese. I think that in general if the sandwiches are made with the butter melted in the pan, the sandwiches turn out more greasy especially on the first side. Wouldnāt the bread soak up most of the butter when you first plop it in the pan? I donāt think I would like that aspect of it. When Iām making pancakes, the first one always seems a little greasier even if Iām spraying the pan with something like Pam vs. butter. If you use the same amount of butter in the pan that you would normally spread on the bread, I'm not sure why it would be more greasy. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 17, 2024 18:03:39 GMT
I put butter on our grill and grill 2 slices at once, then flip one, add cheese, and put the other on the cheese grilled side down. Spread a little more butter while flipping to grill both sides. So essentially, all 4 sides of my sandwich are grilled. Makes it nice and crispy and melts the cheese nicely. Thatās a very interesting way to do it! At first I thought you were going to say that you put both pieces of bread in the pan to grill, throw the cheese on one side and flip the other piece of bread on top and continue grilling until the cheese is melted, so it takes half the time, LOL. I can see where your way would result in a much crispier sandwich which could be really nice. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 17, 2024 18:07:16 GMT
We almost always have softened butter on the counter too, but if Iām making grilled sandwiches for the whole family if there isnāt a whole stick there wonāt be enough, LOL. We also almost always have mayonnaise and the eggs and oil in it supposedly have a different smoke point than butter and promote browning. I really need to remember to try it the next time weāre in the mood for a grilled cheese. I think that in general if the sandwiches are made with the butter melted in the pan, the sandwiches turn out more greasy especially on the first side. Wouldnāt the bread soak up most of the butter when you first plop it in the pan? I donāt think I would like that aspect of it. When Iām making pancakes, the first one always seems a little greasier even if Iām spraying the pan with something like Pam vs. butter. If you use the same amount of butter in the pan that you would normally spread on the bread, I'm not sure why it would be more greasy. I think the first side would soak up all the butter so that side would be greasy and the other side would be more dry like toast unless you put more butter in the pan, but then Iām not sure how that would work in my world. To me it seems more consistent to butter the bread. š¤·š»āāļø |
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Marina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,526
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Post by Marina on Jun 17, 2024 18:09:49 GMT
Butter on the outside with a little grated Parmesan that makes it extra crispy and tasty. In the inside I do both sharp cheddar and some havarti with a thin smear of fig jam/preserves.
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,242
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Post by Gennifer on Jun 17, 2024 18:12:33 GMT
I use butter, which is also what we do at our restaurant. I detest American cheese, so I make mine with cheddar, Colby Jack, or Swiss. Sometimes I go crazy and do multiple cheeses or Iāll even add a schmear of cream cheese!
I grill the sandwich open and then put it together when the cheese is melted.
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Post by littlemama on Jun 17, 2024 18:13:08 GMT
Butter on the outside of the bread, always. I like the taste of the butter.
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Post by aprilfay21 on Jun 17, 2024 18:17:46 GMT
I used my method to grill a pb&j this weekend and OMG, it was SOOOO good.
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Post by wordyphotogbabe on Jun 17, 2024 18:19:43 GMT
I make grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids with regular sandwich bread, Cojack sliced cheese, & butter on the outside.
I make my grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough or another artisanal bread and any number of combination of sliced or shredded cheeses (Gouda, sharp Cheddar, Havarti, etc.) and butter on the outside. Sometimes I will put shredded Parmesan & Everything But the Bagel seasoning on the outside. I also have PB&J grilled cheese sandwiches: buttered outsides with extra-sharp Cheddar, crunchy (must be crunchy!) PB, and strawberry jelly (no fruit bits). I don't like hot lunchmeat or the way tomatoes explode when they get hot so those don't go in my grilled cheese sandwiches.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jun 17, 2024 18:23:12 GMT
I made grilled sandwiches for lunch today. Ham, turkey, and provolone on Daveās Killer Bread. I used mayo inside as well as a thin coating of mayo on both outsides to grill it nicely. Delicious.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,437
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Jun 17, 2024 18:23:17 GMT
When I make grilled cheese, I butter the outside of the bread only. I want to try making it with mayo but always forget. I'm a "purist" in that my preference is American cheese on white bread for a grilled cheese. My husband ordered one for me from a local diner once and they asked him 3 times about the cheese and the bread and they ended up using rye bread for some ungodly reason. It was awful.
But there there used to be a Pizzeria Unos in the neighborhood and for a while had grilled cheese sticks on their appetizer menu. It was cheddar cheese on sourdough with parm which was delicious.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jun 17, 2024 18:26:03 GMT
I don't eat mayo! But I did not have an issue with grilled cheese made with mayo!!
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Post by cmpeter on Jun 17, 2024 18:28:47 GMT
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,064
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Jun 17, 2024 18:31:37 GMT
Butter only to brown it. It adds more flavor. I tried mayo after hearing so much about it, but to me it added nothing. Mayo is what, eggs and oil? Naw, give me butter.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,802
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Post by purplebee on Jun 17, 2024 18:41:46 GMT
Buttered whole grain bread and American cheese. Also love bettered rye bread and Swiss cheese. A shake of Worcestershire sauce on the rye makes it even better.
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Post by Laurie on Jun 17, 2024 18:44:29 GMT
I used my method to grill a pb&j this weekend and OMG, it was SOOOO good. A few months ago I tried a grilled pb&j sandwich and had the same reaction. I also tried it as just grilled pb and that was also good! |
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Post by Laurie on Jun 17, 2024 18:49:12 GMT
I make grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids with regular sandwich bread, Cojack sliced cheese, & butter on the outside. I make my grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough or another artisanal bread and any number of combination of sliced or shredded cheeses (Gouda, sharp Cheddar, Havarti, etc.) and butter on the outside. Sometimes I will put shredded Parmesan & Everything But the Bagel seasoning on the outside. I also have PB&J grilled cheese sandwiches: buttered outsides with extra-sharp Cheddar, crunchy (must be crunchy!) PB, and strawberry jelly (no fruit bits). I don't like hot lunchmeat or the way tomatoes explode when they get hot so those don't go in my grilled cheese sandwiches. I never thought about adding Everything Bagel seasoning but now I am intrigued. LOL When I make grilled cheese, I butter the outside of the bread only. I want to try making it with mayo but always forget. I'm a "purist" in that my preference is American cheese on white bread for a grilled cheese. My husband ordered one for me from a local diner once and they asked him 3 times about the cheese and the bread and they ended up using rye bread for some ungodly reason. It was awful. But there there used to be a Pizzeria Unos in the neighborhood and for a while had grilled cheese sticks on their appetizer menu. It was cheddar cheese on sourdough with parm which was delicious. I am the same way. I don't want it to be on fancy bread with different types of cheese.  Two slices of American Cheese on Texas Toast style bread. That's it. |
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Post by worrywart on Jun 17, 2024 18:50:08 GMT
As kids we always had a choice grilled cheese or grilled peanut butter! I spread the bread with butter and put it in a buttered pan. French bread or sourdough if possible.
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Post by bunnyhug on Jun 17, 2024 18:51:49 GMT
One thing I have discovered in my cross-border travels is that American margarine is awful and nothing like Canadian margarine! So, I use the Becel margarine that we use for everything else ... I hate mayo (and eggs in general!), so that's not happening when I'm the one doing the cooking  I try to use cheese bread if I've remembered to buy it, otherwise I use the Dempster's "everything" bread ... butter the insides ... use only cheese slices, not 'real' cheese ... butter both sides of the outsides ... cook in a frying pan ... do not sully with ketchup or anything else, just eat 'naked'! Full disclosure, I actually don't really like cheese and rarely eat it, so most of my grilled cheese method and choices come from dh and my kids  |
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 5,805
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Post by valincal on Jun 17, 2024 18:53:47 GMT
I donāt make them often but I use butter or margarine on the outside only and Kraft singles on the inside. Honestly, I donāt find that melted cheddar has any flavour at all. Iāve seen the mayonnaise trick and would like to try that one day with a sprinkle of real Parmesan too! šš
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Two slices of American Cheese on Texas Toast style bread. That's it. 
I try to use cheese bread if I've remembered to buy it, otherwise I use the Dempster's "everything" bread ... butter the insides ... use only cheese slices, not 'real' cheese ... butter both sides of the outsides ... cook in a frying pan ... do not sully with ketchup or anything else, just eat 'naked'! Full disclosure, I actually don't really like cheese and rarely eat it, so most of my grilled cheese method and choices come from dh and my kids 