Warm, gooey and delicious. Three words that describe the most delectable food made with only three ingredients: your favorite bread, melted cheese and butter or mayonnaise. With a history traced back almost 100 years, it is a staple of cuisine in my life and as fellow college students, I assume most of yours too. This food is none other than the legendary grilled cheese sandwich.
According to HowStuffWorks, the history of the grilled cheese sandwich can be traced back to sliced white bread and James L. Kraft’s (yes, that Kraft and yes, that cheese) invention of “factory cheese.”
I appreciate my grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade french bread. I sometimes make this bread in a bread maker, which makes the process pretty easy. All you have to do is mix flour, sugar, oil, yeast and water, put into the bread maker and leave it to bake for a few hours. I never slice the loaf until it is sandwich time, to keep it fresh.
Some homemade french bread and a mix of cheddar and swiss cheese makes for a melted cheese sandwich worth gaining a few pounds for. Which reminds me; do not neglect the cheese. Although the original grilled cheese may have started with Kraft, I recommend the good stuff like Tillamook or “fancy aged cheese” that you can get at a local market or organic foods store. Picking your favorite cheese will only elevate the grilled cheese flavor and overall sandwich quality.
To complete my grilled masterpiece, I spread mayonnaise on one side of the first piece of french bread and place it mayo side down on a slightly warmed pan. This is not typical of most grilled cheese-makers. Most people would result to using room temperature butter rather than mayo, but over the years I have learned that using mayo means for a crispier finish to the sandwich (and it is much easier to spread onto the bread). Then I set one slice of swiss and one slice of cheddar cheese on top of it and cover the cheese with the other slice of bread, mayo side up.
Flip the sandwich back and forth on each side until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted. Boom! This is how the best, gooey and delicious grilled cheese on the planet is made. If you really feel like treating yourself, whip up some tomato soup to dip your sandwich in and say cheers to carbs, cheese and salt.