How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Plus 2 Variations of the Grilled Cheese

Sure, I like some exquisite and ethnic dishes. But for the most part, I am a simple girl when it comes to food. There are a few simple foods that I could live off of the rest of my life and the grilled cheese sandwich is one of them.

I can live with a plain grilled cheese, but sometimes I like to doctor up my grilled cheese sandwich with some extra ingredients.

My Basic Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I try to use whole wheat or white bread, or even a soft rye. I am not a fan of grilled cheeses on breads that have seeds because I think it takes away from the soft and oozing cheese. Also, I only use 'real' cheese for my grilled cheese sandwiches. Processed and pre-sliced cheese slices do melt wonderfully, but I prefer the flavor of freshly-sliced deli cheeses.

If there is one thing that makes or breaks a good grilled cheese sandwich, it's the butter. I used salted butter, and not the low-fat kind. Vegetable spreads just do not taste the same in a grilled cheese, I make sure my butter is soft and spreadable and then I cover every square inch of the slices of bread. I want the sandwich to be a perfect golden brown, so I make sure the butter is in every nook and cranny, but I don't overdo it as I don't want it to end up greasy. I seem to have it perfected.

I turn my burner on medium-high and when it's just getting hot, I place the buttered slices butter-side down on the burner, then add three or four slices of American cheese. Then I top the sandwich with the other slice, butter-side up. I keep peeking until the first side is a golden brown, then I flip. When that side is the same perfect, golden color, I take it off the burner and place on a plate.

**My trick to perfectly melted cheese is to place a lid over the plate for a while so the cheese is sure to melt inside out! (This works great because sometimes if the pan is too hot, the bread heats quicker than the cheese inside.)

I have always served my grilled cheese sandwiches like my mom. I use the spatula to cut the sandwich into two triangles. If we're having another snack, I separate the two slices and place a pile of chips or crackers in the center.

Here are a few added twists to my grilled cheese arsenal: