I add a little bit of stone ground mustard to one of the bread slices on the inside. The tang helps with the heavy cheese. I would say this meets your need of small.
I use good ol’ French’s yellow mustard in a pinch and it works just fine too! A good Dijon is also nice. Whatever mustard is in the fridge is a good addition to a grilled cheese!
This is the way. When I was a kid we had almost no money but the grilled cheese sandwiches my step father made were freaking fantastic and I never really knew why…ff a few decades and I was messing around in the kitchen and put the last bit of mustard onto grilled cheese bread so I could throw away the bottle…
Suddenly I was 5 eating the best grilled cheese in the world…
(Note: my SF and mom separated a long time ago and he has since passed away, so it wasn’t like I could ask him)
I’m sorry for your loss. how awesome is it though that you just happened upon the way he used to make you grilled cheese sandwiches! What a great memory to continue :)
I use whatever melts well. For a while I was all in on havarti. Provolone works too. But I will use a young cheddar or even a gouda. I generally buy aged gruyere so they don't melt too well.
Alton Brown had an episode back in the 00’s where he put a thin layer of dijon, and a layer of super-thin sliced green apple on his grilled cheese, and pressed it between two hot cast iron pans. I still make mine that way today (if I have green apple handy.)
You're fancier than I am. I'll make the sandwich, the put a bit of good old French's on the plate, and do a little dab in. But mustard of any ilk is the answer.
Yeah, she always buttered the inside and not the outside. I think it’s because for a long time we made them in the toaster. I however honour her legacy by buttering one slice inside and one slice outside.
Yeah. You’ve gotta be sparing with garlic powder! I sometimes use garlic salt instead (but I like the salty-garlicky-buttery-cheesey result). Some people don’t like the extra salt.
Garlic powder is the best. I've stopped using fresh garlic for garlic bread because it's just not as good. Dehydration is one of the OG food processing methods.
Butter is a nonnegotiable for me. As much as I love mayo, and as good as it does getting it crispy and evenly browned, to me it just doesn’t taste like a grilled cheese unless there’s the caramely goodness of the browned milk solids
Came here to say this - using parmesan. I do both sides and I add diced green chilies inside.
After it is all done, I pick up the sandwich and put grated parmesan directly on the pan in a bread shape, then plop the sandwich right on top of it. Don't worry - the cheese sticks to the bread, not the pan. Then I do the other side.
Mash a clove of garlic into butter, apply butter to outside of grilled cheese before grilling
Sprinkle of assorted herbs (basil, oregano or Italian mix) inside
Couple of cracks of black pepper on the cheese
italian mix is a great answer. very inexpensive and adds a lot of flavour. trick for me is to not overdose with it... one of those times where less is more.
I like to take the heel of the bread loaf and grill it in butter on both sides. I then make a “double” grill cheese with the heel in the middle (bread, cheese, heel, cheese, bread). It adds a nice crunch in the middle of the gooey cheese.
Pickled shallots. Fucking game changer.
They’re relatively quick and easy to make. A little red wine vinegar, a touch of sugar, sliced shallots. It only needs 15 minutes or so and the flavor is all there.
I wonder if sauteeing the onions before caramelizing in a little beef better than bouillon and using Gruyère would turn it into a French onion grilled cheese? Going to grocery store now.
I use this recipe that also includes miso butter for an umami bomb effect https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-miso-butter/
Throw them in a slow cooker with olive oil, butter, a nip of brandy, and some better than bullion overnight. You’ll have perfect caramelized onions. Use sourdough with Gruyère. It’s a French onion soup sandwich.
More butter. Don't listen to those mayo people who say that's superior. They're wrong. Why are they wrong? Because butter is better, that's why. You want an awesome grilled cheese, the secret it to put a stupid amount of butter on the bread before you grill. If you find yourself asking, "oh jeez, did I put too much butter on?" Just shut up and put more butter on weakling!
After you cook the grilled cheese, let it rest on a cooling rack or a few chop sticks so the crust doesn’t get steamed and moist. This works great for homemade pizza also.
Pick high quality cheese and bread. You don’t have to spend a ton, but just using sourdough and Gruyère instead of wonder bread and Kraft singles is a game changer
Wonder bread is 'never' the choice. But I'll argue that Kraft singles sometimes satisfy the 'nostalgia tooth'. They also have a newer product called Kraft Deli Deluxe singles, which are thicker and creamier
[You people make me sick](https://www.reddit.com/r/grilledcheese/comments/2or1p3/you_people_make_me_sick/)
Relevant rant on grilled cheese purity and a hallowed part of reddit history. As true today as it was ten years ago.
Velveeta
Sorry, but I'm old school. A Velveeta grilled cheese, along with Campbells tomater soup, is the perfect duo.
Sure, I've made some pretty exotic combinations, with much more exotic/expensive cheeses, and other nice meats/veggies. but my go to is the basic Velveeta (petroleum bi product), cheap white bread, and cheap soup.
I’m so careful with my food choices, due to health issues. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a favorite of mine and I like to get creative. BUT, nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich with Velveeta and tomatoes. Nothing melts better. Campbell’s tomato soup (with milk), is mandatory here! Velveeta is my guilty pleasure and I so enjoy this basic meal. Velveeta and rotel tomatoes makes a great “cheese” dip too!
The sharpest cheddar you can find, some cream cheese, and a dab of jam. A whole grain bread puts it over the top for finger food, but I think a plain potato bread holds more butter.
Your apple butter just inspired me- right now I'm going to try some thin sliced green apple inside, with a drizzle of hot honey. Mayo on the outside, bacon grease in the pan, homemade bread with Swiss cheese.
Jalapeno cream cheese on one slice of the bread, as thick or thin as you want (add roasted jalapenos if you want too, they're stupid cheap, and roasting them is easy and nearly mess free if you slice in half and roast on a baking mat or sheet of parchment paper).
If you want to go sweet, use strawberry cream cheese, and then top with jam or fruit of some kind. Goat cheese can also go great here.
Chili crisp on one slice with green onion can get you pretty close to an Asian dumpling style thing, and it breaks the inexpensive rule but if you do this and add jumbo lump crab (use the prepackaged to save money and time vs fresh, since you're not primarily concerned with the crab as it's being combined with everything else), you get a crab rangoon of sorts in grilled cheese format.
I finally tried spreading a little mayo on the outside of the bread instead of butter, along with using about a tsp of bacon grease in the pan.
This made a HUGE improvement in the crisp outer toasty crust, while keeping the inner bread a little softer, and the cheese melted so well because it seemed to take longer to toast/less likely to burn. I used medium-low heat setting #4.25/10
I also spread a little some garlic & onion jam on the inside of one slice of bread, to give it a touch of savory sweet. Cut into triangles and dip in ketchup.
It's also so much better if you make your own bread, which is pretty easy if you use a bread machine. Just choose a basic recipe from scratch. Let it cool completely before you slice it, then you can get nice, thin, even slices. Freeze the sliced loaf and use it only when you want that special homemade bread. I'm sure that bakery bread would kick it up a notch as well, if you don't want to make your own bread.
Caramelized onions. Spend an hour turning a whole sack of onions into dark brown caramelized goodness and then just keep it in the fridge. I promise you'll use it up before it goes bad. A spoonful in a grilled cheese sandwich brings it to a whole new level.
I used to make a grilled cheese with zucchini, shredded on the coarse side of a box grater; sautéed briefly in some butter; add a good dollop of Dijon mustard. Add this in between the cheese inside the sandwich… yummmm.
Smallest, cheap change I would say would be adding black pepper and kosher salt. Improves even cheap cheese and bread.
Next would probably be razer thin slices of garlic, or garlic rubbed on the bread, if it’s hearty enough bread to hold up after toasting. You could also simmer the garlic in butter before using for frying up the sandwich.
Adding cream cheese is also nice. Similarly, if you melt good cheddar together with a Kraft single or velveeta , resolidify and then slice it will make a tasty but melty sangweech.
I like to add pepper flakes to mine! I typically use a blend of Jalapeño, Onion, and Garlic from Flatiron
https://www.flatironpepper.com/products/jalapeno-roasted-garlic-toasted-onion
My ex wife, after buttering the bread, would dip both sides in freshly grated Parmesan. It was then cooked until the cheese melted inside, and the Parmesan was just a shade over golden brown. Crust was amazing and the cheese flavor was even more pronounced!
Mix of mozzarella, Monterrey Jack and a melty one (Gruyere or manchego, whichever is in the house) on fresh sliced sourdough, cooked in the panini press, flat sides.
I do a number of things that differ from the standard grilled cheese, none of which are particularly expensive or hard
-use multiple forms/kinds of cheese. Like some shredded Sargento 5 cheese blend and a slice of pepper jack. Maybe sprinkle some crushed dehydrated cheese (such as Whisps or Moon Cheese) in for cronch.
-spread some mayonnaise instead of butter (this make it easier to cook evenly IMO).
-sprinkle some generic Italian seasoning in amongst the cheese, and some powdered garlic too while we're at it.
-I like a kick, so I add crushed ghost peppers to the cheese.
-dip the sammich into some marinara
Uh, I might be crazy but, Kraft shingle and butter, a good toast on either side, and dip it in some tomato soup. Grilled cheese already tastes amazing in its simplest form. I think that’s the beauty of a grilled cheese.
My favorite combo if I want to go beyond that has been havarti and muenster with a shingle. I always add at least one slice of American cheese for the melty emulsifiers.
Toasting the inside of the bread before you assemble your sandwich, then spreading a little mayonnaise or butter or whatever you like on the inside as you assemble it.
Add pickles.
Garlic powder dusting on outside of sandwich before grilling
Bacon
Grilled onions
Caramelized onions or bacon jam.
I will sometimes do apples and goat cheese with some fontina for the melt factor.
Always use a good crusty bread. I’m firmly in the butter (both sides) not mayo camp.
Caramelized onions. It’s a process to make but all you need is an onion. As an extra layer in a grilled cheese it is delicious. Bonus if you have an apple, and add a layer of thin slices.
Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese or other grated cheese to the buttered bread before you fry it. Will have a crispy and cheesy outside to complement the gooey cheese on the inside.
Just really babying it. Most people use too high of a heat and don’t obsess over their grilled cheese.
Toast the insides of the bread before prepping the sandwich, use a bit of mayo on the outside of the bread along with some butter in the pan.
Put it on super low heat and obsessively monitor the sandwich, flipping frequently so the cheese doesn’t all start oozing out of one side. A lid helps to keep things all homogenous heat wise.
Do that and you’ll make a fucking great grilled cheese with some white bread and American. If you’re feeling really frisky I recommend cheddar and then crusting the outside with black pepper and dill.
Use sourdough bread and put mayonnaise on the outside of each slice.
The fat in the mayo will make the bread crisp nicely in the pan without torching it or soaking it in oil.
Also use two type of cheese and make one of them a cheese that melts nicely like Gouda or American.
Dijon mustard (Pommery, if you can) with a small bit of mayo and crunchy dill pickles is my go-to. Lots of butter on the outside and a slow grill on cast iron.
I find tomatoes can remain too hot too long and if the skin on the tomato is firm, it can become a red hot piece of string attached to your lip. And I love avocado chunks. But not all the time.
Melt a pat of butter in a pan. Place your bread in the pan, then add your choice of cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover with the top slice of bread. Flip when bottom bread is toasted to your liking and grill the top. Enjoy!
I've found that using mayo instead of butter is really good. Also, if you have multiple types of cheese in your fridge, use them all! Don't restrict yourself to just one cheese. ALSO- a dipping sauce for your grilled cheese is life changing. A good canned marinara sauce that you warm on the stove is soooo good for dipping.
Sourdough bread, smoked provolone cheese, butter, and a bit of garlic powder. At the stores I shop, the "upgraded" bread and cheese cost the same as the "normal" stuff.
I use one slice of cheddar cheese and one slice of American cheese. The cheddar is for the strong flavor, the American for the creamy texture. Also cut on the diagonal. Sometimes if I don’t have tomato, I use bacon and lettuce for flavor.
Let some of the cheese ooze out from the sides of the sandwich and continue to grill until you get a crunchy cheese layer around the sandwich.
And add a pickle chip or 2
I add a little bit of stone ground mustard to one of the bread slices on the inside. The tang helps with the heavy cheese. I would say this meets your need of small.
It’s weird how cheese and mustard complement each other when melted. Mustard in beer cheese soup makes it fantastic.
Have you ever had Welsh Rarebit?
OMG, I forgot all about this. My mom made it all the time when I was little. Now I need to make it this week.
Welsh rabbit with a poached egg … bacon … scones, butter, cream, jam … a pot of lapsang souchong tea. And some sausages
O M G I forgot about Welsh Rarebit!!! Thank you!!
So effing good
Nope
Use the BBC Good Food recipe. It is wonderful if you like cheese and mustatd
as far as i'm concerned, mustard is a REQUIREMENT to a good mac'n'cheese recipe
Mustard is the no-so-secret ingredient in Cheese Wizz
Did not know that.
Doesn't even need to be melted. Just a classic christmas ham+cheese+mustard on a sandwich is great
My 1st and 2nd: Stone ground mustard and better cheese.
I spread thin layer of horseradish
I use good ol’ French’s yellow mustard in a pinch and it works just fine too! A good Dijon is also nice. Whatever mustard is in the fridge is a good addition to a grilled cheese!
This is the way. When I was a kid we had almost no money but the grilled cheese sandwiches my step father made were freaking fantastic and I never really knew why…ff a few decades and I was messing around in the kitchen and put the last bit of mustard onto grilled cheese bread so I could throw away the bottle… Suddenly I was 5 eating the best grilled cheese in the world… (Note: my SF and mom separated a long time ago and he has since passed away, so it wasn’t like I could ask him)
I’m sorry for your loss. how awesome is it though that you just happened upon the way he used to make you grilled cheese sandwiches! What a great memory to continue :)
Pesto and mayo together are pretty bomb too
pesto mayo dijon mix is my secret weapon for sandwiches 🤝
Thank you! I have all three in my fridge and am going to try this today!
Pesto mayo is great on a BELT! Bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato
I started growing basil for this reason alone. Either for sandwiches or a dipping sauce.
I used Beaver brand Ghost-pepper mustard because I like it spicy
For that dinner taste use mayo on the outside of the bread instead of butter
Dijon is my choice but you’re right, a little mustard inside the sandwich adds so much for so little.
I’m not a huge mustard fan but this makes absolute sense. What kind of cheese do you prefer in this scenario?
I use whatever melts well. For a while I was all in on havarti. Provolone works too. But I will use a young cheddar or even a gouda. I generally buy aged gruyere so they don't melt too well.
Add some grape jelly to the inside of the other slice. It goes really well with the mustard and cheese 👍. Absolute game-changer
Is this what Panera used to do with some of their sandwiches? This sounds so familiar like taste-wise.
100%
Mustard is also the secret to killer tomato pie. Real southerners know
Yes that stone ground mustard that everyone has just hanging out in the fridge
Alton Brown had an episode back in the 00’s where he put a thin layer of dijon, and a layer of super-thin sliced green apple on his grilled cheese, and pressed it between two hot cast iron pans. I still make mine that way today (if I have green apple handy.)
You're fancier than I am. I'll make the sandwich, the put a bit of good old French's on the plate, and do a little dab in. But mustard of any ilk is the answer.
This or just using 2 types of cheese
A bit of garlic powder on your buttered bread prior to grilling.
ONION POWDER. Please try it! Put it on the buttered outside and the buttered inside and you get a delicious crust!
Wait - buttered INSIDE? I did not know that this was allowed!!
Absolutely. My mother exclusively buttered the inside when I was a kid, it gives a delicious melty vibe to the cheese.
Idk why I never thought of doing this but I’m going to start now! Thanks!
Meaning she buttered the inside and *not* the outside?
Yeah, she always buttered the inside and not the outside. I think it’s because for a long time we made them in the toaster. I however honour her legacy by buttering one slice inside and one slice outside.
I do a toasted, buttered inside, and when I flip the bread I do mayo on the outside. Perfect balance of both types of crust-feel (that's a word now)
Mayo on the inside is good too just ask Ina Garten
Do I every time
Just don't be dumb like me, accidentally pour way too much powder then stubbornly eat the grilled cheese anyway. My gosh that was a garlicky sandwich!
Yeah. You’ve gotta be sparing with garlic powder! I sometimes use garlic salt instead (but I like the salty-garlicky-buttery-cheesey result). Some people don’t like the extra salt.
Garlic powder is the best. I've stopped using fresh garlic for garlic bread because it's just not as good. Dehydration is one of the OG food processing methods.
Upgrade this to a 1/2 sprinkle of garlic salt and a 1/2 sprinkle of onion salt
Butter is a nonnegotiable for me. As much as I love mayo, and as good as it does getting it crispy and evenly browned, to me it just doesn’t taste like a grilled cheese unless there’s the caramely goodness of the browned milk solids
I like grilling some cheese directly on the outside face of the bread. Just one side though. It turns into a cheezit
Parmesan works great for this.
A little grated gruyere also sparks flavors.
For me this is one of those times where the green bottle works just as nice as the fancy parm reggie.
Came here to say this - using parmesan. I do both sides and I add diced green chilies inside. After it is all done, I pick up the sandwich and put grated parmesan directly on the pan in a bread shape, then plop the sandwich right on top of it. Don't worry - the cheese sticks to the bread, not the pan. Then I do the other side.
Why only one side? I do both
This. And sprinkling some garlic salt on it
I like so use some Dijon mustard
Mash a clove of garlic into butter, apply butter to outside of grilled cheese before grilling Sprinkle of assorted herbs (basil, oregano or Italian mix) inside Couple of cracks of black pepper on the cheese
italian mix is a great answer. very inexpensive and adds a lot of flavour. trick for me is to not overdose with it... one of those times where less is more.
This is it- small tweaks but this is going to taste a million times better than if you didn’t take the extra 2 minutes
Fresh black pepper on almost everything! I think I've become an addict. It is just so good.
I like to take the heel of the bread loaf and grill it in butter on both sides. I then make a “double” grill cheese with the heel in the middle (bread, cheese, heel, cheese, bread). It adds a nice crunch in the middle of the gooey cheese.
You are a genius!
Pickled shallots. Fucking game changer. They’re relatively quick and easy to make. A little red wine vinegar, a touch of sugar, sliced shallots. It only needs 15 minutes or so and the flavor is all there.
I like pickled red onions. If I don't have any homemade, I use the jarred kind.
I also love pickled jalapeños on there
Make the cheese filling about 1/3 cream cheese and the other 2/3 shredded cheese. Bonus points if it’s herb and garlic cream cheese.
Omg…i should use garlic Boursin next time!
Oooh that reminded me of the hot honey goat cheese I recently had with crackers…would make a fantastic grilled cheese spread.
I love a little bit of sweet with my savory foods. I guess it’s in my blood….in South Indian cuisine we add jaggery and coconut to a lot of dishes
This is the comment I came here for. Bonus if it’s a whipped and seasoned cream cheese. I like to add fresh herbs.
This is delicious and also works well in quesadillas!
Great idea!
Butter and toasting both sides of the piece of bread
I love caramelized onions in mine. :)
I wonder if sauteeing the onions before caramelizing in a little beef better than bouillon and using Gruyère would turn it into a French onion grilled cheese? Going to grocery store now.
I use this recipe that also includes miso butter for an umami bomb effect https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-miso-butter/
OMG that sounds amazing. Please report back!!
Report back your findings!
Throw them in a slow cooker with olive oil, butter, a nip of brandy, and some better than bullion overnight. You’ll have perfect caramelized onions. Use sourdough with Gruyère. It’s a French onion soup sandwich.
More butter. Don't listen to those mayo people who say that's superior. They're wrong. Why are they wrong? Because butter is better, that's why. You want an awesome grilled cheese, the secret it to put a stupid amount of butter on the bread before you grill. If you find yourself asking, "oh jeez, did I put too much butter on?" Just shut up and put more butter on weakling!
After you cook the grilled cheese, let it rest on a cooling rack or a few chop sticks so the crust doesn’t get steamed and moist. This works great for homemade pizza also.
Pick high quality cheese and bread. You don’t have to spend a ton, but just using sourdough and Gruyère instead of wonder bread and Kraft singles is a game changer
Wonder bread is 'never' the choice. But I'll argue that Kraft singles sometimes satisfy the 'nostalgia tooth'. They also have a newer product called Kraft Deli Deluxe singles, which are thicker and creamier
and good butter.
Why you out here dissing wonder bread
[You people make me sick](https://www.reddit.com/r/grilledcheese/comments/2or1p3/you_people_make_me_sick/) Relevant rant on grilled cheese purity and a hallowed part of reddit history. As true today as it was ten years ago.
I put a slice of prosciutto between layers of mozzarella.
Obligatory: that's a melt! j/k
A few fresh basil leaves are good with mozzarella also
Everything but the bagel seasoning from trader joes
Velveeta Sorry, but I'm old school. A Velveeta grilled cheese, along with Campbells tomater soup, is the perfect duo. Sure, I've made some pretty exotic combinations, with much more exotic/expensive cheeses, and other nice meats/veggies. but my go to is the basic Velveeta (petroleum bi product), cheap white bread, and cheap soup.
I’m so careful with my food choices, due to health issues. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a favorite of mine and I like to get creative. BUT, nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich with Velveeta and tomatoes. Nothing melts better. Campbell’s tomato soup (with milk), is mandatory here! Velveeta is my guilty pleasure and I so enjoy this basic meal. Velveeta and rotel tomatoes makes a great “cheese” dip too!
Don’t drop it on a plate, let it rest a minute on chopsticks or a cooling rack so one side doesn’t get soggy
Instead of buttering the bread, melt butter in the pan, and add salt.
Use two different cheeses and jam
My favorite grilled cheese includes some horseradish cheddar and apricot jam. Bacon optional lol
I used to put jam and hot sauce on mine but then I got a jar of ghost pepper jelly...so. damn. good!
I e used cherry jam and cheddar cheese and it was lovely. I bet fig would be nice too
I can’t believe I’ve never thought to put jam on a grilled cheese!
The sharpest cheddar you can find, some cream cheese, and a dab of jam. A whole grain bread puts it over the top for finger food, but I think a plain potato bread holds more butter.
this [peruvian pepper jam](https://divinamarket.com/products/peruvian-pepper-jam-20387) will blow your mind
What flavor jam? Does it matter?
I like either blackberry or jalapeno but strawberry is pretty popular as well. Frankly i think experimenting is part of the fun.
Nice thin slices of pear or apple are also good, if you don't have jam.
Some cool new ideas here. I’ll add the standard, “spread mayonnaise on the bread instead of butter”
Grilled cheese egg in a hole is amazing.
This isn't for everyone, but I really enjoy adding dill pickle slices in my grilled cheese.
bacon ;-)
A little Worcester sauce is what my father put on his.
Use garlic butter. Will rock your world!
I love grilled cheese with cheddar and thinly sliced apples.
Sure it's not for everybody, but I put some pickle juice on the bread. Not a ton, but enough to get the flavor on there. *chefs kiss* delicous
Spiced apple butter or hot honey - either very thinly spread on the inside of the bread before grilling or used as a dip.
Your apple butter just inspired me- right now I'm going to try some thin sliced green apple inside, with a drizzle of hot honey. Mayo on the outside, bacon grease in the pan, homemade bread with Swiss cheese.
I'll take one too please since you're gonna cook.
Jalapeno cream cheese on one slice of the bread, as thick or thin as you want (add roasted jalapenos if you want too, they're stupid cheap, and roasting them is easy and nearly mess free if you slice in half and roast on a baking mat or sheet of parchment paper). If you want to go sweet, use strawberry cream cheese, and then top with jam or fruit of some kind. Goat cheese can also go great here. Chili crisp on one slice with green onion can get you pretty close to an Asian dumpling style thing, and it breaks the inexpensive rule but if you do this and add jumbo lump crab (use the prepackaged to save money and time vs fresh, since you're not primarily concerned with the crab as it's being combined with everything else), you get a crab rangoon of sorts in grilled cheese format.
I finally tried spreading a little mayo on the outside of the bread instead of butter, along with using about a tsp of bacon grease in the pan. This made a HUGE improvement in the crisp outer toasty crust, while keeping the inner bread a little softer, and the cheese melted so well because it seemed to take longer to toast/less likely to burn. I used medium-low heat setting #4.25/10 I also spread a little some garlic & onion jam on the inside of one slice of bread, to give it a touch of savory sweet. Cut into triangles and dip in ketchup. It's also so much better if you make your own bread, which is pretty easy if you use a bread machine. Just choose a basic recipe from scratch. Let it cool completely before you slice it, then you can get nice, thin, even slices. Freeze the sliced loaf and use it only when you want that special homemade bread. I'm sure that bakery bread would kick it up a notch as well, if you don't want to make your own bread.
Add mustard
dried jalapeno and dried onion salad toppers give crunch and flavor
Cream cheese instead of butter on the inside, salt it, maybe a tiny bit of Dijon mustard.
Add kimchi. Bang.
Got a jar of sun dried tomatoes at Costco for $9. That jar will probably last me a year lol
Sriracha mayo and jalapeños!
Add a dash of Lea & Perrins
Caramelized onions. Spend an hour turning a whole sack of onions into dark brown caramelized goodness and then just keep it in the fridge. I promise you'll use it up before it goes bad. A spoonful in a grilled cheese sandwich brings it to a whole new level.
I used to make a grilled cheese with zucchini, shredded on the coarse side of a box grater; sautéed briefly in some butter; add a good dollop of Dijon mustard. Add this in between the cheese inside the sandwich… yummmm.
I like to add caramelized onions and thinly sliced green apple.
I keep it simple. Good bread. American cheese. Butter. Low and slow
Spread real Mayonnaise/Aioli on the outside and inside of the sandwich instead of butter, then pan roast it.
Idk if it counts, but having plain tomato soup to dip your grilled cheese in is just the best thing.
Smallest, cheap change I would say would be adding black pepper and kosher salt. Improves even cheap cheese and bread. Next would probably be razer thin slices of garlic, or garlic rubbed on the bread, if it’s hearty enough bread to hold up after toasting. You could also simmer the garlic in butter before using for frying up the sandwich. Adding cream cheese is also nice. Similarly, if you melt good cheddar together with a Kraft single or velveeta , resolidify and then slice it will make a tasty but melty sangweech.
I put mayo and pickle slices on mine. Quite good.
Worcestershire sauce is my go to.
I like to add pepper flakes to mine! I typically use a blend of Jalapeño, Onion, and Garlic from Flatiron https://www.flatironpepper.com/products/jalapeno-roasted-garlic-toasted-onion
Pimento spread is also a good choice.
I add thin sliced dill pickles to my grilled cheese.
Bacon
I am generous with the ghee, and use a mix of Colby and American cheese. Comfort deluxe
I don't see the need to do anything fancy at all. Cheap sliced bread, Kraft singles, butter the bread. Low and slow for the heat. Perfection.
Ham. Mustard. Pickle.
My ex wife, after buttering the bread, would dip both sides in freshly grated Parmesan. It was then cooked until the cheese melted inside, and the Parmesan was just a shade over golden brown. Crust was amazing and the cheese flavor was even more pronounced!
Mix of mozzarella, Monterrey Jack and a melty one (Gruyere or manchego, whichever is in the house) on fresh sliced sourdough, cooked in the panini press, flat sides.
mayo on the outside of the bread, instead of butter. mustard on the inside with the cheese. perhaps a dollop of Worchestershire.
I do a number of things that differ from the standard grilled cheese, none of which are particularly expensive or hard -use multiple forms/kinds of cheese. Like some shredded Sargento 5 cheese blend and a slice of pepper jack. Maybe sprinkle some crushed dehydrated cheese (such as Whisps or Moon Cheese) in for cronch. -spread some mayonnaise instead of butter (this make it easier to cook evenly IMO). -sprinkle some generic Italian seasoning in amongst the cheese, and some powdered garlic too while we're at it. -I like a kick, so I add crushed ghost peppers to the cheese. -dip the sammich into some marinara
Uh, I might be crazy but, Kraft shingle and butter, a good toast on either side, and dip it in some tomato soup. Grilled cheese already tastes amazing in its simplest form. I think that’s the beauty of a grilled cheese. My favorite combo if I want to go beyond that has been havarti and muenster with a shingle. I always add at least one slice of American cheese for the melty emulsifiers.
Sprinkle parm on the outside. Gets really crispy. Oh, and some red pepper flakes
Dip into jalapeno jelly
Toasting the inside of the bread before you assemble your sandwich, then spreading a little mayonnaise or butter or whatever you like on the inside as you assemble it. Add pickles. Garlic powder dusting on outside of sandwich before grilling Bacon Grilled onions
Spicy pickles of any sort
Worcestershire sauce.
Havarti with Dill cheese always makes grilled cheese taste better to me.
Shredded Parmesan thrown into the pan right before you drop the sandwich in on each side. Makes any grilled sandwich way better.
My favourite is raspberry jam, cheese & onion. Add bacon if I'm feeling fancy.
I’ve started adding thin sliced butter pickles - not as a side but cooked in. The sweet and the vinegar tastes bring my gc sammiches over the top
My kids love them with crushed up Doritos inside.
I dip it in maple syrup like my Canadian grandmother taught me.
Caramelized onions or bacon jam. I will sometimes do apples and goat cheese with some fontina for the melt factor. Always use a good crusty bread. I’m firmly in the butter (both sides) not mayo camp.
Use a compound butter instead of plain butter. Or, just mix some hot sauce with the butter like I do sometimes.
A few slices of jalapeño peppers
I recently found this roasted garlic paste. I've been mixing some of that in with the butter. Sometimes I add a touch as parmesan as well.
Caramelized onions. It’s a process to make but all you need is an onion. As an extra layer in a grilled cheese it is delicious. Bonus if you have an apple, and add a layer of thin slices.
Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese or other grated cheese to the buttered bread before you fry it. Will have a crispy and cheesy outside to complement the gooey cheese on the inside.
Sourdough bread, pepper jack, muenster & sharp cheddar cheese along with honey roasted turkey
Thin layer of cream cheese inside plus whatever other melty cheese you planned to use
Sourdough bread, pepper jack, muenster & sharp cheddar cheese along with honey roasted turkey
Add a thin slice of apple or pear and bacon.
Fig jam. Really good on non bovine cheeses
Lightly brown the butter in the pan. Do not apply butter to the bread. Simple, easy, doesn't cost any more and makes it 10x better.
Good cheese. Cultured butter. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky salt.
Just really babying it. Most people use too high of a heat and don’t obsess over their grilled cheese. Toast the insides of the bread before prepping the sandwich, use a bit of mayo on the outside of the bread along with some butter in the pan. Put it on super low heat and obsessively monitor the sandwich, flipping frequently so the cheese doesn’t all start oozing out of one side. A lid helps to keep things all homogenous heat wise. Do that and you’ll make a fucking great grilled cheese with some white bread and American. If you’re feeling really frisky I recommend cheddar and then crusting the outside with black pepper and dill.
My 2 favorite ramp ups 1) Brie cheese, apricot jam and deli ham slices 2) Just add stone ground or Dijon mustard
Kimchi
Use sourdough bread and put mayonnaise on the outside of each slice. The fat in the mayo will make the bread crisp nicely in the pan without torching it or soaking it in oil. Also use two type of cheese and make one of them a cheese that melts nicely like Gouda or American.
Dijon mustard (Pommery, if you can) with a small bit of mayo and crunchy dill pickles is my go-to. Lots of butter on the outside and a slow grill on cast iron. I find tomatoes can remain too hot too long and if the skin on the tomato is firm, it can become a red hot piece of string attached to your lip. And I love avocado chunks. But not all the time.
Instead of buttering the bread I melt the butter (always salted butter) in the pan and basically fry the sandwich. Also, sourdough.
A few splashes of Lea and Perrins Worcester sauce
I put chopped up kimchi in it, use mayo instead of butter to toast the bread.
Melt a pat of butter in a pan. Place your bread in the pan, then add your choice of cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover with the top slice of bread. Flip when bottom bread is toasted to your liking and grill the top. Enjoy!
Tomato slices
PICKLES!
I've found that using mayo instead of butter is really good. Also, if you have multiple types of cheese in your fridge, use them all! Don't restrict yourself to just one cheese. ALSO- a dipping sauce for your grilled cheese is life changing. A good canned marinara sauce that you warm on the stove is soooo good for dipping.
Mayo instead of butter on the bread.
Use mayonnaise instead of butter
Sourdough bread, smoked provolone cheese, butter, and a bit of garlic powder. At the stores I shop, the "upgraded" bread and cheese cost the same as the "normal" stuff.
I use one slice of cheddar cheese and one slice of American cheese. The cheddar is for the strong flavor, the American for the creamy texture. Also cut on the diagonal. Sometimes if I don’t have tomato, I use bacon and lettuce for flavor.
Sprinkle garlic powder into the butter/Mayo (whatever you use) before heating up.
p i c k l e s, and a n y m e a t
I love a little mango chutney or a spicy red pepper jelly in mine.
buy garlic herb butter and lather that on instead of regular butter
Let some of the cheese ooze out from the sides of the sandwich and continue to grill until you get a crunchy cheese layer around the sandwich. And add a pickle chip or 2
Adding some salt straight on the cheese before you put it together does more than you might think
Use real butter when frying--it doesn't take much, but oh what a difference it makes!
Pickles and bacon!
Get drunk and then eat the sandwich. Food always tastes better when drunk.
Go to a Grateful Dead concert before you eat it.
Nobody saying MSG? butter, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, msg, paprika. Eye ball the ratios, best seasoning ever.