Grilled Cheese
Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-624 -- More Projects »
Food expert Chris Kimball shares his secret for making the perfect grilled-cheese sandwich.
- Select a bread that doesn't have a lot of flavor. Go with plain white over wheat, for example. Heavy breads such as sourdough tend to overpower the cheese because they are tough and chewy, so avoid these as well. "Bargain" thin breads should be avoided because they just won't hold up well in the skillet.
- Cheddar is the obvious and best choice for a grilled-cheese sandwich. Provolone and Swiss cheeses taste great and melt well, while processed cheese slices and mozzarella don't work as well.
- Grate cheese for a grilled sandwich, rather than slicing it. It becomes difficult to match the dimensions to the bread, and many times the sliced cheese will melt into the skillet and become difficult to clean. Approximately a half-cup of grated cheese is optimal for a sandwich.
- To reduce burning, brush bread with melted butter instead of adding butter to the skillet. Place the buttered side down on the skillet, then brush butter on the side that is facing up.
- Use a heavy pan to cook a grilled-cheese sandwich, and cook over low heat--there's no need to hurry. For best results, preheat the pan over low heat for around five minutes before adding the sandwich. The cheese will melt evenly when cooked five to 10 minutes on each side.
- Try some variations on the sandwich such as roasted red peppers, cheese and olive oil instead of butter. For an even heartier sandwich, throw in a few slices of ham to make a ham-and-cheese melt.
Resources Cook's Illustrated
This is a magazine of step-by-step recipes, quick tips, tastings and testings.
Boston Common Press
17 Station St.
Brookline, MA 02445
Toll-free: 800-888-6660
E-mail:
Cooks@bcpress.com
Website:
www.cooksillustrated.com
The Best Recipe
by Editors of
Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Boston Common Press, 1999
Order this title from Amazon.com.
This cookbook contains 700 recipes for all types of food.
Guests Christopher Kimball
Editor,
Cook's Illustrated magazine
Website:
www.cooksillustrated.com
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