and now i'm seeing there are so many different varieties and ways to make it.
what are you favorites? i'm ready to branch out . . .
ballyhoo
Jan 13, 09 3:27 pm
the 'wichcraft recipe: fontina with black trumpet mushrooms + truffle oil on pullman white bread.
the key is to get the mushrooms right. try poaching them in beurre monté.
gorgonzola dolce (a milder version of gorgonzola) + apples and honey is also good.
peridotbritches
Jan 13, 09 4:13 pm
*reads bally's post*
...
*dies at desk, suffocating in own salivation*
xtbl
Jan 13, 09 4:44 pm
uhhhhhh, that sounds so good.
i like, sourdough bread, provolone cheese and grilled red onions. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
aquapura
Jan 13, 09 4:53 pm
You talking about grilling techniques?
My favorite is to get two flat griddles (no or low sides) really hot on the gas stove, build up my sandwich, turn off the stove, set the sandwich in one griddle, take the other griddle, flip it upside down and set on top of the sandwich. When the cheese oozes out onto the bottom griddle it's done. Perfection clamshell grilling.
For flavor I like rye bread, one with a light coating of djion mustard and shredded white cheddar cheese. Mmm, perfect comfort food.
peridotbritches
Jan 13, 09 4:53 pm
YOU PEOPLE ARE DEVILS!
liberty bell
Jan 13, 09 5:04 pm
Was it Strawbeary or rationalist who recommended brie with raspberry jam grilled cheese?
Wicked delicious.
The only tricks, for me, to making grilled cheese is patience - time to let the cheese melt and the bread to grill w/o burning - and lots of butter.
chupacabra
Jan 13, 09 5:07 pm
broiler
Sarah Hamilton
Jan 13, 09 5:11 pm
Sometimes, they're good with a bit of jelly - pinapple and that norwegian cheese or apple butter and cheddar.
Or Bacon
Or Tomato
Or tortias
Or big rolls pressed with a brick.
Yummm.
xtbl
Jan 13, 09 5:12 pm
yes, bacon and tomato. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
lesov
Jan 13, 09 5:19 pm
funny, was just discussing this at lunch today at the office... Tom is that you?? my fave way is thin slices of feta cheese alternated with sharp cheddar, with sliced up olives and some paprika spice, between proper french bread.... yummmmm. I think that's what I'm having for dinner, now that i've talked about it twice in one day.
I'm definitely going to have to try the gorgonzola, apples and honey one. *drool*
rozz
Jan 13, 09 5:26 pm
Hmmm...My trick is to liberally apply room temperature butter on both sides of the bread. Always works best in a cast iron pan. Can't be too hot though. Love mozzarella or gruyere-plain and simple with a slice of tomato. Damn! I'm gonna make one tonight....<salivating>
Steven Ward
Jan 13, 09 5:36 pm
i still make 'em like my mother did - and my wife and girls love it.
cheapest grocery store 100% whole wheat, two slices of cheddar, and a 1/8" slice of butter in the frying pan for each side.
i usually melt one slice of butter first, throw the sandwich already assembled into the butter, sizzle it for a bit, absorb the butter, then take it back out.
then melt the butter for the other side and flip the sandwich fresh face down into the new butter. that way the butter doesn't burn and it's the perfect just-melted butter-liquid that you're laying the bread in = maximum absorption.
then i just keep squishing the whole thing down with my spatula until it's good and flat.
no unusual cheese or extra ingredients for me. those can go next to it on the plate, if necessary. best served with a nice white chili.
the ultimate comfort food.
peridotbritches
Jan 13, 09 5:43 pm
WANT. NOW.
U ALL MAKE FOR PERIDOT!
liberty bell
Jan 13, 09 6:06 pm
So Steven you don't grill the "inside" face of the bread, only the outside? I always grille four faces of bread for a single sandwich - both sides of two pieces.
God the way we describe this it's like we should have blueprints and specs!
I like to take a pita pocket bread and fill it with Jarlsburg Swiss Cheese, slices of fresh mushrooms and sliced green olives. Heat it until everything marries....and yummmy! I think it is an Armenian Grilled Cheese sammwich.
won and done williams
Jan 13, 09 6:38 pm
i make it basically the same as sw except i use vegetable oil cooking spray instead of butter to cut the fat - a sacrilege to some, but honestly i don't taste a lot of difference, and if anything it makes the bread less soggy.
and just cheese, only cheese.
peridotbritches
Jan 13, 09 6:42 pm
Lib - the architects cookbook. I'll CALL OPRAH!
vado retro
Jan 13, 09 6:42 pm
smoked gouda and artichoke hearts on french rustic loaf!
uhhhhh
Jan 13, 09 6:55 pm
wow. how come my other posts don't elicit such overwhelming and savory responses??
nothing like food to bring people together.
peridotbritches
Jan 13, 09 7:00 pm
Are you made of smoked Gouda? Are you buttered on both sides? Report back when you are!
uhhhhh
Jan 13, 09 7:08 pm
ha! thread highjacking at its best:
title: favorite ways to make chocolate strawberries??
body text: sooooooo i was going to make some tonight and wanted your opinions; specifically, what does oregon state law say about code violations dealing with non-thermally sealed vertical circulation passages???
mightylittle™
Jan 13, 09 7:20 pm
while we're on the subject of sandwiches, how about this one:
when it comes to grilled cheese, you gotta' get one of these:
Steven Ward
Jan 13, 09 7:53 pm
i don't toast the insides, lb. i like the cheese to ooze into the voids at the inside of the bread - it all just sort of melds together.
b3tadine[sutures]
Jan 13, 09 7:53 pm
when i did eat sandwiches, i loved eating GC with mayo on the inside face of the bread, crispy and delish.
****melt
Jan 13, 09 8:27 pm
SW - I totally agree. The cheese must ooze into all the voids.
I'm pretty much a traditionalist. On rye bread (must have rye seeds in it) with a combo Land-O-Lakes American cheese, and some sharp cheddar cheese. YUM!!!!!!
Barry Lehrman
Jan 13, 09 9:35 pm
I'm a toaster over guy for my melted cheeeeeze on bread. make em open faced so the cheeze starts to bubble and crisp on the top.
(those are caraway seeds in ryebread - if they were rye seeds, it'd be pumpernickle)
****melt
Jan 13, 09 9:52 pm
D'oh!!!! Well whatever they are they are TASTY!!!!!
spark
Jan 13, 09 10:51 pm
I don't think anyone has mentioned using a George Forman grill yet. We are also old school - butter the outside of the bread, two american cheese singles, lovingly place in George's grill. George takes care of pressing the sandwich to ooze the cheese.
Best served dipped in tomato soup that has been sprinkled with Old Bay.
evilplatypus
Jan 13, 09 11:04 pm
for some reason I thought this thread was "favorite ways to make girls cheese" whatever the hell that means - carry on
Nam Henderson
Jan 13, 09 11:05 pm
Personally i like a slice of tomato (or some sundried tomatoes) and fresh dill.
However, if you are going old school (for instance if sick) nothing beats white with American yellow cheese and Campbell's tomato soup.
Either way butter and a cast iron skillet.
mightylittle™
Jan 13, 09 11:17 pm
y'all should also try a Grilled PB&J sandwich some time.
lots of butter, lots of deliciousness, what with the warm peanut butter oozing and the sweet jelly all dripping out.
if sex were a sandwich, it would be grilled PB&J.
AP
Jan 14, 09 12:26 am
count me among the traditionalists. make mine almost exactly as Steven described, although these days i occasionally substitute olive oil for butter, and almost always use slices of [at least halfway decent] sharp cheddar in lieu of the kraft singles we used as kids...
growing up we ate grilled cheese with soup for dinner weekly (read: cheap and easy). i didn't enjoy tomato soup until early adulthood, so i always ate the odd combo of grilled cheese with chicken noodle soup. now i love some tomato soup with my gc, but prefer something thicker than campbells...
xtbl
Jan 14, 09 12:28 am
grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches fried in bacon fat were the king's favorite.
zahoffman
Jan 14, 09 1:35 am
"grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches fried in bacon fat were the king's favorite."
And that is one reason we have "Fat Elvis" jokes.
I'm not too picky about my GC, just prefer to have 2 complimentary cheeses involved and some soup or chili. I never have a problem adding some bacon if I have any around. Name one thing that bacon isn't delicious on and I will fight you.
mightylittle™
Jan 14, 09 2:02 am
bacon is NOT delicious on cow patties.
zahoffman
Jan 14, 09 2:39 am
I've never consumed a cow pattie, do you have a personal experience you can share before we duel?
farmer
Jan 14, 09 4:39 am
coleman's hot mustard, you must use the coleman's
Steven Ward
Jan 14, 09 7:31 am
i'm amazed that people still buy american cheese. i know i used to eat it, but we bought it by accident recently and it tasted like ... nothing. except with a waxy texture.
mmm. if i wanted to go all gour-may, a little spicy mustard sounds pretty good.
spark, you know you just used 'george's grill' and 'old school' in the same sentence?
aquapura
Jan 14, 09 8:57 am
Processed cheese (american cheese) does melt really good. In college I made my grilled cheese with Velveeta. Not bad after a night of drinking, but far for gourmet.
Thankfully Costco has plenty of good sliced deli cheeses at vastly cheaper prices than the local supermarket.
a-f
Jan 14, 09 10:24 am
Grilled haloumi with salad is always very good - not a sandwich though.
mightylittle™
Jan 14, 09 1:36 pm
i have not consumed cow patties either, though i have consumed certain fungi that grow on them.
perhaps we should consume said fungi prior to the duel? now that would be interesting.
Nam Henderson
Jan 14, 09 2:30 pm
now that is a duel i would watch2
peridotbritches
Jan 14, 09 3:48 pm
The mention of velveeta in this thread has just given me the bird flu, I must retire to my bedchambre to recuperate.
greenlander1
Jan 14, 09 8:21 pm
I make mine like Steven's just with 3 times the butter.
The mustard thing I will need to check out though.
Ms Beary
Jan 14, 09 9:11 pm
I love grilled sandwiches! But, LB, I'm afraid I cannot take credit for the brie and raspberry jam, musta been rationalist.
Put some sliced avocado in your grilled cheese. Try hot peppers too, banana or jalapeno. Or grilled mushrooms with a creamy white cheese like guyere. Pesto with mozzerella, maybe some marinara. Horseradish with Havarti...
Guys, the possibilities are endless given various breads, cheeses and as creative as you want with toppings. There is a grilled cheese resturant that I like to frequent and have considered opening my own franchise. YUMMY! chedds
If you aren't so good at keeping your pan the right temp, try open faced sandwiches in your broiler (no butter that way too.)
Ms Beary
Jan 14, 09 9:14 pm
OH! And cheese it up cheeseheads! Have some Mac and Cheese as a side (or cheese soup), and cheesecake for dessert why dontcha.
upside
Jan 14, 09 11:30 pm
thin sliced apple, honey and really strong cheddar.
grilled cheese and asparagus and prosciutto.
Carl Douglas (agfa8x)
Jan 14, 09 11:46 pm
last night's chilli con carne or curry on toast with a careful blend of whatever cheeses can be found in the fridge.
zahoffman
Jan 15, 09 12:09 am
As long as bacon is involved with the consumption of said fungi, we have a deal!
who knew grilled cheese was so good? i didn't.
and now i'm seeing there are so many different varieties and ways to make it.
what are you favorites? i'm ready to branch out . . .
the 'wichcraft recipe: fontina with black trumpet mushrooms + truffle oil on pullman white bread.
the key is to get the mushrooms right. try poaching them in beurre monté.
gorgonzola dolce (a milder version of gorgonzola) + apples and honey is also good.
*reads bally's post*
...
*dies at desk, suffocating in own salivation*
uhhhhhh, that sounds so good.
i like, sourdough bread, provolone cheese and grilled red onions. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
You talking about grilling techniques?
My favorite is to get two flat griddles (no or low sides) really hot on the gas stove, build up my sandwich, turn off the stove, set the sandwich in one griddle, take the other griddle, flip it upside down and set on top of the sandwich. When the cheese oozes out onto the bottom griddle it's done. Perfection clamshell grilling.
For flavor I like rye bread, one with a light coating of djion mustard and shredded white cheddar cheese. Mmm, perfect comfort food.
YOU PEOPLE ARE DEVILS!
Was it Strawbeary or rationalist who recommended brie with raspberry jam grilled cheese?
Wicked delicious.
The only tricks, for me, to making grilled cheese is patience - time to let the cheese melt and the bread to grill w/o burning - and lots of butter.
broiler
Sometimes, they're good with a bit of jelly - pinapple and that norwegian cheese or apple butter and cheddar.
Or Bacon
Or Tomato
Or tortias
Or big rolls pressed with a brick.
Yummm.
yes, bacon and tomato. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
funny, was just discussing this at lunch today at the office... Tom is that you?? my fave way is thin slices of feta cheese alternated with sharp cheddar, with sliced up olives and some paprika spice, between proper french bread.... yummmmm. I think that's what I'm having for dinner, now that i've talked about it twice in one day.
I'm definitely going to have to try the gorgonzola, apples and honey one. *drool*
Hmmm...My trick is to liberally apply room temperature butter on both sides of the bread. Always works best in a cast iron pan. Can't be too hot though. Love mozzarella or gruyere-plain and simple with a slice of tomato. Damn! I'm gonna make one tonight....<salivating>
i still make 'em like my mother did - and my wife and girls love it.
cheapest grocery store 100% whole wheat, two slices of cheddar, and a 1/8" slice of butter in the frying pan for each side.
i usually melt one slice of butter first, throw the sandwich already assembled into the butter, sizzle it for a bit, absorb the butter, then take it back out.
then melt the butter for the other side and flip the sandwich fresh face down into the new butter. that way the butter doesn't burn and it's the perfect just-melted butter-liquid that you're laying the bread in = maximum absorption.
then i just keep squishing the whole thing down with my spatula until it's good and flat.
no unusual cheese or extra ingredients for me. those can go next to it on the plate, if necessary. best served with a nice white chili.
the ultimate comfort food.
WANT. NOW.
U ALL MAKE FOR PERIDOT!
So Steven you don't grill the "inside" face of the bread, only the outside? I always grille four faces of bread for a single sandwich - both sides of two pieces.
God the way we describe this it's like we should have blueprints and specs!
I like to take a pita pocket bread and fill it with Jarlsburg Swiss Cheese, slices of fresh mushrooms and sliced green olives. Heat it until everything marries....and yummmy! I think it is an Armenian Grilled Cheese sammwich.
i make it basically the same as sw except i use vegetable oil cooking spray instead of butter to cut the fat - a sacrilege to some, but honestly i don't taste a lot of difference, and if anything it makes the bread less soggy.
and just cheese, only cheese.
Lib - the architects cookbook. I'll CALL OPRAH!
smoked gouda and artichoke hearts on french rustic loaf!
wow. how come my other posts don't elicit such overwhelming and savory responses??
nothing like food to bring people together.
Are you made of smoked Gouda? Are you buttered on both sides? Report back when you are!
ha! thread highjacking at its best:
title: favorite ways to make chocolate strawberries??
body text: sooooooo i was going to make some tonight and wanted your opinions; specifically, what does oregon state law say about code violations dealing with non-thermally sealed vertical circulation passages???
while we're on the subject of sandwiches, how about this one:
Fast and Furious Fish Sandwich.
or get your sandwich mojo here.
when it comes to grilled cheese, you gotta' get one of these:
i don't toast the insides, lb. i like the cheese to ooze into the voids at the inside of the bread - it all just sort of melds together.
when i did eat sandwiches, i loved eating GC with mayo on the inside face of the bread, crispy and delish.
SW - I totally agree. The cheese must ooze into all the voids.
I'm pretty much a traditionalist. On rye bread (must have rye seeds in it) with a combo Land-O-Lakes American cheese, and some sharp cheddar cheese. YUM!!!!!!
I'm a toaster over guy for my melted cheeeeeze on bread. make em open faced so the cheeze starts to bubble and crisp on the top.
(those are caraway seeds in ryebread - if they were rye seeds, it'd be pumpernickle)
D'oh!!!! Well whatever they are they are TASTY!!!!!
I don't think anyone has mentioned using a George Forman grill yet. We are also old school - butter the outside of the bread, two american cheese singles, lovingly place in George's grill. George takes care of pressing the sandwich to ooze the cheese.
Best served dipped in tomato soup that has been sprinkled with Old Bay.
for some reason I thought this thread was "favorite ways to make girls cheese" whatever the hell that means - carry on
Personally i like a slice of tomato (or some sundried tomatoes) and fresh dill.
However, if you are going old school (for instance if sick) nothing beats white with American yellow cheese and Campbell's tomato soup.
Either way butter and a cast iron skillet.
y'all should also try a Grilled PB&J sandwich some time.
lots of butter, lots of deliciousness, what with the warm peanut butter oozing and the sweet jelly all dripping out.
if sex were a sandwich, it would be grilled PB&J.
count me among the traditionalists. make mine almost exactly as Steven described, although these days i occasionally substitute olive oil for butter, and almost always use slices of [at least halfway decent] sharp cheddar in lieu of the kraft singles we used as kids...
growing up we ate grilled cheese with soup for dinner weekly (read: cheap and easy). i didn't enjoy tomato soup until early adulthood, so i always ate the odd combo of grilled cheese with chicken noodle soup. now i love some tomato soup with my gc, but prefer something thicker than campbells...
grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches fried in bacon fat were the king's favorite.
"grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches fried in bacon fat were the king's favorite."
And that is one reason we have "Fat Elvis" jokes.
I'm not too picky about my GC, just prefer to have 2 complimentary cheeses involved and some soup or chili. I never have a problem adding some bacon if I have any around. Name one thing that bacon isn't delicious on and I will fight you.
bacon is NOT delicious on cow patties.
I've never consumed a cow pattie, do you have a personal experience you can share before we duel?
coleman's hot mustard, you must use the coleman's
i'm amazed that people still buy american cheese. i know i used to eat it, but we bought it by accident recently and it tasted like ... nothing. except with a waxy texture.
mmm. if i wanted to go all gour-may, a little spicy mustard sounds pretty good.
spark, you know you just used 'george's grill' and 'old school' in the same sentence?
Processed cheese (american cheese) does melt really good. In college I made my grilled cheese with Velveeta. Not bad after a night of drinking, but far for gourmet.
Thankfully Costco has plenty of good sliced deli cheeses at vastly cheaper prices than the local supermarket.
Grilled haloumi with salad is always very good - not a sandwich though.
i have not consumed cow patties either, though i have consumed certain fungi that grow on them.
perhaps we should consume said fungi prior to the duel? now that would be interesting.
now that is a duel i would watch2
The mention of velveeta in this thread has just given me the bird flu, I must retire to my bedchambre to recuperate.
I make mine like Steven's just with 3 times the butter.
The mustard thing I will need to check out though.
I love grilled sandwiches! But, LB, I'm afraid I cannot take credit for the brie and raspberry jam, musta been rationalist.
Put some sliced avocado in your grilled cheese. Try hot peppers too, banana or jalapeno. Or grilled mushrooms with a creamy white cheese like guyere. Pesto with mozzerella, maybe some marinara. Horseradish with Havarti...
Guys, the possibilities are endless given various breads, cheeses and as creative as you want with toppings. There is a grilled cheese resturant that I like to frequent and have considered opening my own franchise. YUMMY! chedds
If you aren't so good at keeping your pan the right temp, try open faced sandwiches in your broiler (no butter that way too.)
OH! And cheese it up cheeseheads! Have some Mac and Cheese as a side (or cheese soup), and cheesecake for dessert why dontcha.
thin sliced apple, honey and really strong cheddar.
grilled cheese and asparagus and prosciutto.
last night's chilli con carne or curry on toast with a careful blend of whatever cheeses can be found in the fridge.
As long as bacon is involved with the consumption of said fungi, we have a deal!