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Although I’m an accomplished cook, I have not made a single grilled cheese sandwich in my entire life until a week or so ago. It just wasn’t my thing.
But when my boyfriend asked for it, I made one. And then another one. And another.
I don’t have a panini press, so here’s my particular trick for keeping them flat:
Buttered cast-iron skillet + sandwiches + small cast-iron skillet on top + cast iron skillet lid on top of the second skillet.
I use my own homemade bread, grated Organic Valley cheddar cheese (not the dyed orange stuff), and butter.
While I am sure that the overwhelming majority of people reading this post know how to maker a grilled cheese sandwich, I would still like to share my particular method, mainly so we can compare:
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread (I like white but hearty homemade bread – note that mine are thick, five-inch-long slices – I don’t use thin, store-bought, pre-sliced bread, which would probably call for less butter)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon butter softened
- 1/2 cup high-quality grated cheddar cheese mild or sharp (I opt to grate the cheese rather than slicing because high-quality organic cheese doesn’t melt as easily as the conventional kind)
Instructions
- Spread 1/2 of a tablespoon of butter on one of the bread slices, top with the cheese, and cover with the second slice.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to a medium cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat until the butter begins to sizzle slightly.
- Add the sandwich to the skillet, place a weight on top of the sandwich (I like using a small cast-iron skillet topped with a cast-iron lid for a really flat sandwich), and increase the heat to medium high (this heat setting is for an electric range in my rental apartment where I’m staying until I can move back into my remodeled house, where my range is gas – if you are using gas, the setting might be closer to medium).
- Allow the sandwich to toast until golden-brown on the bottom (approximately 3 min). Don’t leave to check your Facebook!
- Remove all the weight from the sandwich, flip it, and place the weight back on. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium-low if your stove is gas).
- Continue to toast on the second side until that too turns golden-brown and the cheese is melted and oozy.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with ketchup (unlike organic cheese, organic ketchup can be really awful, so I always go with Heinz or an equivalent).
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