Grill Cheese Help !

Nick_N

Member
Ok, I know that a "great grilled cheese sandwich", is one of the reasons many of us got into cast iron. Well, not me. I hadn't even thought about cooking a grilled cheese sandwich, until now, tonight, to be exact. So, this evening, I put a little mayo on two pieces of bread, added some cheddar cheese, put a patty of butter in my (hot) #8 skillet, and let it go till the bread was toasted golden brown (actually a bit more) on both sides. Then to the table it went. Actually, it turned out great, and now, based on my wife's comments, looks as if I may be doing this more often :tasty:

SO - would some of you mind sharing you "Grilled Cheese" recipes with me ? I'm mainly interested in cook times, temperatures, types of bread & cheeses, etc. Also any special cooking / serving techniques would also be appreciated. Oh, and really, my first (cast iron) attempt, didn't turn out bad at all. Just wondering what everyone else does.......:tasty:
 
Butter the bread before it goes in the skillet. We always have a stick of butter in a covered butter dish out on the counter so it stays soft. Have never put mayo on the inside of a grilled cheese sandwich, but I'd be willing to try it.
 
The mayo goes on the outside, instead of butter. Works well, actually. Not sure why the need to use both, though.
 
The mayo goes on the outside, instead of butter. Works well, actually. Not sure why the need to use both, though.

Wow ? I can't imagine putting mayo on the outside of a sandwich either. I suppose that it browns the outside of the bread, just as butter does. Just curious, do you add some butter or oil, to the skillet, when browning the sandwich ?

---------- Post added at 10:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------

Oh well, seems to be lots of variations on this delicious grilled sandwich, all which could be easily adapted to the cast iron skillet. I suppose it will take a while, to get through all of these...:glutton

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/1884/main-dish/sandwiches/grilled-cheese/?page=2#2
 
One hopes it's not an unsupervised 5 year old. My assumption was the OP was looking for variations on a theme, as opposed to being labeled incompetent.

Grilled cheese can be as little as a slice of Kraft Singles between two pieces of buttered bread, or it can be somewhat more ambitious.

Mayo has some advantages. It serves the same purpose as butter. It's already soft, which your butter may not be. It easily spreads thinly and evenly. It doesn't taste like mayo afterwards. The egg content gives bit of a French toast-like texture.

No, you don't need to butter the pan.
 
No problems, and yes, I was just looking for variations, on a long time favorite. You know, new ideas and suggestions. Sorry, but I had never made a grilled cheese in a "cast iron skillet", before yesterday. It came out great, and I thought - I bet this cast iron group might have some really special recipes. So again, just looking for a few new ideas, that some may have come up with. Oh, and I do understand the basics of a grilled cheese sandwich. I have made a million. :biggrin:
 
I've traditionally used butter but learned the mayo trick this past year. I think it works quite well, worth trying if you haven't.

Of course, the standard white bread and American cheese is the common variety, but mild cheddar is pretty good. 1/2 & 1/2 blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack works and you can sub pepper Jack for some heat. For something really different try a Swiss and Gruyere blend. Another neat variety is to use a smoked cheese.

Sourdough is a tasty upgrade to the plain white bread, especially with some of the more creative cheese choices.

If you want to get really fancy, try throwing in some fresh chives or basil.

But really it depends on your audience. For kids, simple works best, typically.
 
I've traditionally used butter but learned the mayo trick this past year. I think it works quite well, worth trying if you haven't.

Of course, the standard white bread and American cheese is the common variety, but mild cheddar is pretty good. 1/2 & 1/2 blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack works and you can sub pepper Jack for some heat. For something really different try a Swiss and Gruyere blend. Another neat variety is to use a smoked cheese.

Sourdough is a tasty upgrade to the plain white bread, especially with some of the more creative cheese choices.

If you want to get really fancy, try throwing in some fresh chives or basil.

But really it depends on your audience. For kids, simple works best, typically.

Thanks Eric. Great suggestions.....I've already been thinking about how to incorporate some fresh jalapeño peppers in to the mix. :eek:
 
Thanks Eric. Great suggestions.....I've already been thinking about how to incorporate some fresh jalapeño peppers in to the mix. :eek:

That would work - I'd dice them then sauté them separately then spread them on top of the cheese while assembling the sandwich. I think that'd come out better than adding them raw.
 
That would work - I'd dice them then sauté them separately then spread them on top of the cheese while assembling the sandwich. I think that'd come out better than adding them raw.

Yes, I don't think they would get ample cook time, just throwing them in on top of the cheese. I think I will try the mayo on the outside, this time. I can see how that would work just fine. :tasty:
 
I have a gate marked #7 griddle with the #7 raised on the handle that has been passed down since it was purchased many years ago. I'm 62 and was that unsupervised 5 year old standing in a chair to cook grilled cheese sandwiches. I grew up on extra sharp cheddar on white bread, but I like variety and try all kinds of bread and cheese variations. I do use butter on the bread and cook it a bit slow to make sure the cheese melts completely. A couple of my favorite combinations are extra sharp cheddar sliced thin along with some Harvarti on sourdough bread. Another is pepper jack and extra sharp cheddar on multi grain. Last night I made an omelette with sautéed onions & home made jalapeño relish, and added some blue cheese crumbles.:glutton:
 
A grilled PB&J is a good one too. :glutton:

And I got just the #3 for that ... :p

---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 PM ----------

I have a gate marked #7 griddle with the #7 raised on the handle that has been passed down since it was purchased many years ago. I'm 62 and was that unsupervised 5 year old standing in a chair to cook grilled cheese sandwiches. I grew up on extra sharp cheddar on white bread, but I like variety and try all kinds of bread and cheese variations. I do use butter on the bread and cook it a bit slow to make sure the cheese melts completely. A couple of my favorite combinations are extra sharp cheddar sliced thin along with some Harvarti on sourdough bread. Another is pepper jack and extra sharp cheddar on multi grain. Last night I made an omelette with sautéed onions & home made jalapeño relish, and added some blue cheese crumbles.:glutton:

Thanks Russell.....that X-sharp and sourdough sounds great :glutton:
 
I do grilled ham & cheddar or colby jack or manchego cheese. But I put some sliced up sweet hot red peppers in there. Trader Joe's sells them in small jars.
Gives the sandwich a little kick. It's delicious! (Oh, I use butter, but I'm open to trying the mayo alternative)
 
Good post Bonnie. You brought up two things I didn't know. A recipe for something as simple as grilled cheese that I wouldn't have thought of and the fact that April is grilled chees month.
I had fried cabbage with onions and potatoes in it tonight that I cooked in my CI Wagner that needed to be used. Me and my daughters dog "Rocky" shared it and we're both still alive. If I could just get him to cook for me I would love it.
 
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