Grilled Cheese Sandwich
A grilled cheese sandwich is a simple hot sandwich filled with melted cheese. The key variable is the ratio of cheese to bread; this depends on the thickness and density of the bread, and the amount of cheese used, and varies according to taste; generally more cheese is preferred, so that the bread doesn't overwhelm the cheese. The goal is to get a nicely browned sandwich with melted cheese in the middle.
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread
- Butter
- 1–3 slices of easy-to-melt cheese, such as cheddar, gouda, Limberger, American (or shredded cheese to taste)
- Other ingredients as necessary (see variations below)
Steps
- Heat skillet, frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
- Butter bread. Place both pieces butter side down in skillet.
- When butter sides have browned, flip one. Place cheese on top. Add other slice, butter side down.
- Press sandwich with spatula.
- When bottom is browned, flip sandwich. When both sides are browned, remove from heat. Cut. Serve.
- Oven method: preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Butter both sides of bread slices.
- Sandwich cheese and fillings between slices. Transfer to baking sheet.
- Bake 10–15 minutes. Flip. Bake 5–10 more minutes.
Notes from the original
- Try spreading both sides of the bread with mayonnaise, mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and/or aioli.
- Try layering other ingredients with sliced cheese, such as ham, tomato, shredded cooked pork, salami, etc.
- If using shredded cheese, try mixing in various ingredients such as diced onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, pickles, crumbled bacon, pepper, thyme, cumin, etc.
- Kappacasein of Borough Market uses cheddar cheese and sourdough bread, and mixes in onions, leek, and garlic. The bread is sliced ~6–8 mm thick and cooked in a flat sandwich press until the entire surface is crisp.
- It is common practice at the Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation in Pearson, WI to substitute a garlic-flavored spread for the butter.
- You can also make open-faced baked sandwiches; in these, the exposed cheese tends to puff and bubble. If you only heat from above (via radiant heat), you will melt the cheese and leave the bread untoasted or lightly toasted, which may be desired; however, you should generally heat from both sides.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Grilled Cheese Sandwich” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-21, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Grilled Cheese with hoisin.jpg by No machine-readable author provided. Riffraffselbow assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.