The Ultimate Guide to Grilled Cheese | Why Butter Beats Mayo, Bacon Fat, and More

There are many methods of making grilled cheese. Many of us remember growing up and having our moms serve us the classic “American single” between two slices of well toasted bread; it's something I was very fond of as a child, and still something I will indulge in from time to time out of nostalgia or convenience. Grilled cheese snobs look down on such a creation and complain that an american single isn't even real cheese - which they are correct, it's not real cheese - but it was simple and fast and something our parents could whip together that was more enjoyable to a kid than cold cuts or egg salad. Today it seems like there is a constant debate on the proper way to make grilled cheese; what contents are allowed in it, which fat medium will properly toast the bread, and so on. Provocateurs and contrarians will always find things to argue about. This article will aim to settle the debate of what makes a grilled cheese “good” and show that the formula comes down to two ingredients.

First, the bread doesn't matter as much as some would make you think, although most would agree that you want something a little more substantial than the ultra thin-sliced, mostly-air store-brand loaves you can get for 99 cents. That bread will still yield decent results, but typically something with a little more substance will produce a more enjoyable sandwich. I have used a lot of different types of bread for grilled cheeses and prefer to use Artisan Hearth White bread. They're not paying me to write this article, it's just my favorite bread for sandwich making. Use whatever bread you like.

The first ingredient that will determine how your grilled cheese turns out is whatever fat you decide to toast your bread with. Many grilled cheese connoisseurs spread bacon fat or mayonnaise on their bread, which has a higher smoke point than butter and typically allows the sandwich to be heated higher than butter in most cases. The argument is that more heat to the bread equals more heat to the cheese, which means a better melt. In some cases that may be true, but what is not often understood is the vast benefit that butter has in the cooking and eating process. Unlike bacon grease or mayonnaise, butter undergoes a chemical transformation as it cooks in the pan. Butter has two components that make it unique: water and milk proteins. As soon as the buttered bread hits the pan there is a sizzle - the sound of the water content within the butter being converted to steam - which gets evenly dispersed into the grilled cheese through the pores in the bread. The second thing that happens is a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. This happens as the butter heats up; the milk proteins separate and break down, turning into a mixture of delicious things that can only be described as caramelization. Caramelization is FLAVOR, buddy! Chefs utilize this technique to increase the depth of flavor in their food. This is why they are chefs and you are making grilled cheese.

The second important ingredient is obviously the cheese. This article will not provide you with a list of which cheeses are the best for grilled cheese, only that the water content, fat content, and type of protein will determine the results of the melt. Any cheese producer in Wisconsin will tell you which cheese in their line-up makes the best grilled cheeses; for some it's their cheddar, for others their muenster... if only there were some website that made calling your local dairy producers convenient and easy (dairylink.org). It all comes down to the delicate balance between the components that make up the cheese. I have made some unpleasant grilled cheeses with sharp cheddars that would have been far better served on a charcuterie board, yet other sharp cheddars will do just fine.

In conclusion, when it comes to selecting cheese for your grilled cheese sandwich you can choose to experiment, ask an expert, or go with your own time trusted choices. The choice of toasting medium, however, should always be butter. Butter's unbeatable flavor, browning ability, and ease of use make it the best fat for grilling the perfect cheese sandwich. When paired with the right cheese, it elevates a grilled cheese from a simple meal to what some might call a masterpiece.