Basic Grilled Cheese
You can make a fantastic sandwich with just great bread, fresh butter, and your favorite cheese:
1. Butter bread slices on 1 side. Turn them over. Lay 2 cheese slices on 1 bread slice. Top with the other bread slice, buttered side up.
2. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Flick a drop of water into the pan; if it sizzles and evaporates, the pan is hot enough.
3. Put sandwich, buttered side down, in pan. Let it cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden and crunchy underneath. Turn and let cook another 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
Choose a cheese that melts well, such as cheddar, jack, Colby, gruyère, Swiss, fontina, provolone, or brie.
But why stop there?
Golden Gate Grilled Cheese
This version is like a Monte Cristo ― only better. The parmesan crust is pure genius.
Recipe: Golden Gate Grilled Cheese
From Britta Glade, Orinda, CA
Pastrami, Swiss, and Onion Marmalade on Rye
Make the marmalade ahead so you can whip these babies out in just a few minutes. Leftover marmalade is terrific on pork chops and roast beef.
Recipe: Grilled Pastrami, Swiss, and Sweet Onion Marmalade on Rye
From Jennifer Brumfield, Bellingham, WA
Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese on Sourdough
This sandwich is also great served open faced, using toasted bread. Lynn Blair invented it one day when she was trying to figure out what to do with leftover crab.
Single Girl’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Artichokes, Tomato, and Black Olives
This sandwich was Kimberly Feltz's comfort food when she was in her 20s, living on her own. "I put all of my favorite foods on it ― it's my 'Treat Yourself Special' grilled cheese sandwich."
Recipe: Single Girl's Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Artichokes, Tomato, and Black Olives
Grilled Fresh Mozzarella and Apricot on Sourdough
Gaines invented this delicious, tangy-sweet sandwich to use the plentiful apricots from his neighbor's tree, which hung over the property line. "He told us we could have all the fruit on our side of the fence," Gaines explains.
Recipe: Grilled Fresh Mozzarella and Apricot on Sourdough
From Bill Gaines, Manteca, CA
Roast Beef and Two-Chile Grilled Cheese on Onion Rolls
We love how spicy this sandwich is, but if you prefer less heat, cut back on the chipotle mayo and the green chiles.
Recipe: Roast Beef and Two-Chile Grilled Cheese on Onion Rolls
From Alicia Lopez, Boise, ID
Hazelnut-crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Figs
The flavors of a good a cheese plate ― salty, sweet, nutty ― mingle in this sandwich. We loved its hazelnut crust, and also enjoyed the sandwich just as much with ripe teleme cheese from California.
Recipe: Hazelnut-crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Figs
Tarragon Vegetable Grilled Cheese on Sourdough
Karen Kadlec uses a slice of regular sharp cheddar and a slice of black pepper cheddar, but the second cheese isn't widely available. If you can find it, by all means try it, but then skip the final sprinkle of black pepper.
Bacon, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Fried Eggs
Esi Impraim's inspiration: chef Thomas Keller's cheesy fried-egg BLT, featured in the 2004 movie Spanglish. Impraim's version is quite different from the original ― and just as delicious.
Recipe: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Bacon, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Fried Eggs
Grilled Eggplant and Brie Sandwiches with Olive Tapenade
Charis Janda had trouble finding a restaurant that made eggplant sandwiches, so she invented this very tasty one. If you don't have time to make the tapenade, just substitute your favorite store-bought kind.
Recipe: Grilled Eggplant and Brie Sandwiches with Olive Tapenade
Tomatillo Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches
The tartness of tomatillos add the same flavor profile of a green apple, which is a natural pairing with cheddar cheese. We added bacon because… well, why not?
Simple, Classic Grilled Cheese
“You can make this recipe with any kind of cheese,” says Peggy Smith of Northern California's Cowgirl Creamery. The key is to use a variety of different-textured cheeses—moist with dry, elastic with hard. The recipe is based on one in Cowgirl Creamery Cooks.
Recipe: Simple, Classic Grilled Cheese
Cheryl’s Grilled Cheese with Asian Pear
This variation on grilled cheese will satisfy lovers of a sweet-and-savory combo.
Nan’s Grilled Mozzarella and Olive Sandwich
This tasty variation on classic grilled cheese will delight any olive fan.
Recipe: Nan’s Grilled Mozzarella and Olive Sandwich
Kate's Grilley
Cowgirl Creamery created this variation on their classic grilled cheese recipe in honor of their British friend Kate Arding, cofounder of the cheese magazine Culture. It features Wagon Wheel, one of the Cowgirls’ most delicious creations—a melty cow’s-milk cheese.
Recipe: Kate’s Grilley
