Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to focus a little more on what this site is about–cooking that everyone can do and won’t break the bank. With all the rich food we’ve had over the last several days, we had a pretty simple lunch the other day that consisted of simply grilled cheese and hot soup. What better to warm you up on a cold day?
Grilled cheese is an ultimate frugal food, second only to Ramen in its frugality and simplicity. Still, most people don’t know how to make a satisfactory grilled cheese sandwich.
Here are your basic ingredients:
- Butter or vegetable oil spread (i.e. Shedd’s Spread Country Crock)
- White bread
- Melty cheese (American is good; for more gourmet, you could also use thinly sliced gouda, butterkaese, or similar high-moisture cheese).
Once you have the basic ingredients, it’s more about technique than recipe. A common mistake is the overheat the pan. I’ve said before, most people turn the heat up way too high. For most things you’ll cook on the stove, you’ll really only want medium heat or less. the same is true of grilled cheese–use medium-low to medium heat.
Let the pan get hot. Meanwhile, butter one side of each of slice of bread. Once the bread has been buttered, place one slice butter side down in the pan. Top that slice with one and a half slices of American cheese (or the equivalent in other cheese). Top that with the other slice of bread, butter side up.
Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until the side is golden brown. Try to turn the sandwich only once during cooking. When you’re done, you’ll have a perfectly cooked grilled cheese sandwich!
Enjoy!
