 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. With just a couple days left, we're milking National Grilled Cheese Month for all it's worth - and for gouda reason. Bread, butter (or mayonnaise, depending on how you roll) and cheese - that's all a guy or gal really needs to turn a humdrum old loaf into a modern-day, ooey-gooey Mona Cheesa. Here to help us fully behold the power of (grilled) cheese is Spencer Rubin. Rubin is the managing partner of Melt Shop in New York City where it's all grilled cheese, all the time - with a few milkshakes and bowls of tomato soup thrown in here and there. Five Tips for a Not-So Traditional Grilled Cheese: Spencer Rubin Get creative and try adding pickles or caramelized onions, the result can be something like Melt Shop’s buttermilk fried chicken grilled cheese with jalapeño jack cheese, red cabbage slaw on Orwasher’s country white bread." 2. One piece of bread is enough 3. Add sauce 4. Quality cheese matters Some of my favorite cheeses to use are blue cheese and aged cheddar. Try a three-cheese melt with Gruyère, Fontina and goat cheese with roasted tomatoes on sourdough." 5. The crust is the best part! Get creative with the breads and cheeses you use too! They’re also great for dunking in homemade tomato soup or our special 'Melt Sauce.'" Previously - "Grilled cheese tips from a sandwich master" and "Grilled cheese and...grape jelly?" Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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Hello, Neat post. There's a problem along with your website in internet explorer, might test this? IE nonetheless is the market chief and a good part of folks will leave out your wonderful writing because of this problem.
Heck of a job there, it absloteluy helps me out.
why, oh why, would you want to squeeze an animal in a very private place just to satisfy some primal need like eating cheese? i get the same feeling from eating a grilled tofu or nut-butter sandwich.
save the animals!
PERIOD!
comma, dirt bag! (exclamation point)
Grilled cheese sandwiches are two slices of bread, grilled, with melted cheese in between. Period.
Adding anything else makes it a toasted (whatever ingredients you put in it) sandwich, with melted cheese. It is NOT a grilled cheese sandwich!
And the "Almighty Natch" has spoken.
"period" ends a sentence or sometimes a physical act. You are on a blog leaving a comment just like everyone else. Do you actually expect to end the discussion just because you posted that word? Get a grip.
WINNER!
LOSER! Anal loser!
WTF???????? This started with grilled cheese sandwiches, and ends up with someone talking about cutting the tips off penises as a covenant?
You ALL need to get a life!!! Go Outside. Volunteer. Go play with your kids. What a bunch of total losers.
Richard, it's all uneducated, non-religious Americans' doing. They never give you a break.
Cooking is art. The world is filled with art because ingredients and the God-given talents in humans are truly wonderful. Never despair. Trust in God(Jesus) and live. There are far better things in the Bible than any art in existence.
Yeah, like when god tell men they should cut the tips of their penis off as a covenant. And about how that prankster told some goat herder to kill his sun and at the lst minute he comes out and says you've been punked. Whooot, what a hoot. But let us ignore how god coveted another man's wife and broke one of his own 10 commandments.
He's just a jealous god....
You're obviously an ignorant fool, who cherry picks stories you THINK you heard/read from the Bible, skews and twists them up in your diseased mind, then re-tells them incorrectly, to prove your non-existent point.
Seek professional mental help, please.....before it's too late!!
@M-c-o-h-h, don't talk about your own religion. It doesn't make any sense.
Grilled cheese with green chile! Mmmmm!!!!
Umm, Chile is a country and chili is a food.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile_pepper
When does grilled cheese sandwich morph into a pizza? When you add make one open faced with pizza toppings like Kalamata olives. feta cheese (bleh) artichoke hearts and a sauce on it. The only thing missing is the Gyro meat.
Stick two slices of buttered sourdough bread with any cheese inside into a waffle maker and press and crisp!
Have you guys seen America's Next Great Restaurant on NBC? It's Bobby Flay's show on Sunday nights where they pick the best fast food concept. Anyway, one of the finalists was a guy whose concept was a grilled cheese restaurant. But he got eliminated a few weeks ago. And the weird thing is that the show made it seem like there were NO restaurants like this any where in the country.
Yeah there are quiet a few that have been around for a while.
Grilled cheese sandwich = bread, cheese, and butter on the grilling side. Any other additions disqualifies your sandwich as a grilled cheese sandwich. I'm sure what you're talking about might be tasty, but it's not a grilled cheese sandwich.
I kind of agree. I think after a while you just have a panini. However, I think there has to be some jiggle room in the grilled cheese realm. I do not think grilled cheese should be legalistic. It is kind of like pizza. When you start putting barbecue sauce on it instead of marinara etcetera when does a pizza stop becoming a pizza? These are deep culinary questions.... Maybe Anthony Bourdain has the answer... Or maybe if Chef Boyardee had a love child with Plato we could begin to find answers to the lingering questions of grilled cheese determinism versus gastronomy compatibilism.
OK, I'll bite. What box?
Damn! April is almost over and I didn't know it was National Grilled Cheese Month! I'd better get eatin'.
Miche bread, muenster cheese, bacon and real butter. MMMM
Can you spotlight the chef of delicious French-founded Wheatfield's in Lawrence, KS? I'd love to know how those Puy lentils taste SO GOOD! Thanks!
And I love grilled cheese- cheddar, tomato with sweet butter or brie and rosmary-cured pancetta with sweet butter. oh...time to make dinner #2!
@operamom do u think all the readers on here are stupid? obviously, YOU are "the chef of delicious French-founded Wheatfield's in Lawrence, KS." Moron.
no way, man! I live in NYC but I went to school there. Should've worked there to get the recipes. Genuine inquiry.
Lots of butter is the key, whether it's a straight grilled cheese or a melt with your choice of sandwich ingrediants (as the article suggests). Before the bread–your choice–is toasting in the pan it should be slavered with butter on both sides and a nice pat of butter bubbling in the pan as you toast it. Put a lid on the pan to melt the cheese as the bread turns a buttery brown, crisp yet moist and rich. Yummy.
This blog (or rather the comments, the blog itself is always vapid and inane) is almost as good as The Onion AV Cub. Whenever I want to laugh at vitriol, ire, and elitist inside jabs – all written with healthy sarcasm and wit, of course – I just drop in to 5@5: CNN's very own uber-hipster corner cafe. You commenters are the best! But, how come you haven't been boiling the author in acid? That's kind of a tradition too, right?
Yeah – but it's Grilled CHEESE!
Just finished a microwave sweet-n-sour chicken meal. For dessert, I'm eating my heart out.
Why do I torture myself like this?
A great breakfast treat is a plain ol' grilled cheese and then spread your favorite jam on top with a great cup of coffee (not that Starbucks battery acid crap).
I like sourdough bread, thin apple slices, and a good cheddar cheese, Mmmmmmmmm!
Fried kimchee, cheddar cheese, and sriracha between 9-grain bread and real butter
You just broke my brain with awesomeness.
I'd love to try a fancy grilled cheese sometime, but it's tough to beat a classic.
I was just thinking about what I might want for dinner; problem solved. Sourdough bread, butter, aged cheddar, and a hot frying pan. Keep it simple.
Set a place for me – I'm there!
All you liberal trash and your commie grilled cheese. You're destroying America with your elitist sandwiches and your Kenyan president!
Are you a brick shy of a load?
.... a few peas short of a casserole
.... a sandwich short of a picnic
.... a few crayons short of a full box
... a few marshmallows are missing from his cereal box
Hey guys, we have a Birther here. Talk about ignorant trash . . . they & their kin the Tea Party will be the death of the Republican Party. I know for a fact Governor and President Ronald Reagan loved grilled cheese. And yes, I voted for him. But that doesn't make me a tea bagger or a bigot.
Elitist? Grilled cheese? Seriously? How do you find elitism or liberal commies in bread, butter and cheese? Sheesh!
If it ain't meat & taters, it ain't American, right Birther?
Most outrageous thing I've heard all day. How do you bring politics into grilled cheese?
I love how the cheese snobs act like we don't know that if all we eat is processed stuff we'll have problems. Just because we like Velveeta, (by the way we like Gouda, Brie, and Havarti too) doesn't mean we're stupid. I bet they all have Mercedes and iPhone's too. Excuse me, do you have any Grey Poupon?
Bill, based on your comment you DO sound sort of stupid.
Why? Because I'm defending people who think it's OK to have a guilty pleasure once in a while? Sorry if you have an iPhone or a Mercedes or both! I guess people who don't are stupid. The stereotype IS true!
yeah Bill is stupid AND annoying. hahahaha
Crusty San Francisco French bread (sourdough to you non-natives) sliced thin with aged white New York cheddar grilled in butter on a cast iron griddle.
Scali bread, buttered on the outside, with two layers of American cheese in between. The ultimate comfort food. Anything else is not grilled cheese. Should be washed down with copious amounts of beer, or Coke for the kids.
If you add an ingredient other than cheese, butter(spread, condiment etc.) and bread then it is no longer a grilled cheese. It's a "whatever" sandwich with cheese.
No....it's a melt.
Brie on sourdough, grilled with lots of butter. Simple and perfect.
Starving hunting party grilled cheese, 4 sticks of string cheese, can of smoked oysters, and 2 slices of spam, wrapped in foil and tossed in fire to brown, heavenly.
Especially followed with a nice cold beer.
This has boomed as a big business theme for restaraunts. There are a few places where I live that strictly do the grilled cheese thing too. It is a great idea, because whats not to love, its such a comfort food. I'm surprised it took so long, especially in certain parts of the country that specialize in cheese.. like Wisconsin, Cali and Oregon.
I love how sharp cheddar tastes when melted over a thick slice of tomato for a simply awesome grilled cheese. Yum, soo hungry!
Try this: grilled cheese with apple slices. It's the greatest, I kid you not.
@Kevin
And Velveeta is an abomination of the concept of cheese. You should call that a grilled cheese flavored food product sandwich. American cheese is acceptable, but a real grilled cheese sandwich is made with real aged cheddar.
There is always cheese whiz from the can if you are out of velveeta
Actually Velveta is "Processed Chsses Food"
Totally had this business idea. I make these kinds of sandwiches for everyone at work. Everyone loves them!
In Chatsworth and surrounding parts, grilled cheese sandwich is now as Le Grilled Cheese, because of the metric system.
Do you put mayonnaise on your french fries?
Heck yeah! It's a very underutilized fry condiment.
No, but I've used mustard. If you get real fresh and hot fries and sprinkle them with mustard they are way better than ketchup OR catsup. I own a restaurant and one of the most popular snack orders is fries or tater tots with chili and cheese with just a light sprinkle of mustard on the hot fries first followed by chili and topped with cheese. Even better is to top that off with a handful of jalapenos.
One of your favorite cook books? You must be a lousy cook then.
HOT MUSTARD!!!!
I make my grilled cheese with Roquefort, between two slices of Poilane Miche, flown in from Paris.
I garnish it with sliced black truffle, and drink a glass of champagne.
I make my grilled cheese with fresh sourdough, fresh homemade pesto sauce, and some fresh mozzarella. Then I cook it up using my stovetop grill pan.
Ok .... now I'm drooling. Thanks for the tip and the positive post.
I have a cook book titled "Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt". It even has "desert " grilled cheese sandwhich recipes. It's one of my favorite cook books and a great source of comfort food ideas. I highly recommend it to any grilled cheese sandwhich lovers out there.
One of your favorite cook books? You must be a lousy cook then..
snob
Bill and Tuffers are the same person! lmfao
I have that one too - just looking at the cover is enough to get me drooling, LOL
Listen people! Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Velveeta cheese. 2 slices of white bread. Cast iron frying pan. Butter. Anything other than that is an abomination of a grilled cheese sandwich. Head cheese. Gouda cheese. Open faced chicken/cheese/bacon whatchamacallit. OH! THE HUMANITY!
AMEN
Yes, processed crap melted on processed crap. Gee, yummy.
Just because something's "processed" doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. In fact, most of the best-tasting foods I've had have been "processed." Of course, I put that in quotes because technically just about anything other than fresh fruits and vegetables is processed to some degree. Even raw meat has to be cut first since humans aren't built to tear meat with our teeth. In my opinion, the more processed something is, the better it tastes! Pizza, hamburgers, and chili cheese corn dogs rock!!
trixen, u sound nice so I won't make fun of you any more. But you're going to end up being a walking heart attack if you keep eating all that crap. ;)
Amen again!! Why make it complicated?? haha
C'mon – head cheese isn't cheese. It's pork face & jelly. Super but it is a whole food group in itself.
Processed cheese is not real cheese. Yuk!
TWO slices of bread? So thats what Ive been doing wrong, I was using 3 slices.
Don't be a cheese snob
This is a complete rip-off of MELT in the greater Cleveland area....
How do you know the Cleveland one isn't the one doing the ripping off?
Melt in Cleveland has been open for 3 years and The Melt Shop in NYC has been open for 3 months (according to their website)
The Cleveland Melt is a fantastic place and has been featured on Man vs Food and Diner's, Drive-in's & Dives. I think their plan is to eventually branch into other cities because they've done so well.
Because Melt in Cleveland has been around longer.... This one just opened
Do you actually think the NY one even knew the Cleveland one existed? Nope. I guess every fast food burger joint ripped off McDonald's.
People who say that cheese isn't real and it's disgusting are either lactose intolerant or they have never had real cheese. Who the hell wants a hamburger when you could have and thick slice of deep fried provolone thrown in there so you can have a real cheeseburger!?!?
Me.
Not me.
Velveeta on Wonder Bread with lots of butter is the best version of this classic.
Velveeta?! Yuck. That's not real cheese. ;)
And Wonder Bread is useless junk food. Yuck again.
Velveeta is "pasteurized process cheese food." In other words, that is what you feed TO your cheese...
Lots of food snobs on this board.
tuffers you're an idiot. u think cause someone doesn't like a food that it makes them a snob? is there any inexpensive food that you don't like tuffers? if you say no, you're a liar. if you say yes, then you're calling yourself a snob.
It is a real shame but once way way back may may moons ago velveeta used to taste good but lately it does not melt the same as it used to so I have to agree it must be made in China now as it really taste like plastic. It is awful how companies have to change to save money for their selfs. But not good thing for us. SO say no to Velveeta!
You know why they call it Wonder Bread? Because people wonder why they call it bread...
The creation of wonder bread was an accident. Originally the company was trying to come up with a cheap fish bait and made a loaf of bread instead. People today still use it for fishing and rarely use it as bread – except when there is nothing else in the house that will do.
I once had the best red wine and grilled cheese sandwich while dining in Spain.
Good for you, Patrick.
Why thank you kind sir. I also had a fantastic pimento cheese sandwich as well.
I have a panini press that I also grill things on, the reverse side is a griddler. I use it several times a week; grilled veggies, pancake once in a while, egg-white omelette.. but my favorite is a panini:
Tomato/fresh mozzarella/balsamic vinegar/basil (Caprese panini) on 14 Grain Bread
Nutella with mashed bananas on 14 Grain Bread
Brie with Dalmatia Fig spread on 14 Grain Bread
Huh, and the guy with the company "MeltWorks" on "America's Next Great Restaurant" was told his idea was not original enough. Well McDonalds is not original, neither is KFC or Pizza Hut. I don't think one needs to be original and even if "you can make that at home", if your version tastes better, people will buy it.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am going home to make some kind of a panini.
If you add too many things, you don't have a grilled cheese sandwich, you have a melt. They are not the same thing (think tuna melt, patty melt...).
My favorite GRILLED CHEESE is extra-sharp, aged cheddar on wheat berry bread with thin slices of tart apple and sweet–hot honey mustard. Grill it with plenty of sweet butter.
Cheese, eat it and die!
At least I'll die happy...
Life, live it and die.
I am going to live by that.. but wait... then I'd die...
What was that movie where the Kookie girl made a grilled cheese sandwhich on her ironing board and used her iron to toast it??????
Benny and Joon!
Benny and Joon
Benny and Joon. Johnny's Depp's character makes them first, and later teaches Joon (Mary Stuart masterson) to make them as well.
Gross! Cheese is disgusting – not even food, really.
Nope – gimme a good chunka' meat! No sauce, no veggies, no crap. Just greasy, warm, saliva-inducing meat!
I hate fake foods too
Fake food is stuff like tofu, not cheese.
This is ridiculous. Tofu is real food, cheese is real food- it's how it's made and where it's from that matters. I'd rather have cultured soy and raw milk cheese than an over processed hot dog.
The third circle of Hell is reserved for those who hate grilled cheese
You very obviously have never had real cheese...aged cheddar or gruyere...aged provolone...I can't name them all...but certainly they all are absolutely splendid cheeses. When I'm in Europe, I usually make a meal out of a local sharp cheese, fresh fruit, good wine and a crusty bread followed by some delicious dessert...yummy...
YES!
Bleh. When I eat meat I like to taste the meat not the fat.
Man.... there is absolutely no better lunch in the WORLD than a cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwhich with cheddar, swiss, bacon, home grown tomatoes, fresh basil and purple onions. YUMMMMMMM
perfect meal. all you need to do is add mustard to the grilled cheese. don't knock it unless you've tried it!
You're absolutely right. You might even try wasabi. I'm not kidding. :-)
Rock on, or instead of tomatoes hamburger dill slices
My all-time favorite grilled cheese (I use my electric griddle to make everything on): slice of 9 grain bread, shredded Gruyere cheese, grilled/fried ham, and top with two eggs (i prefer fried or poached, but scrambled works as well). Add a little honey Dijon mustard, sprinkle with parsley (or other favorite herb) and eat open face.
The other day I threw a fried egg on my grilled ham and cheese. It just sounded good. going to try your version. Thanks!!
My favorite grilled cheese is cheddar and miracle whip. And buttered with real butter. I don't have it to often, but when I do it is yummy. And also sliced tomatoes on the side.
You fail. Miracle Whip is vile.
AGREED!!! EW.
Only food snobs think miracle whip is vile.
@Pragmaclast You're an even bigger moron.
I agree ...Miracle whip is just not good...it has a sweet pasty taste that is just not what's needed on a grilled cheese sandwich or anywhere else for that matter. Real mayo or even light mayo or butter are perfect.
@Tuffers........ hate to break it to you but LOTS of people think Miracle Whip is vile. It doesn't make them a snob. It's just that they can't stand the taste of it. Apparently, Tuffers, the snob is YOU. You proved it by your comment.
Yes. VERY vile. From a food snob... : )
I agree Miracle Whip is nasty tasting. And no, I'm not a food snob. I'll try just about anything but I only buy real mayo. Miracle Whip tastes like watered down mayo.
To all of the Miricle Whip haters – I like it because it's what I grew up with, store bought mayo is blah. Homemade mayo where I can actually add enough lemon & vinegar to get some flavour is a different story.
Miracle Whip is alright in a pince but you gotta try olive oil mayo with black pepper on you tamaters. Really good.
Once ate a grilled cheese that tasted like a ringo
What's a ringo?
it's the drummer for the beatles...
Good crusty bread, aged cheddar, very thinly sliced onion, thick sliced tomato, roasted poblano pepper. Yum!
mmmmmmm
Sourdough Bread, Cheddar, Ham or Turkey, Honey Dijon Mustard and sliced tomatoes.
One word sums all of this up.
Duh?
U mad liberal?
You really have no better use for your time?
In Decatur, Illinois and close surrounding area, the Grilled Cheese Sandwich is referred to as a Cheese Toasty.
No one cares.
I do.
@kasdkf You're a moron.
"no one cares" ... about your reply to Matt's post? Yes. You are correct.
to be honest, as soon as i got done reading matt's post i said the same thing as kasdkf. it's like uh ok, but who cares. lmao
Not to be mean to mattwiley but i don't get the point of him putting that comment. like why would anyone care about a term used in Decatur IL and surrounding area???
"I care"
Luke Skywalker
Seriously? All of the useless information on the internet, and you go after this guy? I will hold a "Toasty Day," in mattwileyart's honor just to spite you.
At the L.A. 2nd 8th Annual "Grilled Cheese Invitational," Brian and Crystal Beechers "The Return of the Mivens" took home Best in Show out of over 200 entries. This is the 2nd time they've won Best in Show. Their sandwich is "Dessert themed" and YUMMY!!!! They put in their favorite things... including donuts, Easter Candy and even cereal!
Go to Facebook and Seacrh "Cake and Mivens" to see.
I do! I love regional, colloquial names. Nerd on, Matt!
mattwileyart is weird. And amy is his wife.
Hey, I'm from Decatur, IL and remember cheese toasties. Left there in '91 to move to NV and now it's grilled cheese. lol
I care as well. Thank you for the wonderful contribution to the comments OP
Yes, it was just sooo wonderful. Gag me!
Is that different than what is referred to up there as a "sammich?" Or is a Cheese Toasty in a sub-category of the sammich?
sammich is any sammich...any critter, cheese or veggies in between bread. But a cheese toasty, aka toasted cheese (how original they are in this part of the world) is in a class allllll it's own. Served with tomato soup with bread and butter pickles...ahh. hunker down, lift eyes heavenward, offer gratitude for such simple pleasures and enjoy! :)
I used to live in central IL and never heard that before!
lol thats cause he totally made it up :P
I grew up in Central IL (near Decatur) and we always called it a cheese toasty. In fact, I was just discussing this with friends the other day. They also had never heard of horseshoe sandwiches.
Hey – I love grilled cheese. Our family fav was with bacon...but that one in the pic looks awesome. It's a simple, affordable food and a little inspiration is appreciated! (So there!)
Thanks Matt, I enjoyed learning that. Sorry for all the simple minded haters.
Bill's Toasty Shop in Taylorville, IL has a great Cheese Toasty
Fond memories of the grease pit that is Bill's – used to go there in high school for the friend cheddar cheese balls.
Oops, friend not friend.
oops, friend not friend!!!! HAHAHAHHAA!!!!!!! First time I actually, really laughed out loud reading online comments in a long time. To fix a mistake with the same mistake is unheard of!!
At the L.A. 2nd 8th Annual "Grilled Cheese Invitational," Brian and Crystal Beechers "The Return of the Mivens" took home Best in Show out of over 200 entries. This is the 2nd time they've won Best in Show. Their sandwich is "Dessert themed" and YUMMY!!!! They put in their favorite things... including donuts, Easter Candy and even cereal!
Go to Facebook and Seacrh "Cak and Mivens" to see.