Grilled cheese is the simplest thing to make, or is it? Even though I have my cooking chops, I must admit that I had to learn through trial and error how to cook grilled cheese to get golden brown and melty cheese. All too often, the bread is burning and the cheese is not melted in the middle.

How to Cook Grilled Cheese, Tips and Fun Flavors

I have two simple secrets to teach you how to cook grilled cheese, but I’m all ears (or eyes) if you write me your secrets.

1. Use mayonnaise instead of butter, unless you have a weird thing about mayo. I can eat it with a spoon, but I know some of you don’t feel the same.
2. Use low heat. This is the hardest thing to do, because I love to turn my gas stove up to high, when the only time you should do that is when you need to boil water.
3. Use the right bread. I prefer tuscan or sour dough. I like how their crusts crisp up.
4. I use a heavy weight on the top, so I don’t put the mayo on the second piece of bread until it’s ready to be turned over.
5. Use a good melty cheese, like gruyere or fontina.
6. Add fig jam or fruity preserves, such as blackberry or peach. You can’t believe how good it tastes.
7. Add something salty to mild cheese, like Spanish olives or pickles.

Use interesting cheeses. I love the way fontina cheese melts. It’s not the most flavorful cheese, so if you’re doing naked cheese sandwich, you might want to try gruyere which is a little sharper and melts well.

I like to add fruit preserves, either spicy or savory to grilled cheese and sometimes I squeeze in proscuitto. Sometime I use Italian bread, tomatoes and mozzarella or pesto and mozzarella.

In this recipe I used preserves and chicken tenders with fontina.

The recipe I’m highlighting here has proscuitto, fontina cheese, sauteéd shallots and blackberry preserves, but you can skip those ingredients, or add in your own favorites.

I have a few amazing tomato soups if you want to go that route.

Tomato Bisque

Let me know how you make your grilled cheese and find all the food I cook and find in my travels in Instagram.

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How to Cook Grilled Cheese with Fun Flavors

How to Cook Grilled Cheese to a perfect golden brown and adding fun flavors, such as blackberry jam or proscuitto.

Course Sandwich

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 16 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon shallots finely chopped (can use red onion)
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 slices sour dough bread
• 4 slices fontina cheese
• 2 slices proscuitto
• 1 tablespoon blackberry jam

Instructions

• Sauté shallots (or red onion) in butter until almost golden. Set aside.
• Spread mayo on one side of bread.
• Place on cast iron pan or non-stick pan on low heat.
• Add blackberries, proscuitto, cheese.
• Top with piece of bread, but don't put mayo on yet.
• Cover with small piece of parchment paper and place heavy object on top.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes on low. Check at 3 minutes to gage how much longer.
• You want golden brown and melted cheese. Once golden, put mayo on top piece of bread and turn over. Cook for about a minute or until underneath is golden brown.

More Grilled Cheese Ideas

Grilled Cheese with Peach Habanero Jelly

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