Unusual Yet Awesome Ways To Spice Up A Grilled Cheese
Reddit user AnotherFrankHere asked: 'What item do you add to a grilled cheese sandwich that makes it awesome?'
There are some childhood meals that never die no matter how much older we get, from grilled cheese sandwiches to chicken tenders.
But there are certainly ways to spice up and elevate those foods, especially with unique additions to the classic grilled cheese sandwich.
Redditor AnotherFrankHere asked:
"What item do you add to a grilled cheese that makes it awesome?"
Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
"Butter the bread and sprinkle with garlic powder, then grill your cheese."
- JimianShimian
"How have I never thought of a garlic bread grilled cheese sandwich before? It was right there in front of me… the whole time!"
- crank1000
Cheese on Cheese
"Crispy parmesan on the outside."
- crepuscularness
"Most hard cheeses would be great. Parmesan, pecorino, grana padano. And something that melts well inside like mozzarella or camembert. A drizzle of good quality olive oil and some herb will elevate it to a godly status."
- RealEstateDuck
Everything But the Bagel
"Everything But the Bagel seasoning. My girlfriend is obsessed with my grilled cheeses because of it."
"Edit: I told her I made this comment and she said, 'Now that you’ve brought it up, can I have one today?' I’ve made her two already today and am sure there will be another one tonight."
- dead_neptune
A Fried Egg
"A fried egg in the middle is so d**n good."
- dropkickmolotov
"I thought I was the only one, but this is so simple but adds so much."
- the_456
The Power of Mustard
"A little mustard."
- wack86
"I used to work in a restaurant that sold Gruyère melts. Gruyère cheese, Colman’s mustard, basil, and tomato slices (just a few). It is soooo good that we’ve been making them for the 27 years since I left that place!"
- Almane2020202
"I can't believe this isn't the first (or perhaps the second because bacon exists). A little bit of mustard is the best addition to either a Grilled Cheese or Mac n' Cheese sauce."
- Philamilapeed
Great Cheese Pairings
"Real thin sliced ham, or maybe some grilled onions."
- mDubbw
Worcestershire Sauce
"Worcestershire Sauce."
- downvote_quota
"It was the best of shires, it was the Worcestershires."
- Fyrrys
"What's this here sauce."
- C4Dave
Oregano Grilled Cheese
"Oregano. And roasted and diced New Mexico green chili when I can get it."
- psgrue
"I was scrolling and figured no one else knew about the oregano grilled cheese."
- StateChemist
Pesto and Tomatoes
"Pesto and tomatoes."
- Street-Candle-4677
"This. Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and green pesto is the best thing ever."
- MyPianoMusic
Green Apples
"Thin sliced apples."
- Objective_Stick8335
"Green apples with gouda and turkey are so good."
- whywedontreport
Kimchi
"Kimchi!"
- GFW101
"I was looking for this comment! Kimchi grilled cheeses are the best thing on the planet."
- Mag1c_Sh0p
Berries with Cheese
"Fig, or any sweet and sour berry works, like raspberry, blueberry, blackberry."
"Brie is a great cheese to pair with jam."
"I'm also partial to an Emmental, Double Gloucester, and Wensleydale."
"Cranberry jam goes great with Wensleydale, especially around winter when it's easy to get Wensleydale with whole cranberries in it. Nice contrast of textures in the toasty."
- Oni_Zokuchou
Jammed Anything
"Please try bacon jam or onion jam! I used to add a homemade caramelized onion and beetroot jam, before I developed allergies to multiple foods, including wheat, dairy, and onions. So good!"
- BellaLeigh43
With Mayo
"Mayo on the outside will give you that perfect golden-brown crispy bread."
- CU_09
"This. This is the way. Elevates a grilled cheese like there is no tomorrow. The actual secret ingredient that’s bomb."
"Edit: I put mayo inside. Butter on the outside. That’s how my grandma used to make them when I was young and it’s how I learned. Still the best-grilled cheeses to this day."
- GinnyViVi
"People downvoting this are probably thinking, 'I don't like mayo,' and can't wrap their head around the fact that the mayo as they know is doesn't survive the process."
"It's oil and egg-white. The oil ends up serving the same function as butter for spreading the heat so the bread doesn't get scorched and the egg whites get cooked into the bread."
"So if you read 'Mayonnaise' above and imagined a sandwich that tastes like Mayonnaise, you've made an error."
- ChairBoy
Tips That Make a Big Difference
"Use garlic butter on the bread, with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese."
"Apply a light smear of pesto to the inside of the sandwich."
"Make a soup that complements the cheese."
"Use a different type of bread (roasted garlic, Jalapeno Cheddar, etc.)."
- Enstivita
While a simple grilled cheese with just cheese, bread, and butter can be totally heartwarming, there are still ways to elevate the sandwich to something totally gourmet and life-changing.
People Share The Best Hacks To Spice Up A Grilled Cheese Sandwich
What's the ultimate comfort food?
In the United States and Canada, grilled cheese will make a lot of people's lists.
With United Kingdom variants referred to as a toastie, toasted cheese or Welsh rarebit, the combination of bread and melted cheese in a portable package is popular in many areas of the world.
But how do people improve on perfection?
Redditor Apprehensive-Wolf999 asked:
"How do you add a little razzle dazzle to a grilled cheese sandwich?"
Anti-Vampire Version
"Butter the bread with garlic butter."
- NotNinjalord5
"Roasted garlic butter!"
"You can take a clove and mash it into butter, then spread it on the bread."
- Meowmers246
GiphyGrating
"Unpopular opinion here, but if you grate the cheese it melts a lot better than if you do slices."
- Parks-G
Patience Is A Virtue
"Just cooking it properly makes all the difference."
"Low and slow."
"Cooking it fast and hard just makes a toasted cheese sandwich."
- Cmonredditalready
"Everyone in college used to hate the cafeteria food. Except me."
"They had grilled cheese down to a science and I have not been able to get a grilled cheese that good anywhere else."
- CasualDNDPlayer
"It's the even heat of a giant grill."
- Cmonredditalready
GiphyIndian Touch
"I put some Indian mango pickle in there."
- crispyfade
A Bit Of Pep
"Black pepper, I'm telling you it just makes a difference. And a damn good one."
- AnaDicoski
"Oh yea! Total gamechanger for me!"
- mibuikus
GiphyMix It Up
"Swap cheeses."
More bite? Sharp cheddar. Spice? Pepper jack. More creamy? Swiss."
"Mix and match to dial in your perfect flavor. Just be careful if you experiment with softer cheeses."
- JanxAngel
Cheesy Crispy Crust
"Add some parmesan cheese to the outside."
"You start by having enough fat (butter, margarine, mayo, whatever your preference is) on the outside of the bread that the parmesan will stick.
"Also, don't blast it with heat; keep the heat low so that the bread and the cheese toast nicely. This also helps with getting the cheese on the inside to melt."
- GrumpyCatStevens
"I melt the cheese in the pan, similar to making a crisp, and drop the bread on it as soon as it starts to melt."
"Depending on the timing, I'll sometimes cook the sandwich most of the way and drop it into the toasting cheese."
- hobbesx
GiphyChange It Up
"Change bread."
"My go to is sourdough, but rye and pumpernickel can give good results, just be sure to balance your cheese choices against the stronger flavors."
"Nothing says both slices have to be the same bread either."
- JanxAngel
Bread or Cheese?
"Multiple fancy cheeses."
- y2k_zeitgeist
"Honestly the bread is more important than the cheese, and if you choose the wrong cheese you get a greasy mess."
"Low moisture cheeses like Gouda work well."
- Due-Cartographer-702
"Cheese is most certainly more important than the bread."
- GarbageTheClown
"I would like to argue that both are equally important."
- beepboopdata
GiphyJust The Right Surface
"Cook it in a cast iron pan."
"Turn the heat on 3. Let it heat up for a few minutes."
"Put a generous pat of real butter in the pan, not on the bread."
"Let it melt then put the sandwich on top of the melted butter."
- JanxAngel
About That Blend
"I'm a big fan of really sharp cheeses, so I like mixing Old Croc aged white cheddar, parmesan, and either Kerrygold white cheddar or Vermont sharp white cheddar."
- Ashley9225
"My go to has been a Cheddar-Gruyere."
- Jallorn
"Not exactly 'fancy', but recently I did 2 slices kraft singles, along with a generous layer of shredded cheddar/mozzarella mix."
"Made a huge difference, and the bit of mozzarella gave the cheese a really satisfying slight chewyness to the cheese."
- ill_Skillz
GiphyEggsellent
"Add a fried egg and mayo the insides of the bread."
- Feeling-Insurance-38
Bread Spreads
"I put mustard on the inside of the bread almost all the time."
"Sometimes I have put some homemade pickled onions—well drained."
"Or some diced up pickles—sometimes dill, sometimes kosher dill, sometimes sweet, or sometimes a mix."
"I have never used premade relish though."
- tanukis_parachute
"Grey Poupon is amazing with grilled cheese... take it from me."
- grilldcheese2
GiphyCrunchy Cheese
"Cheese cracker in the middle."
"Take shredded cheese put it on a non stick pan and burn it until it’s a solid cracker."
"Stick that in the middle of 2 regular cheese slices in the sandwich."
"Yum. Also bacon."
- inigos_left_hand
With A Side Of Dipping Soup
"Sourdough bread and a good dill pickle on the side, or a bowl cream of mushroom soup."
- lilfey333
"Tomato soup for us tomato soup people too! Dip the grilled cheese in it and take a bite."
- NathanClaire
"I thought so too, but then I thought about how mozzarella sticks function and started using a little bowl of Lucini Tuscan Marinara Organic Sauce for dipping instead and it’s an upgrade."
- J_Sto
"Sour dough bread. Lots of butter. White cheddar, orange cheddar, Parmesan, and gruyere.
"Add prosciutto and basil too to really kick it up a notch. Cook each side to a nice medium brown."
- TigerMcNicklaus
GiphyRaisins?
"Make it with Swiss cheese & cinnamon raisin bread."
"Trust the process."
- bakedpotat00
Rarebit?
"Worcestershire sauce."
- batmamiam
"You put a few drops inside, on top of the cheese."
"Prepare to achieve nirvana."
- Bull_Goose_Loony
"Spread a little mustard with that and you almost have Welsh rarebit."
- MuscaMurum
GiphyPizza
"Sometimes I make them pizza grilled cheese."
"Mozzarella with pepperoni sammiched between, with some pizza seasoning on the butter as it cooks."
- whyisreplicainmyname
In A Jam
"Pair the right cheese (nice aged white cheddar) with a cranberry jam."
"Adds some sweet and tart to it. It's incredible."
- canuckwithasig
"A cheeser with some jelly is fucking gooooooood. I lay down a challenge any time the topic comes up in conversation."
"Give me any random combo of bread, cheese, and jam/jelly types and I will make it and eat it and it will taste good."
"The most bizarre combo so far I think was Challah with goat cheese and pepper jelly, and it was waaaaaaay tastier than I thought it was gonna be."
- M_TobogganPHD
"We have a wild berry here kind of like a cranberry. We call them partridge berries.
"They make a great semi-sweet and tart jam that works great with an old white cheddar on some nice home made bread."
- canuckwithasig
GiphyIf You Know, You Know
"Commodity cheese will always be the secret to the best grilled cheese ever."
- LakotaGrl
GiphyIt seems there are a lot of unique takes on the classic.
Do you have a favorite that didn't make the list?
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