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Perfect Grilled Cheese

September 19, 2024

Melted cheese between two pieces of toasted golden bread. We’ve fine-tuned a classic and the result is the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

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golden grilled cheese sandwiches on a silver baking sheet sliced at diagonal with melted cheese pull

You Know You Want It

Watching someone eat a grilled cheese is like watching someone yawn: it’s completely and totally contagious. The pan heats up and you can just smell the creamy mayo and butter beginning to ooze through the gently toasting bread. A knife crunches through the perfectly crusty, toasty sandwich and melted cheese spills out the sides as the first bite is taken. And that’s it—you’re a goner.

The Best Grilled Cheese Recipe EVER.

We all love a good grilled cheese sandwich, right? But, have you ever made an epic grilled cheese on the stove at home? You know, the kind with a cheese pull for miles and crispy, perfectly golden brown edges of buttery brilliance. Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you burn it, or it comes out a little dry, or the cheese isn’t fully melted. Well, we’re here to teach you how to make the best grilled cheese ever—no more disappointments! Just melted cheese sandwich perfection, for the rest of your grilled cheese-filled days.

ingredients for perfect grilled cheese sandwich, shredded cheddar, butter, mayonnaise, thick white bread

How To Make Grilled Cheese

Anyone can make an OK grilled cheese. But we want you to know how to make the BEST grilled cheese sandwich. As ever, it’s all about technique. Our grilled cheese recipe relies on a few key things:

  • Low heat. You can’t rush a great grilled cheese. Low heat allows the bread to toast slowly (i.e. not burn) while the cheese melts.
  • Butter AND mayo. Yes, we’re saying you need to make your grilled cheese with mayo! This is not the moment to skimp, friends! Any way you slice it—we’re diagonal people, ourselves—grilled cheese is an indulgence. Just go ahead and go big! Make it perfect and enjoy.
  • Shredded cheese. Shredded cheese will melt more quickly and evenly than sliced, so it’s perfect for making a grilled cheese sandwich.
  • White bread. Classic, simple, and a great toaster. It’s also really good at soaking up all of that melty butter and creamy mayo.
skillet with grilled cheese being cooked shredded cheddar cheese
skillet with grilled cheese being cooked
skillet with grilled cheese being cooked mayonnaise and butter spread
skillet with grilled cheese being cooked

And the Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese is…

We’re partial to regular old cheddar cheese—sharp or medium, depending on your preference— but a great grilled cheese sandwich can be made out of lots of different cheeses, and our grilled cheese recipe will work with almost any cheese you favor. Here are a few great melters to try:

  • Monterey Jack. This mild, creamy white cheese is an even better melter than cheddar, and is extra lovely mixed with a little sharp cheddar.
  • Gruyère. Nutty and delightfully salty, Gruyère is an Alpine-style cheese that is widely available in the U.S. and makes for a richly flavorful grilled cheese.
  • Raclette. Another gorgeous Alpine-style cheese that is quite literally made for melting. This washed-rind cheese is funkier than Gruyère and will definitely take your grilled cheese into grown-up territory.
  • Blue / Chevré. Tangy chevré or sharp blue cheeses can be delicious additions to a grilled cheese, but we like to use them sparingly and coupled with mild, melty cheeses like Jack or cheddar.
hands pulling apart two halves of grilled cheese showing melted cheese

And the Best Bread for Grilled Cheese is…

White bread! Thick-sliced, if you can find it. Regular, squishy, tender white bread will crisp up beautifully in the skillet and make a toasty, nicely neutral vehicle for all that cheese.

golden grilled cheese sandwiches on a silver baking sheet sliced at diagonal with melted cheese pull

Tools You’ll Need to Make The Perfect Grilled Cheese:

Variations On The Classic Grilled Cheese:

Once you’ve got the basics down, why not play around a little? These recipes will take your grilled cheese game to the next level.

pink speckled plate with two grilled cheese halves showing melted cheese

Grilled Cheese Perfection, Right?

We hope you love our grilled cheese recipe and we want to know how it turned out! Snap a pic, post it to Instagram, and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can revel in the beauty of that melted cheese gloriousness right along with you. Happy eating!

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Perfect Grilled Cheese

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  20 min
  • Calories:  616

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 8 slices thick white bread
  • 10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2½ cups)

Method

  1. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and butter.

    Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich 2
  2. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on one side of each piece of the bread.

    Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich 3
  3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over low heat. Add 4 pieces of the bread buttered side down. Top each piece of bread with ⅔ cup of the shredded cheese. Top each sandwich with a second piece of bread, mayonnaise side facing up.

    skillet with grilled cheese being cooked shredded cheddar cheese
  4. Cook, watching closely, until golden brown on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until the cheese is melted and both sides are golden brown, about 6 more minutes.

    skillet with grilled cheese being cooked
  5. Transfer the sandwiches to plates, cut in half and serve warm.

    Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich 11

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 616
  • Protein 21 g
  • Carbohydrates 40 g
  • Total Fat 41 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 80 mg
  • sodium 402 mg
  • Total Sugars 0 g

Perfect Grilled Cheese

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • joe

    Can we use whole wheat bread

    Of course! Hope you enjoy!

  • Theresa

    Do you taste the mayo? I will be making them for people who hate mayo.

    No you don't.

  • Zoë

    Can you divied the recipe into fourths so that it only serves one?

    Sure!

  • khaled

    Awesome

    Thanks Khaled, we are so happy you loved it!

  • jenn

    I would never think to put mayo on a grilled cheese but I trust you guys so I tried it and I'm so glad I did. My husband and I loved these, so creamy!

    Glad you tried it, we love these!