How to: Grilled Cheese

In queso you didn’t know, it’s easy bein’ cheezy when it’s National Grilled Cheese Month! (Promise to keep the cheese puns to a minimum so you can absorb the important stuff ?)

Though grilled cheese may normally seem like a simple dish when you try it at home, there is in fact, proper grilled cheese technique! So in the spirit of the “holiday,” we asked Chef Ryan of Searsucker Del Mar to show us how to make the G(GC)OAT. Here are his pointers for getting it just right, every time.

Grilled Cheese-in’ 101:

Step 1:

Butter ONE side of EACH piece of your sammy bread. This ensures that the outside gets nice and crispy, but the inside stays (cover your ears) *moist*. Use softened butter, otherwise you’ll destroy your bread. A butter knife is perfectly acceptable, but Chef likes to use an offset spatula for the perfect schmear!

Step 2:

Gone are the days of single rubber slices individually wrapped in plastic ? Shredded cheese is KEY for even melting! Chef likes to grate fresh (he uses a mix of a few to get a range of salty, nutty, sharp), but he won’t judge you for picking up the pre-shredded baggy in your cheese aisle.

Step 3:

Actually, kind of like an anti-step. DO NOT BUTTER PAN! We repeat, DO NOT BUTTER PAN! The outsides of your bread have been buttered already, remember? Too much butter and you’ll wind up with a soggy sammy. Keep the heat on low-to-medium. Low & slow wins the grilled cheese sammy race, every time.

Step 4:

Wait 3 minutes, then take a peek at the face-down side of your sammy. Is it golden-brown perfection? We had a feeling it might be! Depending on your pan, you may need to wait another minute or so to get there. But it’ll get there! When it’s there, we flip! A one-motion flip-a-roo is cool, but so is the non-dominant-hand assist, a la Chef Ryan:

Step 5:

Another 3 minutes on the other side. *We know,* but you’re almost there! Stick with it!

Step 6:

Remove from pan. Admire golden beauty and unique craftsmanship.

Step 7:

Okay, here is where Chef Ryan gets awkwardly serious. Say it with us now: “Always. Cut. Diagonally.”

Step 8:

Wait another 3 minutes….JK! JK! Dig in and enjoy!