Grilled cheese

Last updated
Grilled cheese
Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich (25791331763) (cropped).jpg
Cross section of a grilled cheese
Place of originMultiple origins
Main ingredients Cheese, bread
Ingredients generally used Butter, margarine, mayonnaise
Variations Cheese dream
Other informationTraditionally served with tomato soup

A grilled cheese, sometimes known as a toasted sandwich, cheese toastie (UK), or jaffle (AU-en), is a hot cheese sandwich typically prepared by heating slices of cheese between slices of bread with a cooking fat such as butter or mayonnaise on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread browns and the cheese melts.

Contents

History

The 1861 English recipe book Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management includes a recipe for placing sandwiches of brown bread and butter with 12-inch (13 mm) slices of "a nice fat Cheshire or any good rich cheese" into an oven, and serving when the bread becomes toasted. [1]

The cheese dream, an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich, became popular in the U.S. during the Great Depression. [2] U.S. government cookbooks describe Navy cooks broiling "American cheese filling sandwiches" during World War II. [3]

Preparation

A grilled cheese made with American cheese served with a bowl of tomato soup Grilled cheese with soup.jpg
A grilled cheese made with American cheese served with a bowl of tomato soup
A gourmet grilled cheese made with sharp cheddar cheese, walnut bread and butter Grilledcheese.jpg
A gourmet grilled cheese made with sharp cheddar cheese, walnut bread and butter

A grilled cheese sandwich is made by placing a cheese filling, often cheddar or American cheese, between two slices of bread, which is then heated until the bread browns and the cheese melts. A layer of butter or mayonnaise is usually added to the outside of the bread for additional flavor and texture. Alternatives may include additional ingredients such as meat, peppers, tomatoes, or onions. [4]

A grilled cheese may also be made in a sandwich toaster, particularly in the United Kingdom where the dish is normally called a toasted cheese sandwich or cheese toastie. [5]

Retail

Some restaurants, food carts, and food trucks in the United States specialize in the grilled cheese sandwich. The Grilled Cheese Grill restaurants were a combination of reclaimed vehicle and food cart restaurants that focused on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in Portland, Oregon. [6] The Grilled Cheese Truck is an American food truck company serving gourmet "chef driven" grilled cheese sandwiches. [7]

Microwavable frozen toasted sandwiches are available in supermarkets in a variety of locations. One example is the McCain Micro Toastie, which was launched in supermarkets in the UK in 2002. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte Cristo sandwich</span> Fried ham and cheese sandwich

A Monte Cristo sandwich is an egg-dipped ham and cheese sandwich that is pan or deep fried. It is a variation of the French croque monsieur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croque monsieur</span> French hot sandwich with ham and cheese

A croque monsieur is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese. The word "croque" comes from the French for "to bite".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A club sandwich or clubhouse sandwich, is a sandwich consisting of bread, sliced cooked poultry, fried bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. It is often cut into quarters or halves and held together by cocktail sticks. Modern versions frequently have two layers which are separated by an additional slice of bread. Sometimes it is sliced diagonally and is called a wedge or wedgie, a term also used for a type of submarine sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open sandwich</span> Single slice of bread with food items on top

An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a typical closed sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melt sandwich</span> Type of hot sandwich containing cheese

A melt sandwich is a type of hot sandwich containing a suitable meltable cheese and a filling of meat or fish. The sandwich is grilled on the stovetop until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted, or heated in an oven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toast Hawaii</span> Open sandwich

Toast Hawaii is an open sandwich consisting of a slice of toast with ham and cheese, and a maraschino cherry in the middle of a pineapple slice, baked so that the cheese starts to melt. It was made popular by the West German TV cook Clemens Wilmenrod in the 1950s. It is likely that it was adapted from the "Grilled Spamwich" found in a 1939 Spam cookbook and brought to West Germany by American G.I.s. Spam was not available in Germany's grocery stores so Wilmenrod replaced it with a slice of cooked ham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pie iron</span> Appliance

A pie iron, also called pudgy pie iron, sandwich toaster, snackwicher, toastie maker, sandwich maker, is a cooking appliance that consists of two hinged concave, round or square, cast iron or aluminium plates on long handles. Its "clamshell" design resembles that of a waffle iron, but without the checkered pattern. Pie irons are used to heat, toast and seal the sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas toast</span> Garlic bread made from thick-sliced sandwich bread

Texas toast is a toasted bread that is typically made from sliced bread that has been sliced at double the usual thickness of packaged bread. Texas toast is prepared by spreading butter on both sides of the bread and broiling or grilling it until it is a light golden brown. Commonly, garlic is added to the butter, yielding a form of garlic bread. The toast may include cheese on one or both sides, similar to an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese sandwich</span> Sandwich with cheese as the main ingredient

A cheese sandwich is a sandwich made with cheese between slices of bread. Typically, semi-hard cheeses are used for the filling, such as Cheddar, Red Leicester, or Double Gloucester. A Guardian article described the cheese sandwich as a "British lunchtime staple." Using a pie iron or frying pan can transform the cheese sandwich into a cheese toastie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg sandwich</span> Sandwich with some kind of egg filling

An egg sandwich is a sandwich with some kind of cooked egg filling. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelette, sliced boiled eggs and egg salad are popular options. In the last case, it may be called an egg salad sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuna fish sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A tuna fish sandwich, known outside the United States as a tuna salad sandwich or a tuna sandwich, is a sandwich made from canned tuna—usually made into a tuna salad by adding mayonnaise, and sometimes other ingredients such as celery or onion—as well as other common fruits and vegetables used to flavour sandwiches. It is commonly served on sliced bread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ham sandwich</span> Common type of sandwich

The ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. The bread may be fresh or toasted, and it can be made with a variety of toppings including cheese and vegetables like lettuce, tomato, onion or pickle slices. Various kinds of mustard and mayonnaise are also common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese on toast</span> British dish of melted cheese

Cheese on toast is made by placing sliced or grated cheese on toasted bread and melting it under a grill. It is popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, United States, and in African countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toast (food)</span> Bread that has been exposed to dry heat

Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction altering the flavor of the bread and making it crispier in texture. The firm surface is easier to spread toppings on and the warmth can help spreads such as butter reach its melting point. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is commonly toasted using devices specifically designed for such, e.g., a toaster or a toaster oven. Toast may contain more acrylamide, caused by the browning process, which is suspected to be a carcinogen. However, claims that acrylamide in burnt food causes cancer have not been proven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich</span> Sandwich popularized by Elvis Presley

The peanut butter and banana sandwich (PB&B), or peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich (PB,B&B), sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich, the Velvet Elvis, or simply the Elvis, is a sandwich with toasted bread, peanut butter, sliced or mashed banana, and occasionally bacon. Honey or jelly is seen in some variations of the sandwich. The sandwich is frequently cooked in a pan or on a griddle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional street food</span>

Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toast sandwich</span> Sandwich with toast filling

A toast sandwich is a sandwich in which the filling between two slices of bread is itself a thin slice of toasted bread, which may be buttered. An 1861 recipe says to add salt and pepper to taste.

Redonkadonk is a grilled burger with ham, bacon, cheese, egg and Spam inside two grilled cheese sandwiches made with extra-thick Texas toast style bread. It was served by Portland, Oregon's Brunch Box food cart and restaurants. Brunch Box operated in Portland for 12 years, first as a food cart in downtown Portland and then two additional brick and mortar locations in the city; the business permanently closed in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grilled Cheese Grill</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Grilled Cheese Grill is a restaurant focusing on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 2009, the restaurant became known for its highly successful food carts. The owners announced they would not reopen in March 2021 after being closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of the previous year. In July 2022, the restaurant re-opened in a brick and mortar location.

References

  1. Beeton, Isabella Mary (1861). The Book of Household Management. London : S.O. Beeton. p. 817. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  2. Marty Meitus (January 3, 1999). "Old faithful grilled cheese, a depression-era standby, has returned". Rocky Mountain News. During the Depression, when Sunday Night Suppers became a popular way to entertain, the cheese dream began to appear on dining tables from coast to coast.
  3. Olver, Lynne. "Food Timeline — history notes: sandwiches". The Food Timeline . Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  4. "50 Grilled Cheese". Food Network. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. Naylor, Tony (March 13, 2014). "Break out the Breville: it's time for a toastie". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. Edge, J.T. (2012). The Truck Food Cookbook: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best Restaurants on Wheels. Workman Publishing Company. p. 198. ISBN   978-0-7611-7118-8.
  7. Elliott, F. (2015). Los Angeles Street Food: A History from Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. American Palate. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 102. ISBN   978-1-62585-516-9.
  8. "McCain poised to launch first microwaveable toastie". Marketing Week. September 26, 2002. Retrieved June 27, 2022.