These Are The Greatest Cheeses For Grilled Cheese

The grilled cheese sandwich is a lunchtime staple that, for many people, dates again to childhood. Whether or not served with tomato soup or by itself, it’s onerous to go mistaken with gooey cheese on heat, toasty bread.

However there’s definitely a variety of high quality with regards to the cheeses you should use. And whereas Kraft singles are a basic, think about wanting past American cheese while you whip up a grilled cheese sandwich.

We requested culinary specialists, together with skilled cheese specialists (sure, we’re jealous of their jobs, too), to share their favourite cheeses for grilled cheese. Maintain scrolling for some thrilling choices and combos of cheeses to encourage your subsequent melty sandwich.

As Clare Malfitano, head chef at Murray’s Cheese Bar in Queens, New York, suggested: “Don’t be afraid to mix and match ― try more than one cheese to really turn up the flavor profile.”

Janet Fletcher, writer of the Planet Cheese weblog, recommends toma, a cow’s milk cheese with a semi-hard texture and buttery style.

“Point Reyes Farmstead Toma melts like a dream,” she stated. “It has a mild, buttery flavor that even young kids enjoy.”

For a “more adult experience,” she additionally really helpful making sandwiches with TomaTruffle ― which is similar cheese with Italian black truffle added ― and serving them with glowing wine.

“Mild cheddar is always my to-go for a grilled cheese sandwich,” stated Lola Osinkolu, a house cook dinner and blogger at Chef Lola’s Kitchen. “Sharp cheddar tends to separate into pools of fat when used for grilled sandwiches, while mild cheddar is balanced and melty.”

She famous that gentle cheddar melts rapidly and evenly, has a pleasant tang and presents good taste that stands up properly to the opposite flavors within the sandwich with out being overwhelming.

“One of my favorite combinations is Carr Valley Cheddar with grilled onions and pretzel bread,” stated Sheana Davis, a cheesemaker, culinary educator and proprietor of the Epicurean Connection.

“I’m a huge fan of using Gruyère for a gooey grilled cheese that packs some flavor,” stated Alex Hill, a house cook dinner and creator of Simply Add Scorching Sauce. “It melts really well and has a nutty flavor that pairs well with some good salty bacon, or make it into a French onion grilled cheese with caramelized onions.”

Davis likes to mix melty Gruyère with thin-sliced ham and aioli on sourdough to whip up a satisfying sandwich. Diana Manalang, chef and proprietor of Little Chef Little Café in Queens, additionally endorses sourdough with Gruyère as a result of “it has a tangy goodness that the rich buttery flavor goes so well with.” She advised mixing Gruyère with Colby cheese. “They make the richest, most decadent and delicious cheesy middle of the grilled cheese.”

In the meantime, Osinkolu recommends pairing Gruyère with gentle cheddar to attain “a complex, delicious grilled cheese” and “melted, stretchy and tasty sandwiches.”

“My favorite cheese for making grilled cheese, be it for myself or my kids, is havarti,” stated Chef Marshall O’Brien. “It’s creamy, and has a rich yet very versatile flavor. We make a lot of Turkish (my wife is Turkish) toast, which is grilled cheese with [a] variety of variations.”

He prefers Arla model havarti, and combines it with sausage or Kalamata olives and tomatoes for Turkish toast.

“One of my grilled cheese favorites is Marin French brie and orange marmalade on a walnut bread,” Davis stated.

Meggan Hill, government chef for the recipe web site Culinary Hill, stated she additionally likes this model of brie for “an epic grown-up grilled cheese.”

“For the grilled cheese of my dreams, I choose a combination of havarti, fontina and brie with a spread of fig jam,” Hill defined. “These three cheeses bring different flavors to the sandwich and are creamy and ideal for melting, while the sweet fig jam cuts through the richness of it all.”

“The best grilled cheese starts with two thick slices of New York State Sharp Cheddar Cheese from Herkimer County Cheese,” stated Bradley Wooden, head chef and contributor to Adventures of a Nurse. “The sharper the better, and add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.“

He recommended combining two thick slices of white bread, whole-grain mustard and freshly shredded cheddar, and grilling until golden and crusty. Then sprinkle the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on both sides of the bread.

Andrea Mathis, the registered dietitian behind the blog Beautiful Eats and Things, also goes the shredded sharp cheese route for her grilled cheese sandwiches.

“I can’t get enough of that distinct, tangy flavor!” she stated. “The shredded cheese allows for the cheese to melt more evenly when compared to sliced cheese.”

Mathis’ favourite manufacturers are Sargento and Tillamook. Cookbook writer and “The Forest Feast” founder Erin Gleeson stated she prefers sharp white cheddar by Clover “because it’s local to me and also a great company ― they are certified B Corp.”

“I like to make a Dutch grilled cheese with Gouda cheese, sautéed sweet onions and cremini mushrooms on tiger bread (Tijgerbrood),” stated cookbook writer Brian Theis.

Chef Alexander Lord-Flynn, whose restaurant Vinyl Steakhouse is ready to open in New York Metropolis this spring, stated he likes to mix smoked Gouda with havarti, aged cheddar and Swiss cheese.

“I pick cheeses for their meltability first, so they melt into the pan and create those burnt edges we all crave,” he defined. “The havarti brings a melty luscious aspect, the cheddar adds the classic cheese flavor and the Swiss adds nuttiness. The Gouda is my secret weapon ― this is the cheese that makes people’s eyebrows raise and do a dance. The smokiness and depth of the Gouda rounds out the sandwich. You don’t feel like you are eating cheese upon cheese, but layers of flavors.”

“For a basic grilled cheese, I always love going for the classic cheddar cheese, but for some extra meltiness and flavor, I mix it with other cheeses,” stated Dzung Lewis, a YouTuber and writer of “The Honeysuckle Cookbook.” “Monterey Jack or pepper jack has a high fat and moisture content, so it has great melting properties that go very well with the cheddar cheese.”

Lewis recommends shredding onerous cheeses like pepper jack for optimum and even melting, and he or she pairs this specific combo with sliced kimchi. Theis likes to make a Mexican-style grilled cheese with pepper jack.

“[I use] pepper jack cheese, a bit of shredded Mexican cheese blend, with refried beans, tomato salsa and guacamole on pambazo,” he stated.

Theis additionally shared his recipe for an Italian-style grilled cheese made with Asiago.

“‘Pressato’ or ‘fresco’ will melt best,” he famous. “Add a little smooth and melty shredded mozzarella, sautéed grape tomatoes with oregano, slices of pepperoncini and a basil chiffonade! On focaccia, of course!”

“If I’m looking for something a little more complex and elevated, taleggio, an Italian cheese very similar to brie, melts beautifully while also providing a mildly pungent and nutty taste,” Lewis stated.

She normally pairs this cheese with bacon or onion, arugula, and pears, apples or peaches, relying on the season.

“My all-time favorite is sourdough with a ripe, stinky taleggio, Dijon mustard, any kind of jam (quince paste aka membrillo is also great), cooked low and slow with butter until crispy and finished with fleur de sel,” stated Chef Sophina Uong of Mister Mao in New Orleans. “Salty, gooey, sweet perfection.”

“I like to use three cheeses when I make grilled cheese: sharp cheddar, Parmesan and Swiss Emmenthal,” stated Remy Forgues, chef-instructor on the Institute of Culinary Schooling. “The cheddar brings a sharpness in flavor, the Parmesan brings saltiness and the Emmenthal has good melting properties with a milder taste.”

To make this grilled cheese sandwich, Forgues recommends buttering two slices of bread on one aspect every, and inserting them in a pan butter-side down.

“Top one slice with cheddar and the other with the Emmenthal, so it cooks open-faced,” he stated. “Then put the Parmesan in the middle when putting the sandwich together, because it doesn’t melt.”

“One of my favorite combos is a nice spread of Indian Amul cheese and a layer of Muenster cheese for a delicious grilled cheese that’s got an Instagram-worthy cheese pull!” stated Gaurav Anand, chef and proprietor of Baazi in New York Metropolis.

“Amul cheese tastes like cheddar with a familiar buttery flavor, but a slight tang and saltiness,” he defined. “It melts beautifully, too. Muenster is mild, silky when melted and has a rich, buttery flavor. Plus, it has the perfect fat content for heating up without the oil separating.”

Anand additionally generally makes use of Monterey Jack as an alternative of Muenster for an additional kick of spice.

Like Gruyère, comté is an Alpine-style cheese famous for its capacity to soften simply.

“Comté is a grilled sandwich classic, the taste of tradition,” Fletcher stated. “This raw-milk French cheese is intensely nutty, with a deep roasted onion flavor that reminds me of French onion soup.”

Laura Werlin, the James Beard Award-winning writer of six books on cheese (together with two about grilled cheese), really helpful a cheese that’s much like comté ― Nice Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Firm in Wisconsin.

“For the best grilled cheese sandwich, the cheese has to be a good melter, of course, but it also has to taste like something once it’s melted,” she stated. “Beyond [its melting properties], this cheese has such amazing depth of flavor ― nutty, brown butter-like, a little grassy, a little fruity, a little caramel-y.”

“A great melter like fontina is a classic grilled-cheese go-to and really [adds] a nice flavor beyond everyday cheddar,” Malfitano, of Murray’s Cheese Bar, stated.

Sharee Hill, the meals blogger behind Savory Spicerack, recommends combining fontina with Gorgonzola and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread.

“This combination of cheeses gives you a mixture of flavors and textures for something new when it comes to a grilled cheese,” she stated. “The end results are creamy textures with a salty, earthy, nutty cheese flavor. My preferred brands when I make this special grilled cheese are the Fabes Fontina Fontal Italian and Igor Gorgonzola Dolce cheeses from Whole Foods.”

“My go-to cheese for all things requiring cheese in the U.S. is Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar,” Theis stated. “It’s the one cheese I would take to a desert island!”

He likes to make an English-style grilled cheese by combining sharp cheddar with a little bit of blue Stilton cheese for a tangy punch and consuming it on a farmhouse loaf with butter and Branston Pickle.

Malfitano can also be a fan of yellow cheddar, particularly the native selection offered at Murray’s.

“A younger cheddar, like New York Yellow, is a great place to start for the ultimate grilled cheese,” she stated. “The yellow in our New York State Cheddar isn’t artificial, and adds that fun color to a grilled cheese.”

Davis endorsed the Wisconsin authentic ― brick cheese. This medium-soft cheese, named for its rectangular form, dates again to the 1870s.

“Another one of my favorite combinations is Widmer Brick Cheese with tasso ham and creole mustard on whole grain bread,” she stated.

“I recommend Tillamook smoked cheddar for always,” stated chef Victor King of the Important in Birmingham, Alabama. “It makes the ultimate punchy, savory grilled cheese.”

Fletcher advised Beehive Cheese Crimson Butte Hatch Chile for an additional punch.

“It’s a cheddar flavored with spicy New Mexico Hatch chiles, so your grilled cheese sandwich has the seasoning built in,” she stated.