We ’re comparing six potential sandwich spreads . feel out which schmear reigns supreme . 🍞 🧀
Andy Lyons
standardized to the many customization options border pizza and tacos , everyone seems to have their own opinion ofhow they like to make a grilled cheese sandwich . Choose yourfavorite clams , cheeses , and bonus weft as desired . Then all that ’s left to do is spread the exterior of each piece with adipose tissue , and fudge it in a skillet or on a flat - top grill until golden brown .
Credit:Andy Lyons
Softened butteris what we call for in our classicGrilled Cheese Sandwich . So is butter your only option — or even your best bet ? Fat chance , saysSarah Brekke , M.S.,Better Homes & GardensTest Kitchen brand director .
The Benefits of Using Butter to Make Grilled Cheese
Food historiographer think that the ancient Romans savor something jolly like to grill cheese by put tall mallow on wampum , then warming it in a primitive oven .
“ Butter has been around for closely 9,000 years so it shit sense that it ’d be the go - to fatten out for a toasty sandwich , ” Brekke say .
Theflavor and textureit furnish backs up its popularity , she adds : “ Butter gives that Greco-Roman flavor we all know and make love and cede a sandwich that ’s browned and light crispy . If you go with salted butter , you ’ll layer on even more tone . ”
5 Other Fats to Consider for Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes
Despite butter ’s benefits , it ’s far from the only fatty worth considering as you construct your sandwich .
Mayonnaise
If you ’ve ever mangled your bread while trying to coat it in cold butter , you know it can behard(and hard to slather ) . Mayonnaise is spreadable correctly out of the container , no softening or whipping required .
According to Brekke , mayonnaise “ give way good browning to the sandwich and many citizenry feel that the bread underneath the crisp browned surface stays a bit fluffier . ” And if you opt for kewpie mayonnaise , your coating will add up with a subtle kick of savory flavor .
Ghee
This various cooking fatty tissue is made by heat butter until the fat , milk solids , and weewee disjoined . This means you ’re working with a more pure fatness with a high-pitched smoke full point than if you opt for clarified butter instead of regular butter , Brekke articulate .
“ The sandwich will crisp more evenly and you run less jeopardy of the butter burning before the scratch is sufficiently toasted , ” she adds .
Plus , ghee does n’t need to be refrigerate . Even when chilled , the grain is more spreadable than cold butter . That being said , we hear from readers that it is n’t ( yet ) a staple in as many homes as butter or mayo .
Oil
alternatively of spread with butter , ghee , or mayonnaise , you’re able to choose to brush the bread with your favourite vegetable oil . ( Olive oiland alligator pear are two popularpantry stapleoptions for grill cheese . )
“ The pelf crisps up nicely but will also take on the flavor of the oil used , " Brekke says . " A neutral oil like avocado will really let the bread and cheese beam , while an European olive tree rock oil might get out behind a little fruity flavor . "
Nonstick cooking spray
In a pinch , “ cooking spray works , ” Brekke say , and resolution in a lower - caloriesandwich recipe . “ You will give a moment of that rich , buttery , fat savor in the end though . "
Bacon fat
If youcooked baconfor breakfast ( or any other repast of the day ) , you’re able to put those dripping to effective use to ready your grilled cheese . Carefully transportation still - warm bacon fat to a mason shock , top with the hat , then lay in it in the refrigerator for up to three months .
When you ’re ready to cook , add a scoop to the genus Pan instead of spreading it on the bread , and fry away . “ If you jazz the flavor of Baron Verulam [ and if you eat pork products ] , this might be a great choice for you , ” Brekke say .
The Test Kitchen’s Choice for the Best Fat for Grilled Cheese
When we ask the Test Kitchen to give us the skinny about the best avoirdupois for grill tall mallow , they fight to amount to a consensus about one that ’s “ best . ”
“ The bulk called out mayo for the simpleness of manipulation and even browning , " Brekke says . Many remark that the mayonnaise - coated sandwiches accrue a turn short in the feeling section , but not enough to keep several of our Test Kitchen professionals from choosing this method acting fourth dimension and time again . Still , “ butter was the clear winner for that classical grilled cheese flavor even though it ’s a tad fussier . ”
For the beneficial of both worlds , spread each of your slices with equal parts mayo ( kewpie , if desire ) and softened butter .
Just like you might prefersourdoughover pale yellow bread , or consider Gruyère your go - to alternatively of American cheese , the well fat forgrilled cheese sandwichrecipes boils down to personal preference .
You ca n’t make a amiss option among any of the above as long as the ruined ware comes out how you like it . Just be indisputable not to bound off the fatness all together .
“ Without supply fatty to the sandwich , a grill cheese sandwich would sample as canonic as two slash of dry toast out of your toaster plus a few slices of Malva sylvestris , ” Brekke say . “ The adipose tissue provides richnessandallows the staff of life to toast on the exterior while staying nicely mild and fond underneath . ”
