How The Perfect Make at home Grilled Cheese Sandwich came to be

I recently wrote a blog post where I talked about, among other things, my search for the perfect make at home grilled cheese sandwich recipe for my daughter. This recipe is the product of many tested grilled cheese sandwiches! You might say, we are grilled cheese connoisseurs by now!

Even though you may think that this sandwich is pretty straight forward, it turns out The Perfect Make at Home Grilled Cheese Sandwich takes time.

Grilled cheese sandwich cut into strips with a string of cheese

That’s right, you cannot simply throw some grocery store white bread and processed cheese slices together and call it a day. However, this is what I had as a child and I thought that it was a great sandwich.

My Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich, as a Child

To be honest, as I am writing this I can picture the yellow sandwich press my grandparents had and the flattened, perfectly browned, sandwich that was presented to me. The soft white Wonderbread, gooey orange Kraft single, and the little ooze of cheese that ran out the side, became crispy and had an almost plasticky taste to it. The feeling of nostalgia this brings to my mind might make this a close second to the perfect make at home grilled cheese sandwich recipe we have come up with, for me anyhow. Even though the ingredients are far less fancy (and far less wholesome!).

My Children’s Perfect Make at Home Gilled Cheese Sandwich

I guess my children have a more mature palate than I did as a child, because they were very discerning about this sandwich, that, let’s face it, is a staple in every child’s repertoire.

Child eating a piece of grilled cheese sandwich with a string of cheese

Maybe it’s because I have been baking our own homemade bread since before any of them were born; or that we, as a society, are more health-conscious about how food is made and try to stay away from heavily processed food, that our children only recognize the taste of real cheese.

This is the recipe for, in my family’s opinion, The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

Recipe for the Perfect Make at Home Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices homemade sourdough bread. If you need to make this first the recipe will of course take longer.

¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup mozzarella cheese

1 slice Swiss cheese

1 Tablespoon butter

Cooking the perfect make at home grilled cheese sandwich

Method

Preheat a skillet to medium or medium-low heat (depending on your stove top).
Cut 2 thin slices of long-fermented sourdough bread (I have used my own recipe for long-fermented sourdough as well as the no-kneed recipe for sourdough bread from Farmhouse on boone. My children could not tell the difference and thought both were absolutely perfect. I usually cook mine in a stone bread pan because I like the uniform slices. However, if you would like to make it more artisanal in a Dutch oven it will probably be even better! )
Shred the cheeses and slice the Swiss (I had on hand the pre sliced Swiss cheese from Costco. They are pretty much the exact square size needed for the grilled cheese, if yours are different you may need more or less)
Spread a small amount of the butter onto one of the slices of bread.
Place the remaining butter into the preheated pan and, as it is melting, place the unbuttered bread slice on top of the melting butter. (I find this lets the butter melt and soak into the bread slice.)
Place all of the cheese evenly over top of the bread slice in the pan. Then top with the remaining bread slice, butter side out.
Cover slightly with a lid and cook about 2-3 mins. Check to make sure it is not getting too dark.
After it is golden brown, and the cheese is melting, flip the sandwich over. Continue to cook on the other side until golden. (About 2 mins)
Remove from the pan, let cool slightly, slice, and serve warm.

An orange pan with a metal lid on a black stove top.

Cooking on a pan the Perfect make at home grilled cheese sandwich

Extra notes that make The Perfect Make at Home Grilled Cheese Sandwich better!

When my youngest daughter had a wiggly tooth, she asked for her sandwich to be cut into little strips, so it wouldn’t hurt her tooth. Ever since seeing this, all of my children need their grilled cheese to be cut this way. I use a pizza cutter to make quick work of it. If they are cut this way, they are perfect for dipping into soup! We love them with Garden Fresh Zippy Tomato Soup.

Do you have a favorite sandwich that you have perfected? What is your favourite way to make a grilled cheese sandwich?

Cutting a grilled cheese sandwich with a pizza roller

Woman holding up two piece of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Print Recipe

Alternatives to the Perfect Make at Home Grilled Cheese Sandwich

While my children would never want anything else inside of their grilled cheese. I have tried it, for my husband and myself, with a few added ingredients that we loved!

My favourite is simply adding thin slices of tomato and a few leaves of basil. So good!

My husbands favourite was adding some leftover pulled pork inside!

We have also tried the classic grilled cheese with bacon.

We have made grilled cheese with ham slices inside as well. Sort of like a Monte Cristo Sandwich. Very delicious!