Keep Your Grilled Cheese Crisp with This Simple Hack | America's Test Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How to keep a grilled cheese crispy? ›

I butter the bread, not the pan, and use a grill press to ensure that both sides are griddled to a crisp, even golden brown. I cook the sandwich slowly so that the cheese melts properly inside and because good things are worth waiting for.

Put it nearer the heat, right at the top of the grill at the end. It might be that the fat content isn't quite high enough though.

Start with a Thermos and Boiling Water

It is also the best way to pack a grilled cheese sandwich so it's still warm hours after you pull it off the stove. The promise of a thermos is holding in heat, and keeping food warm, and that's just what happens here.

Spread a generous amount of butter on the outside of the bread so you can get a nice, buttery crust. Instead of spreading the bread with butter, you can use mayonnaise. It will create a nice golden crust too, but we prefer the flavor of butter for our sandwiches.

Standard procedure for grilled cheese is to butter the outsides of the bread before placing it in the pan — for more flavor, butter both sides, inside and out. This works quite nicely, adding flavor to the sandwich, while also preventing burning and sticking.

And if you have a lid, covering the skillet speeds up the cheese-melting process and helps to avoid the most-common grilled cheese misfires: under-melted cheese or over-browned bread.

Using a cast iron-pan, add a touch of olive oil and get pan hot over medium-high heat and add sandwich. After about 30-45 second push sandwich so it crisps and cheese melts. Flip after about 2 minutes, once slices are nice and crunchy. Keep flipping and pushing down until cheese is melted.

A skillet preheated to medium or medium-low is optimal (adjust yours accordingly). Start by placing one slice of buttered bread face down in the pan, top with shredded cheese. Add the second slice buttered side up. Cook 2-4 minutes per side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

For the ideal grilled cheese, look for bread with a soft-but-hearty texture with even slices of medium thickness (about 1/4 inch). Hearty sandwich bread, sourdough, brioche, and rye all work very well. Avoid rolls and loaves with large holes in the interior.

Using untoasted bread

And making a grilled cheese without toasting the bread first can result in a limp sandwich. Toasting your bread brings out a deeper flavor and performs another vital service. Melting cheese releases oil that can soak the bread and cause it to become soggy without actually cooking.

How to stop cheese on toast from going soggy? ›

Grill or toast the inside of the bread slices first before you add the cheese. Then add the cheese and grill or toast as normal. The crispy interior will hold up and give your grilled cheese more structure.

Often, the low-and-slow cooking method required with butter will dry out the bread too much, especially if you're using a fancier bread with fewer bread conditioners and stabilizers. That ultra-crisp crust is due to more than just a more carefree cooking temperature.

Instead of flipping the sandwich, place the spatula on the underside of the grilled cheese to lift it out of the pan, then take the pan and turn it upside down over the sandwich. Next, flip the sandwich and the pan right side up and place the pan back on the burner.