Photo courtesy of OSU Dining Services
Natural Born Grillers
Creating the perfect grilled cheese boils down to more than just taste
Believe it or not, the grilled cheese sandwich is considered an ancient food.
Today’s grilled cheese appears to be a purely American invention but, as it goes with most foods, we can’t take all the credit.
Food historians can trace cheese sandwich recipes back to the ancient Romans. The French croque-monsieur sandwich – Emmental cheese and boiled ham serving as two of the main ingredients – first made an appearance on Parisian café menus around 1910. Throughout the 1920s in America, the appeal of the inexpensive and readily available modern grilled cheese grew as the country entered the Great Depression.
With so many variations of this popular sandwich, how one chooses to prepare it is simply a matter of personal preference – but is there a scientifically correct way to do so?
The Daily Meal suggests it’s all about chemistry. Some cheeses have just the right pH level – or acidity – to create the perfect melt. The American Chemical Society says medium-mild cheeses such as gouda, Gruyère, mild cheddar or manchego are ideal; a cheese with a 5.3-5.5 pH level usually does the trick.
“You don’t want to use cheeses that are too aged,” says Lesa Holford, corporate executive chef at The Ohio State University Dining Services. “But you also wouldn’t want cheeses that are too young, such as goat cheese. Otherwise, it’s not going to melt.”
Holford suggests young cheddar, American or brie cheeses. For manchego, she says, combining it with another cheese can end in a tasty result. She prefers blending with Swiss cheese.
“I love Swiss,” she says. “That’s my favorite grilled cheese.”
The type of bread used – and how it’s prepared – is more a matter of opinion.
“I personally like to butter the bread,” Holford says, adding marbled rye or sourdough is her preferred bread. “It has to be a bread that has a crust on it, not like a French bread that has a lot of air pockets or holes in it.”
When preparing grilled cheese for OSU students, Holford says, dining services goes through a lot of Texas toast.
“(Texas toast) makes a nice, fat sandwich,” she says.
One common grilled cheese mishap? Keeping the heat on too high and toasting the bread before the cheese itself melts, Holford says. Using a gas stove and maintaining a low or medium flame is ideal.
“The bread should be cooked so the cheese is gooey inside,” Holford says.
Hannah Bealer is an editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Grilled Cheese with Artichoke Dip
Courtesy Lesa Holford
Ingredients
2 slices wheat or white bread
1 Tbsp. room temperature salted butter
2 slices whole milk mozzarella cheese
3 oz. of your favorite artichoke dip
Directions
Place slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Spread the artichoke dip on one side and fold bread together. Spread the outside of both slices of the bread with butter.
Turn your on griddle to low medium heat. If you don’t have a griddle, a cast iron skillet works as well. Cook sandwich slow and low until golden brown and crisp, then enjoy.
What’s your ideal grilled cheese?
“I like to keep it simple. Multi-grain bread with cheddar and Swiss cheese.” –Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman
“I like my grilled cheese with three slices of American processed cheese between two pieces of white bread and grilled in a substantial pool of butter. I like it flattened down and crispy brown, prepared perfectly for dunking into soup, chili or the like.” –Peggy Kriha Dye, artistic director, Opera Columbus, Artistic Director
“I like my grilled cheese on white bread with sharp cheddar or Swiss cheese, prosciutto and extra butter.” –Edwaard Liang, artistic director, BalletMet
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