American · Lunch · All year
Grilled Cheese
4.7 community
5m
Prep
10m
Cook
Beginner
Level
540
kcal
Two cheeses, buttered sourdough, and patient medium-low heat — plus the mayo trick that makes the crust shatter.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
1
2 slices
🍞 Sourdough Bread ›
50 g
🧀 Cheddar ›
grated
50 g
🧀 Gruyère ›
grated
1 tbsp
🧈 Butter ›
softened
1 tbsp
🥚 Mayonnaise ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
5m
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
1
Serves
Equipment
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large bowl
Prep checklist
Cheddar
— grated
Gruyère
— grated
Butter
— softened
4 steps
Method
1
Spread mayo on the outside faces of the bread, butter on the inside.
💡
Mayo browns more evenly than butter and doesn't burn — the diner-counter secret.
2
Fill with both cheeses. Grate, never slice — grated cheese melts before the bread overcooks.
3
Cook over medium-low, lid on, 4–5 minutes per side, pressing gently, until deep gold and fully molten.
Learn the technique ›
4
Rest one minute before cutting — the pull gets longer, not shorter.
From the chef
Notes
Pair it with the tomato soup. That isn't a suggestion so much as a law of nature.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate components separately up to 3 days; dress and assemble just before eating.
Freezing
Salads and sandwiches don't freeze; soups freeze beautifully for 3 months.
Reheating
Soups reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. Sandwiches and salads are best assembled fresh — store components separately.
Make ahead
Batch the components (proteins, dressings, grains) on Sunday; assemble in minutes all week.
Wine pairing
Something light and cold — a crisp white, a spritz, or iced tea.
Beer pairing
A crisp pilsner or wheat beer keeps lunch light.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
Kettle chips or a simple green salad
·
A cup of soup
·
Quick-pickled vegetables
Garnish
Flaky salt and cracked pepper
A drizzle of good olive oil
Fresh soft herbs
Taste map
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
540
kcal
20g
protein
36g
carbs
35g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
Just for you
My notes
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