Grilled cheese facts for kids
Cross section of a grilled cheese sandwich
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| Main ingredients | Cheese, bread |
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| Ingredients generally used | Butter, margarine, mayonnaise |
| Variations | Grilled cheese, cheese dream, cheese toastie |
A toasted sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, cheese toastie, or grilled cheese is a hot sandwich (toastie) made with one or more varieties of cheese (a cheese sandwich) on bread. It is typically prepared by heating one or more slices of cheese between slices of bread, with a cooking fat such as butter, on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread browns and the cheese melts. A grilled cheese may contain separate ingredients, though the main ingredients remain the bread and cheese.
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History
The cheese dream, an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich, became popular in the U.S. during the Great Depression. U.S. government cookbooks describe Navy cooks broiling "American cheese filling sandwiches" during World War II.
Preparation
A grilled cheese sandwich is assembled by creating a cheese filling, often cheddar, or American, between two slices of bread, and is then heated until the bread browns and the cheese melts. A layer of butter or mayonnaise is sometimes added to the outside of the bread for additional flavor and texture. Some may add additional ingredients, such as peppers, tomatoes, or onions. Several different methods of heating the sandwich are used, depending on the region and personal preference. Common methods include being cooked on a griddle, fried in a pan, or made in a panini grill or sandwich toaster. This last method is more common in the United Kingdom, where the sandwiches are normally called "toasted sandwiches" or "toasties", in Australia, where they are called "jaffles", and South Africa, where they are called “snackwiches”. Other methods such as baking in an oven or toaster oven, or in a toasting bag in an electric toaster, may be employed.
The sandwich is typically served as a snack or lunchtime meal, often with a side of salad, soup, french fries, or other accompaniment.
Retail
Some restaurants, food carts and food trucks in the United States specialize in the grilled cheese sandwich. The Grilled Cheese Grill restaurants are a combination of reclaimed vehicle and food cart restaurants that focus on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in Portland, Oregon. The Grilled Cheese Truck is an American food truck company serving gourmet "chef driven" grilled cheese sandwiches. The company started in Los Angeles, California in 2009, and has since expanded throughout Southern California, Phoenix, San Antonio and Austin. The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is a restaurant in San Francisco, California that specializes in the sandwich.
In pop culture
The Guinness World Record for the most expensive, commercially available sandwich is held by a $214 grilled cheese sandwich, the "Quintessential Grilled Cheese", by Serendipity 3 in New York, USA.
The film Chef features an extended scene where the eponymous protagonist eats a grilled cheese.
