Thursday, August 18, 2011

Quick tip: grilled cheese (& a question)

Busy week, so here's just a quick cooking tip that's new to me: when making grilled cheese, coat the bread with mayo instead of butter.



Ok guys, is this as novel as I seem to think it is? Because I've only started to hear this recently--the first time I heard about it was my sister's boyfriend, and to be honest, didn't really give it a lot of merit at the time. However, as it kept popping on food tv and blog circles, it started to make more sense: mayo is mostly oil, so it will brown and crisp like butter, but the emulsification with eggs lowers the burn/smoke point so your sandwich gets sufficiently melty inside but not burnt on the outside (and for those mayo-haters, it does NOT make the sandwich taste like mayonnaise).

I'm pretty sure I'll be making all my grilled cheese sandwiches (including grilled ham, egg and Jarlsberg sandwiches like pictured above--yum) this way from now on.

8 comments:

  1. my dad's friend used to make garlic bread that we called "heart attack bread" that was cooked on a bbq. i know mayo was involved ... but possibly butter too.

    delicious.

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  2. That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing Andrew!

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  3. Two words for the aforementioned Jarlsberg sandwich:

    1. OM
    2. NOM

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  4. Kristen, next time I see you we should make grilled cheese sandwiches! Today I made one with a cheese I picked up at the farmers' market this weekend (described as "a fresh lactic flavor with slight citrus notes and a lovely light mushroomy rind") on challah from a local bakery. I was so sad when it ended!

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  5. Oh that sounds a-mazing... I love melty cheeses of pretty much any kind!! Holidays in LA will definitely involve cheese, bread, and toasty goodness. :)

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  6. The Grilled Cheese Truck (which is horrible) has used mayo instead of butter on their sandwiches since they started 3 years ago or so. Sounds yucky to me, but now I'm going to try it after reading your post. I usually end up with burnt buttered toasts and unmelted insides. Your sandwich looks YUM!

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  7. Shannon, I was in the same boat... it just didn't sound right to me when I first heard of it, but I am a convert! Let me know how it turns out.

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  8. Just to make sure everyone knows... Ruth Reichl agrees on this mayo business: http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/4008-how-to-make-a-better-grilled-cheese

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