It’s simple to make a grilled cheese taste gourmet. The secret to a gourmet grilled cheese is using high-quality cheeses – and lots of it! Eat by itself or serve with a side of tomato bisque soup.

What makes it Gourmet?

Using high-quality cheese and bread is what turns a standard grilled cheese into a gourmet grilled cheese. Use cheeses such as cheddar, havarti or brie or evenn other cheese of your choice. It’s best to use more than one type of cheese when making a gourmet sandwich so the flavor is more complex.

Another way to amp up the flavor of your grilled cheese is to add in “extras” too your sandwich. Add in sun-dried tomatoes, bacon or other add-ins.

Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese

You can use almost any kind of cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich. There are some cheeses that will be easier to grill than others, however.

Cheddar: A standard for grilled cheese is cheddar cheese. There’s a variety of different kinds of cheddar to choose from: mild, medium and sharp. In this grilled cheese, I used a triple cheddar blend that incorporated all three types of cheddar.
American: A classic for grilled cheese. Make sure to get your griddle nice and hot since it takes a higher temperature for American cheese to fully melt. It also congeals quickly, so make sure to eat your grilled cheese made with American quickly.
Havarti: A great semi-hard cheese is Havarti. It’s soft, creamy and smooth, making it perfect for a grilled cheese. Mix Havarti with another cheese such as Cheddar or Mozzarella.
Mozzarella: When Mozzarella is melted, it will create a great cheese pull. Mix this cheese with another cheese, such as Cheddar or even Brie if you want to make an all-white grilled cheese.
Brie: For a decadent treat, add in Brie to your grilled cheese.

Best Bread for a Gourmet Grilled Cheese

The bread for your grilled cheese is just as important as the type of cheese you choose.

Sourdough: A favorite is using sourdough bread for a grilled cheese. My personal favorite is Santa Cruz Sourdough slices for this gourmet grilled cheese.
French: French bread, whether it’s sliced or a whole roll, makes for a great grilled cheese. The great will crisp up so that it will create that crispy yet soft mouthfeel
Challah: Use fluffy challah as bread for your grilled cheese.
Wheat: Make your grilled cheese a healthier sandwich by using a whole-grain bread. Choose a wheat bread such as Dave’s Killer bread that has nuts and seeds in it.

How to Make a Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Making a gourmet grilled cheese is actually quite simple. It’s as easy as gathering your ingredients, making a sandwich and “grilling” or frying in a pan.

"Grill" your grilled cheese in a frying pan. — “Grill” your grilled cheese in a frying pan.

Spread the mayo on one side of the bread. Place facedown in a hot pan and pile the cheese high on top. Then place the second piece of bread on top and add the rest of the mayo to the outside of the bread.

Add something heavy to the sandwich – like a pan and press down. Allow each side of the grilled cheese to become golden brown. The cheese will melt as the the bread browns.

Once the bread is golden brown, remove from the pan and cut into halves with a sharp knife. Grilled cheeses are best served hot.

Can I Reheat a Grilled Cheese?

Yes! You can reheat a grilled cheese.

If you have a grilled cheese that was made earlier in the day and has gotten cold, it will taste best reheated. The goal of reheating your sandwich is to warm it through and melt the cheese.

Add some butter to a pan and allow your pan to get nice and hot before adding in your grilled cheese to reheat.

Add the sandwich to your hot pan and cover with a lid. Allow the bread to recrisp and the cheese to melt. Flip after about 2 minutes and fry the other side.

When reheatinng your grilled cheese, you don’t want to let it go too long in the pan, as there is a higher possibility of it burning since it has already been heated.

Remove from the pan and enjoy!

Mayo or Butter for Grilled Cheese

The age-old debate is to use mayonnaise or butter to crisp the outside of your grilled cheese.

ly, I’m Team Mayonnaise when making a grilled cheese. It’s easier to spread than butter and adds a bit of tang to the sandwich that often goes unnoticed. I also believe mayo crisps up better than butter. You can also use homemade mayo for grilled cheese.

If you prefer to use butter instead of mayo on your bread, the mayo in this recipe can easily be replaced. If you do decide too use butter, make sure that it is room temperature. Cold butter is almost impossible to spread evenly on a piece of bread!