7 ways to up your game on Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (2024)

Cheese Louise! It's Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, a whole day devoted to celebrating oozy, hot cheese sandwiches.

But are your grilled cheese sandwiches as good as they can be? Chances are, you could use a trick or two to take your grilled cheese to the next level.

Here are seven strategies for improving your grilled cheese game.

Switch up your cheese: Are you stuck in a cheddar or (shudder!) American cheese rut? The No. 1 way to improve your grilled cheese is by changing up your cheese. Try a different soft to medium-firm cheeses (which will melt easily), like Monterrey jack, provolone, Meunster or Havarti. Or try a combination of various cheese types for delicious experimentation. National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day is a great time to try some of the new vegan cheese brands, which have vastly improved in the last couple of years.

Grating is great: If you're including firmer cheese varieties, turn to your cheese grater to make them easier to melt.

Build it with better bread: Ditch white sandwich bread for something with more body and taste. A firm artisan bread will grill up nicely. And you can try breads like dark rye, pumpernickel and even walnut or olive bread to create grilled cheese sandwiches with added layers of flavor.

Load up on fillings: What goes between the slices of a grilled cheese sandwich besides cheese? Just about anything that pairs well with cheese. Try adding on any of these:

• Caramelized onions.
• Sauteed mushrooms.
• Roasted red peppers.
• Spicy peppers (we're particularly fond of made-in-Portland
• Kale (it will get all wilty and delicious as the sandwich cooks).
• Fresh tomato slices (it's the key to this insanely good recipe from
• Anything you might put on a pizza.
• Fruit, like thinkly sliced peaches or strawberries (this is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches made with goat cheese, ricotta or cream cheese).

Butter vs. mayonnaise: Do you make your grilled cheese with butter or mayonnaise on the outside (the stuff that makes grilled cheese more than just toast with melted cheese inside)? There are strong camps for each approach. Butter tends to make sandwiches that are evenly browned, and mayonnaise yields crispy sandwiches. If you typically make grilled cheese one particular way, try using the other approach to see what all the fuss is about.

Use a grill pan or an outdoor grill: Do you want grilled cheese with nifty grill marks? You can't get that with a regular skillet. Instead, toss your sandwich into a cast-iron grill pan or directly only your backyard grill. Have one of those George Foreman grills languishing in your pantry? Dust it off and use it to make grilled cheese. Here's our Master Recipe for Grilled Cheese on the Grill.

Soup up your tomato soup: Grilled cheese and tomato soup go together like Oregon and rain. But you can do better than soup out of a can. Pair your grilled cheese with a bowl of Smoky Tomato Soup With Parmesan Thyme Crisps, Chickpea-Tomato Soup that comes together in minutes, or Speedy Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup.

-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler