How To Make A Fantastic Grilled Cheese Sandwich *Makes 1 sandwich* What You Need: Ingredients 2 slices bread 1 tablespoon butter Generous 1/4 cup grated cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or any other melting chees Equipment Skillet, large enough to fit your sandwich (non-stick, stainless steel, or cast iron) Lid, which can be the actual skillet lid or another pan's lid or a handy baking sheet Spatula Instructions Melt the butter in the skillet: Place the skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Let the butter melt completely. When the butter begins to sizzle, that means your pan is hot enough for the sandwich. Spread the butter around the middle of the pan with the spatula. Rub the bread in the butter: Rub the bread in the melted butter. You only need to rub one side, but if you do both, I won't tell. Remove one of the slices and keep it close by. Pile the cheese on the bread: Pile the grated cheese in an even layer over the entire surface of the bread. It's ok to go right up to the edge. Cover the pan: Cover the pan with a lid. Let the cheese melt until it's almost entirely melted, but you can still see some distinct cheese pieces, 2 to 3 minutes. Top the sandwich and flip: Uncover the pan and top the sandwich with the other piece of bread (buttered side out). Squish slightly so the top adheres to the melted cheese. Flip the sandwich over. Continue cooking until both sides are toasted: Let the sandwich cook on the other side until toasted golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. If the first side wasn't as toasty as you like, flip the sandwich again and toast until golden brown. Transfer to plate: Transfer the sandwich to a plate, cut in half, and eat immediately. Grilled Sandwich Variations: Olive Oil Grilled Cheese: Replace the butter with olive oil. Grilled Cheese with Frozen Bread: If you keep your bread frozen, partially toast it before assembling the grilled cheese. Ham & Cheese: A timeless combo. I recommend cutting the ham into small squares before mixing it with the cheese — this makes the sandwich easier to eat. Bacon & Cheese: Basically Ham & Cheese, but...with bacon. Seriously good. Ditto on the advice to break the bacon into bits before assembling. Also, try this with some chopped tomato come summer. Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese: Along with the cheese, add some caramelized onions. Crazy good. Three Cheese Sandwich: Grab three random cheeses from your fridge and ask yourself, "Will this melt?"