A grilled cheese, toasted sandwich, cheese toastie ( UK) or jaffle ( AU) is a hot cheese sandwich typically prepared by heating slices of

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

between slices of bread with a cooking fat such as

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread browns and the cheese melts. Despite its name, the sandwich is rarely prepared through

grilling Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...

; it is most often pan-fried.

History

The 1861 English recipe book '' Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management'' includes a recipe for placing sandwiches of brown bread and butter with slices of "a nice fat

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

or any good rich cheese" into an oven, and serving when the bread becomes toasted. The cheese dream, an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich, became popular in the U.S. during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. U.S. government cookbooks describe

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

cooks broiling "American cheese filling sandwiches" during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Preparation

A grilled cheese sandwich is made by placing a cheese filling, often cheddar or

American cheese American cheese is a type of processed cheese made from Cheddar cheese, cheddar, Colby cheese, Colby, or similar cheeses, in conjunction with sodium citrate, which permits the cheese to be pasteurized without its components separating. It is mi ...

, between two slices of bread, which is then put on a pan to heat until the bread browns and the cheese melts. A layer of butter or mayonnaise is usually added to the outside of the bread for additional flavor and texture. Alternatives may include additional ingredients such as peppers,

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es, or

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s. A grilled cheese may also be made in a sandwich toaster, particularly in the United Kingdom where the dish is normally called a toasted cheese sandwich or cheese toastie.

Retail

Some

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

food cart A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit ...

s, and

food truck A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van or multi-stop truck) or trailer equipped to store, transport, cook, prepare, serve and/or sell food. Some food trucks, such as ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food, but m ...

s in the United States specialize in the grilled cheese sandwich. The Grilled Cheese Grill restaurants were a combination of reclaimed vehicle and food cart restaurants that focused on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in Portland, Oregon. The Grilled Cheese Truck is an American

company serving gourmet "chef driven" grilled cheese sandwiches. Microwavable frozen toasted sandwiches are available in supermarkets in a variety of locations. One example is the McCain Micro Toastie, which was launched in supermarkets in the UK in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grilled cheese American sandwiches British sandwiches Cheese sandwiches Types of food World cuisine

History

Preparation

Retail

See also

References