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Have you seen the nuke a hot dog in a bun ads? As if breaking a hot dog and bun out of their respective plastic containers is too much of challege. No wonder people say they can't cook; it's like a convience food lobotomy.
There are many simple foods mom used to make that modern multi tasking mom probable doesn't. Some of those foods can acutally be deceptively difficult. For example, preparing eggs consistenly is quite a challenge. Though, for some unfathomable reason, even a kitchen novice is expected to do something as "simple" as eggs.
With these thoughts in mind, I thought to document my grilled cheese. It's simple, yet offers many paths to failure. The cheese must melt all the way, the bread should not emulate a charcoal briquette, too much melting can make an impressive mess, raw cheese is failure.
Here's the mis en place.
Your three primary ingredients are bread, cheese and butter. Want to skip the butter? Don't! You're using cheese, after all; if butter worries you, make something else. Seriously, a perfect grilled cheese shouldn't be on anyone's diet.
You will be buttering all sides of the bread. Butter the inside and place the cheese without overlapping it.
You can skimp a little on the inside butter. However, it does make a difference in how the cheese will melt and behave.
Here I've included my personal variant, grilled ham and cheese on rye.
You'll want cheese on both sides for this one, but otherwise the process in the same. Note the ham shouldn't go all the way to the edge.
The outside of the sandwich is where butter counts. The butter must completely cover and go all the way to the edge.
Only butter one side at first. Carefully place the butter side down in your medium hot cast iron skillet.
Cast iron is recommeded for this, anything else just doesn't give you the same toasty goodness.
Now you do something you almost never want to do when grilling; you press down. Give it a good press with your hand, being sure that all edges are makeing contact.
Don't worry, the cooking of the other side will elimate any cooties.
Don't be afraid to lift up the edge to check on doneness. When you're getting close, it's time to butter the other side. Then the flip, or lift and tip. The other side will usually take a little less time.
Remove, eat, be happy.
There are many simple foods mom used to make that modern multi tasking mom probable doesn't. Some of those foods can acutally be deceptively difficult. For example, preparing eggs consistenly is quite a challenge. Though, for some unfathomable reason, even a kitchen novice is expected to do something as "simple" as eggs.
With these thoughts in mind, I thought to document my grilled cheese. It's simple, yet offers many paths to failure. The cheese must melt all the way, the bread should not emulate a charcoal briquette, too much melting can make an impressive mess, raw cheese is failure.
Here's the mis en place.
Your three primary ingredients are bread, cheese and butter. Want to skip the butter? Don't! You're using cheese, after all; if butter worries you, make something else. Seriously, a perfect grilled cheese shouldn't be on anyone's diet.
You will be buttering all sides of the bread. Butter the inside and place the cheese without overlapping it.
You can skimp a little on the inside butter. However, it does make a difference in how the cheese will melt and behave.
Here I've included my personal variant, grilled ham and cheese on rye.
You'll want cheese on both sides for this one, but otherwise the process in the same. Note the ham shouldn't go all the way to the edge.
The outside of the sandwich is where butter counts. The butter must completely cover and go all the way to the edge.
Only butter one side at first. Carefully place the butter side down in your medium hot cast iron skillet.
Cast iron is recommeded for this, anything else just doesn't give you the same toasty goodness.
Now you do something you almost never want to do when grilling; you press down. Give it a good press with your hand, being sure that all edges are makeing contact.
Don't worry, the cooking of the other side will elimate any cooties.
Don't be afraid to lift up the edge to check on doneness. When you're getting close, it's time to butter the other side. Then the flip, or lift and tip. The other side will usually take a little less time.
Remove, eat, be happy.