Classic grilled cheese is trendy again
This is a very cheesy story about the resurgence of a favorite grilled sandwich.
Most of us have fond memories of the classic mom used to make — a slice of American cheese melted between two slices of white bread. Margarine, not butter, was the grease of choice for a crisp exterior.
The results, always so warm and comforting, might as well be imprinted on our DNA.
We can't all eat grilled cheese in the comfort of our own homes if we're ever going to get this economy pumping again, so some clever chefs are trying to lure us out the door with, you guessed it, lots of melted cheese.
Enter the grilled cheese restaurant.
The trendiest: The Melt, with locations expected in major cities, an automated grilled cheese restaurant chain started by the guy who invented the Flip video camera. Word is customers order using a smartphone app. The sandwich is cooked in less than a minute by an appliance that melts the cheese while simultaneously searing the bread.
From the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco to Cheeseboy in Boston and the in-between Feelgood in Austin, Texas, grilled cheese restaurants are hot.
But why would chefs feel compelled to put their stamp on the Simple Simon of sandwiches?
Uncomplicated foods can illicit some of the greatest debate, according to Laura Werlin, a cheese expert and author of “Grilled Cheese, Please!”
• Grate the cheese. It melts better “by virtue of its wispiness.”• Thick cheese and thin bread is the best ratio.• Spread butter on the bread, not the pan.• Stick with nonstick pans, mostly.• Flatten slightly with a spatula while grilling.• Cool it, then eat it. It’s a simple step that avoids molten cheese burns to the mouth, and it allows the flavor to develop.<B><I>Source: “Grilled Cheese, Please!” by Laura Werlin</I></B>
