Say cheese – Boulder Weekly
Let’s face it: February is the frugal month. The holiday bills have come due, taxes loom, food prices are up and we’re all looking for affordable, simple, comfy dishes.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see a grilled cheese sandwich starring in a Super Bowl ad featuring actors Jon Hamm, Brie Larson and Pete Davidson. It’s an iconic sandwich.
For many Americans, grilled orange cheese paired with canned tomato soup is a sacred duo that needs no tweaking. For the rest of us who crave more flavor, “grilled cheese” is a broad culinary construct that welcomes a world of ingredients and techniques.
After a recent sandwich encounter on the Pearl Street Mall (see Taste of the Week), I started experimenting at home with ways to expand the grilled cheese tent.
Pressed is best: When push comes to shove, pressing creates yummier grilled cheese sandwiches. It can be as simple as pressing down with a spatula on a sandwich cooked in a cast iron pan.Back in the day, people used heavy clothes irons to grill foil-wrapped cheese sandwiches in between shorts. These days, since nobody irons any more, the easiest way to press the issue is to use a countertop waffle maker. My recent waffling experiment included sourdough slices brushed with olive oil, with tomato slices and Port Salut cheese inside. Soft bread is essential to get the full crispy, gooey effect. The waffled result is silly-good and terribly easy, even for noncooks.
The best grilled cheese hack is to coat the buttered bread with shredded Parmesan before cooking to add a crispy coating. If you’re lucky, cheese will ooze out of the sandwich and fry a bit, too.
The better the bread: Use an airy sourdough loaf with lots of holes. Think ciabatta, focaccia and not a dense bread like brioche because the holes allow the heat through to melt the cheese and make the slices crunchy. Spread them with your favorite fat: olive oil, spray avocado oil, bacon grease or…
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