Use three cheeses for a grilled cheese to get a flavorful but melty sandwich you’ve been dreaming of without sacrificing quality. To make grilled cheese even better, after the sandwich is toasted on each side, cut it down the middle and sear the inside before eating. The ultimate quick and easy comfort meal.
Preheat a 8-10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. While waiting for the skillet to preheat, shred cheeses and mix together in a bowl. Cut the butter into 6 even pieces and set aside.
Once your skillet is preheated, turn the heat down to medium low.
Add 1 piece of butter to the skillet and swirl it around, the butter should be foaming and melt completely. Make sure butter is not browning or burnt, that means your pan is too hot, if that happens wipe it out and start again.
Add 1 piece of bread into the foaming butter and add ½ of the cheese mixture onto the bread. Top with another piece of bread. If available, weigh down with a foiled wrapped brick or other press and cook for 2-3 minutes or until toasted to your liking.
Remove the brick and sandwich from the skillet and add a second piece of butter into the pan.
After the butter has melted, add the sandwich, untoasted side down and cook for another 2 minutes.
After the grilled cheese is your desired color, remove the sandwich. Place the sandwich on a cutting board and cut diagonally.
Add in a third piece of butter into the pan and place the two halves of the sandwich, cut side down, into the pan to sear. Leave it there for 5-15 seconds until a light crust forms and the inside is melty.
Immediately press the 2 halves together and allow to cool enough to eat.
Repeat with the rest of the bread, cheese and butter.
Notes
Use whatever bread you prefer from a soft farm style white bread from the bakery to a more hearty sourdough.
Use a variety of combinations of cheeses but make sure at least 1 is a good melting cheese like fontina.
When choosing toppings to add to grilled cheese make sure they are already cooked (like bacon or caramelized onions) because they won’t cook in the grilled cheese, only get warmed up.
I use rough estimates on how much cheese goes into each sandwich. ½ cup per sandwich is a good starting point.
Using shredded cheese allows the cheese to melt faster and to incorporate multiple flavors more easily.
If you don’t have a brick wrapped in foil you can use a smaller cast iron pan or even a can of soup to weigh it down.