The One Extra Step That'll Make Grilled Cheese Taste Divine

While there isn't really such a thing as a bad grilled cheese, not all recipes for this sandwich staple are created equal. From adding mustard to the bread to sprinkling salt on the pan, there are so many ways to take this sandwich to the next level.

The ultimate trick, however, is probably the most unimaginative — simply add more cheese. The plot twist here is that you add the extra cheese to the outside of the bread rather than putting it inside the sandwich. As it melts and bubbles away in the pan, the cheese will naturally stick to the bread, giving you the extra cheesy hit you never knew you needed.

The mix of rich melted butter and crispy cheese crust really elevates both the taste and the texture of the sandwich, allowing you to enjoy both the mellow creaminess of melted cheese and the sharp savory taste of cooked cheese all in one go. And the best part is, it only adds one extra step to the recipe.

Achieving a golden cheese crust is pretty straightforward overall — the only skill you really need is patience. To make sure your sandwiched cheese has plenty of time to melt without your outer cheese burning, you need to keep the temperature of your pan at around medium-low heat.

As always, a cast iron skillet is the ultimate tool for making grilled cheese. In its most simple form, creating a cheese crust only adds one simple step to the sandwich-making process — sprinkling some cheese into the pan before you add your buttered bread on top.

In terms of varieties, aged cheeses are the best for this job because they have intense flavors and low moisture content. We're talking parmesan, asiago, or pecorino. However, cheddar works here as well if that's more your jam (or you only have one kind of cheese in the fridge).

If you've got a little extra time, there are a few variations you can try out. You can toast both sides of your bread before adding cheese to keep things crispy or spread some beaten egg onto your bread to help the cheese stick. If you choose this method, you can also apply the cheese directly to your bread instead of sprinkling it in the pan.

Different cheeses melt and cook at different speeds, so you need to keep an eye on your sandwich to assess the crispiness of the outside and the gooeyness of the inside. It can take quite a while in some cases, but no matter how long it's taking, never turn the heat above medium. Once it's done, you can relax and enjoy your new favorite grilled cheese.