The Ridiculously Simple Ingredients Bobby Flay Adds For A Better Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Want to make grilled cheese like a celebrity chef? While Bobby Flay is famous for his burgers — which he prefers this controversial way or at this famous West Coast fast food chain – he's also a grilled cheese lover. The Food Network star admitted on an episode of the "Always Hungry" podcast that he's a fan of the All-American classic sandwich — and he never goes without two simple ingredients when making it: salt and pepper.

Sounds obvious, doesn't it? After all, even those without lavish spice racks almost always keep salt and pepper in the kitchen. And yet, many people don't think to add these two staples to a grilled cheese sandwich. The salt rounds out the flavors of the bread and cheese, while the pepper adds a subtle kick. These two simple seasonings can work on practically any type of grilled cheese, from classic American on white bread, to something more unusual like mozzarella and fontina on sourdough.

While Bobby Flay's "salt and pepper trick" can work on just about any grilled cheese, he also recommends a different take on the popular lunch staple — a grilled brie with bacon sandwich. To try it, you'll need two types of cheese (he uses Brie and soft goat cheese), bacon, and a type of produce that might surprise you: green tomatoes.

This Bobby Flay creation combines creamy and tangy flavors, with the richness of Brie and goat cheese. While bacon and tomato are classic components of a BLT smeared with mayo on both slices of bread, this recipe specifically calls for green tomatoes. The green variety is firmer than red tomatoes and has a distinct tartness that offsets the creamy cheese and rich bacon. Flay then assembles the grilled cheese on slices of classic sandwich bread, sometimes referred to as a "Pullman loaf." The recipe calls for salt and pepper to taste, which should come as no surprise; it is, after all, a Bobby Flay grilled cheese.