"Lynn from Fargo" > wrote in message
...
> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
> Lynn in Fargo
> (Too much time on my hands :-)
>

We use a sandwich grill/waffle maker for grilled sandwiches. I use to butter
the bread and close the grill. I found it to be a PITA sometimes, so now I
butter the griddle, put the sandwich in place, then butter the top bread and
close the grill. Best of both worlds.

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
> >> Lynn from Fargo > wrote:
>
> >> >We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
> >> >death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
> >> >Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
> >> >melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
> >> >ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
> >> >pan. What do you do???
>
> >> Use olive oil?? :-)
>
> >EW!!!
>
> Heh. I'm so non-butter-oriented that using butter for a grilled
> cheese sandwich seems like a "EW" to me.

I prefer butter, but I'm trying to reduce saturated fat, so I sometimes
do olive oil. In fact, I *always* use olive oil, except that my wife
generally makes the grilled cheese, and she *always* uses butter.
Sunday she was at work, and had a business lunch (with our daughter?),
so I got four slices of bread, four slices of domestic swiss cheese,
about ten slices of salami, and some dijon mustard. I made up two
sandwiches, preheated a fry pan, put the two sandwiches in and then
dribbled a little olive oil in. I added a little more olive oil after I
flipped them. I've been using olive oil for this for several years, and
it's very good.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Lynn from Fargo wrote:
> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
> Lynn in Fargo
> (Too much time on my hands :-)
>

I've done it both ways, if your butter is rock hard, save yourself some
trouble and just melt it in the pan. OTOH, don't use butter either way -
use mayo instead. Your results will come out tastier and nicer looking.
Of course, you'll have to spread it on the bread first.

Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:56:09a, Steve Pope told us...

>> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

>>>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 10:50:20a, Steve Pope told us...

>>>> A good French or sourdough bread, fried briefly in olive oil, is
>>>> awesome. IMO, etc.

>>> I would agree, but then we're not talking about grilled cheese
>>> sandwiches, or at least I'm not.

>> I am. Such a cheese sandwich would be pretty common in my household
>> and I kinda doubt I'm entirely alone. At least among people
>> in California, people of southern European persuasion, etc.

>Such a cheese sandwich would be totally foreign in my household, and I'd
>still say you're in the minority in the US.

US overall, sure, you're right. Around here where I live, not
so sure. Cooking with butter is the norm in France, I suspect
in much of northern Europe, and the midwestern U.S. -- the
dairy belt. But olive oil is totally common in Mexico, California,
southern Europe (especially Italy, Spain, and Greece), and the
Middle East.

> A good bread, French, Italian, or Sourdough, briefly fried
> in olive oil and perhaps with herbs, would be common in many
> places, including my household (but not with cheese).

It requires a little more care because there is more probability
of cheese melt-through due to the larger air pockets in these
French breads. (In Italian, "pane" rather than "pane in
casetta", the latter being bread baked in a loaf pan rather
than on a sheet.)

I've cooked many a grilled cheese in olive oil and have never,
ever received any complaints.

Steve

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:


> I've cooked many a grilled cheese in olive oil and have never,
> ever received any complaints.

I don't know how it works in your house, Steve, but in my house, there
are very seldom any complaints. You can complain, or you can eat.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Dan Abel said...

> You can complain, or you can eat.


<Grins>

I tended to complain a lot!

Andy

Steve Pope said...

> Use olive oil?? :-)


I use olive oil too only I shortcut and one-side toast the bread in the
toaster first then fill with cheese and cover the toasted outsides with a
little olive oil, flipping once for a minute or two until cheese melts. Slice
diagonally and enjoy!

Optionally, open after heating and insert avocado slices, mash back together
and enjoy!

Andy

Lynn from Fargo wrote:

> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
> Lynn in Fargo
> (Too much time on my hands :-)

We have one of these (not that exact model, but it looks similar enough
and does the same thing) referred to as a "sandwich press" on Amazon.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

OR

http://tinyurl.com/dem2w7

....so we never make our Grilled Cheese sandwiches in a pan.

However, Dad and I differ on the 'buttering the bread on the outside'
thing. He butters the bread on both sides before before slapping the
sandwiches into the press. I don't because the sandwich press is
non-stick and I find the resulting sandwiches far too 'greasy' for my
liking if the bread is also buttered on the outside.

BTW, I've never been able to figure out why you call them 'grilled'
sandwiches if they're actually 'fried' in a pan. (Yes, I know the M-W
dictionary says that 'grill' can mean 'to broil on a grill or to fry or
toast on a griddle') but still...
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
...
> Lynn from Fargo wrote:
>
>> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
>> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
>> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
>> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
>> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
>> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
>> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
>> Lynn in Fargo

If you're the one buttering the pan how can there be too much?


> BTW, I've never been able to figure out why you call them 'grilled'
> sandwiches if they're actually 'fried' in a pan. (Yes, I know the M-W
> dictionary says that 'grill' can mean 'to broil on a grill or to fry or
> toast on a griddle') but still...
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Many years ago they were indeed called griddled sandwhiches... terminology
tends to become *******ized through the path of least resistance... grilled
is easier to pronounce and easier to spell. Language being dynamic often
there evolve literally hundreds of easier to pronounce and spell terms from
the original whereas everyone everywhere immediately recognizes their
meaning... I mean like hardly anyone says 'mammaries' anymore.

On Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:50:57 -0500, Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> In article >,
> Gloria P > wrote:
>
>> My husband's family often made "open faced" grilled cheese sandwiches.
>> Lightly toast a slice of bread.
>>
>> Top with cheese and your choice: tomato/ham/bacon/pineapple, etc. on
>> top, place on a baking pan and broil or top brown in an oven or toaster
>> oven until the cheese melts. Quite tasty even without butter or the top
>> slice of bread.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> Reminds me of a Weight Watcher's "Reuben" sandwich from about 35 years
> ago. Toasted bread, sliced chicken, drained kraut, cheese; broiled
> until cheese melts. It was very good.

i think i'd rather be rubenesque and have my sandwich the old-fashioned
way.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
Janet Wilder > wrote:

> Lynn from Fargo wrote:
> > We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
> > death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
> > Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
> > melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
> > ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
> > pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
> > doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
> > Lynn in Fargo
> > (Too much time on my hands :-)
> >
>
> I put the butter in the pan first (for side #1) I don't use bread for
> grilled cheese sandwiches, I use flour tortillas.
>
> For side #2, I put the butter on the tortilla then flip it.

If you are using flour tortillas, that's not a grilled cheese sandwich.

That's a quesadilla! :-)

I love to add a few shrimp to those personally...
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:56:09a, Steve Pope told us...

> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 10:50:20a, Steve Pope told us...
>
>>> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>>>>I think you're going to end up in the minoritiy on this one, Steve.
>
>>> Southern Europe, and east Asia outside of Vietnam very seldom use any
>>> butter in their cooking. So it's not such a small minority...
>
>>I thought it would be obvious I was referring to grilled cheese
>>sandiwiches in the US where butter is by far the preference for such
>>sandwiches, at least IME.
>
> I only consider myself in the minority if I'm in a global minority.
> Were there sentient creatures confirmed on distant planets,
> I'd lump them into the statistic as well.
>
>>> A good French or sourdough bread, fried briefly in olive oil, is
>>> awesome. IMO, etc.
>
>> I would agree, but then we're not talking about grilled cheese
>> sandwiches, or at least I'm not.
>
> I am. Such a cheese sandwich would be pretty common in my household
> and I kinda doubt I'm entirely alone. At least among people
> in California, people of southern European persuasion, etc.
>
> Steve
>

Then is simply that we're coming from different places, both geographically
and culturally. I'll still take my grilled cheese with butter. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:50:57 -0500, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > Gloria P > wrote:
> >
> >> My husband's family often made "open faced" grilled cheese sandwiches.
> >> Lightly toast a slice of bread.
> >>
> >> Top with cheese and your choice: tomato/ham/bacon/pineapple, etc. on
> >> top, place on a baking pan and broil or top brown in an oven or toaster
> >> oven until the cheese melts. Quite tasty even without butter or the top
> >> slice of bread.
> >>
> >> gloria p
> >
> > Reminds me of a Weight Watcher's "Reuben" sandwich from about 35 years
> > ago. Toasted bread, sliced chicken, drained kraut, cheese; broiled
> > until cheese melts. It was very good.
>
> i think i'd rather be rubenesque and have my sandwich the old-fashioned
> way.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Understood, but it was actually pretty tasty and I imagine it would be
tasty if it were constructed like a "real" reuben, too. Rubenesque -
cute. <grin>

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - pot pie
"What you say about someone else says more
about you than it does about the other person."

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:43:43 -0500, Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:50:57 -0500, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> Gloria P > wrote:
>>>
>>>> My husband's family often made "open faced" grilled cheese sandwiches.
>>>> Lightly toast a slice of bread.
>>>>
>>>> Top with cheese and your choice: tomato/ham/bacon/pineapple, etc. on
>>>> top, place on a baking pan and broil or top brown in an oven or toaster
>>>> oven until the cheese melts. Quite tasty even without butter or the top
>>>> slice of bread.
>>>>
>>>> gloria p
>>>
>>> Reminds me of a Weight Watcher's "Reuben" sandwich from about 35 years
>>> ago. Toasted bread, sliced chicken, drained kraut, cheese; broiled
>>> until cheese melts. It was very good.
>>
>> i think i'd rather be rubenesque and have my sandwich the old-fashioned
>> way.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> Understood, but it was actually pretty tasty and I imagine it would be
> tasty if it were constructed like a "real" reuben, too. Rubenesque -
> cute. <grin>

i can't put anything over on you, barb.

your pal,
blake

Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:56:09a, Steve Pope told us...

[gilled cheese sandwich in olive oil]

>> Such a cheese sandwich would be pretty common in my household
>> and I kinda doubt I'm entirely alone. At least among people
>> in California, people of southern European persuasion, etc.

>Then is simply that we're coming from different places, both geographically
>and culturally. I'll still take my grilled cheese with butter. :-)

Not a problem. I'm mostly reacting to the earlier comment, from
elsewhere, of "EW" with respect to the olive oil version. It is
really good also.

Steve

"Pugsley" > wrote


>
> Please define "too much butter"


Look it up on Wikipedia. It's right there with too much money and too much
fun.

TFM®

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> Lynn from Fargo wrote:
>> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
>> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
>> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
>> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
>> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
>> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
>> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
>> Lynn in Fargo
>> (Too much time on my hands :-)
>>
>
> I've done it both ways, if your butter is rock hard, save yourself some
> trouble and just melt it in the pan. OTOH, don't use butter either way -
> use mayo instead. Your results will come out tastier and nicer looking. Of
> course, you'll have to spread it on the bread first.

I must try this.

TFM®

On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:30:04p, Steve Pope told us...

> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:56:09a, Steve Pope told us...
>
>>> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>>>>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 10:50:20a, Steve Pope told us...
>
>>>>> A good French or sourdough bread, fried briefly in olive oil, is
>>>>> awesome. IMO, etc.
>
>>>> I would agree, but then we're not talking about grilled cheese
>>>> sandwiches, or at least I'm not.
>
>>> I am. Such a cheese sandwich would be pretty common in my household
>>> and I kinda doubt I'm entirely alone. At least among people in
>>> California, people of southern European persuasion, etc.
>
>>Such a cheese sandwich would be totally foreign in my household, and I'd
>>still say you're in the minority in the US.
>
> US overall, sure, you're right. Around here where I live, not
> so sure. Cooking with butter is the norm in France, I suspect
> in much of northern Europe, and the midwestern U.S. -- the
> dairy belt. But olive oil is totally common in Mexico, California,
> southern Europe (especially Italy, Spain, and Greece), and the
> Middle East.
>
>> A good bread, French, Italian, or Sourdough, briefly fried
>> in olive oil and perhaps with herbs, would be common in many places,
>> including my household (but not with cheese).
>
> It requires a little more care because there is more probability
> of cheese melt-through due to the larger air pockets in these
> French breads. (In Italian, "pane" rather than "pane in
> casetta", the latter being bread baked in a loaf pan rather
> than on a sheet.)
>
> I've cooked many a grilled cheese in olive oil and have never,
> ever received any complaints.

And I've cooked probably hundreds of "traditional" grilled cheese
sandwiches in my 64 years using butter on white bread with either American
cheese or milk cheddar and have never received any complaints. Usually
people want more than one.

I'd say it's a draw... :-)



--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Fri 20 Mar 2009 03:22:39p, Steve Pope told us...

> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>>On Wed 18 Mar 2009 11:56:09a, Steve Pope told us...
>
> [gilled cheese sandwich in olive oil]
>
>>> Such a cheese sandwich would be pretty common in my household
>>> and I kinda doubt I'm entirely alone. At least among people in
>>> California, people of southern European persuasion, etc.
>
>>Then is simply that we're coming from different places, both
>>geographically and culturally. I'll still take my grilled cheese with
>>butter. :-)
>
> Not a problem. I'm mostly reacting to the earlier comment, from
> elsewhere, of "EW" with respect to the olive oil version. It is
> really good also.
>
> Steve
>

As you know, it wasn't me who said "EW". :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

TFM® wrote:
>
>
> "dsi1" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Lynn from Fargo wrote:
>>> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
>>> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
>>> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
>>> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
>>> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
>>> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
>>> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
>>> Lynn in Fargo
>>> (Too much time on my hands :-)
>>>
>>
>> I've done it both ways, if your butter is rock hard, save yourself
>> some trouble and just melt it in the pan. OTOH, don't use butter
>> either way - use mayo instead. Your results will come out tastier and
>> nicer looking. Of course, you'll have to spread it on the bread first.
>
> I must try this.

I can scarcely believe that I'm the only one that does this, that's weird!

>
> TFM®

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> Lynn from Fargo wrote:
>> We have pretty well beaten the which cheese/which bread question to
>> death. I've got a burning question . . . The Splendid Table e-
>> Newsletter has a neat recipe for grilled ham and cheese. LRK says to
>> melt butter in the pan and cook the sandwich in the butter. I have
>> ALWAYS buttered the bread first and then put the sandwich into the hot
>> pan. What do you do??? And if you put the butter in the pan first,
>> doesn't it make the sandwich just suck up too much butter>
>> Lynn in Fargo
>> (Too much time on my hands :-)
>>
>
> I've done it both ways, if your butter is rock hard, save yourself some
> trouble and just melt it in the pan. OTOH, don't use butter either way -
> use mayo instead. Your results will come out tastier and nicer looking. Of
> course, you'll have to spread it on the bread first.



When I got to SC in 2007 my mother was going to make us grilled cheese
sandwiches. She put butter AND 'Miracle Whip' salad dressing on the bread.
Oh no, don't you dare put that on mine! I can't stand that stuff. I'm not
a fan of mayonaisse, either.

Jill

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:25:47 -0400, TFM® wrote:

> "Pugsley" > wrote
>
>>
>> Please define "too much butter"
>
> Look it up on Wikipedia. It's right there with too much money and too much
> fun.
>
> TFM®

Too much fun, that's news to me
Too much fun, there must be
A whole lotta things that I never done
But I ain't never had too much fun

<http://www.rhapsody.com/player?type=track&id=tra.2276320&remote=false&page =&pageregion=&guid=&from=&hasrhapx=false&__pcode =>

your pal,
bill k.

jmcquown wrote:

>
> When I got to SC in 2007 my mother was going to make us grilled cheese
> sandwiches. She put butter AND 'Miracle Whip' salad dressing on the
> bread. Oh no, don't you dare put that on mine! I can't stand that
> stuff. I'm not a fan of mayonaisse, either.

I can dig that. I thought mayo was kinda gross for most of my life.
Nowdays, I like to think of it as an emulsified colloid of eggs and oil.
Eggs and oil, those are good things, right?

The truth is that nobody would be able to identify that you used mayo in
this way. Mostly, you'll have a more attractive grilled cheese sandwich.

Miracle Wipe is an interesting product and very aptly named cause it's a
Miracle that it's being sold in stores. Most sales probably come from
folks that mistake it for mayo - a mistake I have made once before.
Threw that sucker out right quick...

>
> Jill

In article >,
dsi1 > wrote:

> jmcquown wrote:
>
> >
> > When I got to SC in 2007 my mother was going to make us grilled cheese
> > sandwiches. She put butter AND 'Miracle Whip' salad dressing on the
> > bread. Oh no, don't you dare put that on mine! I can't stand that
> > stuff. I'm not a fan of mayonaisse, either.
>
> I can dig that. I thought mayo was kinda gross for most of my life.
> Nowdays, I like to think of it as an emulsified colloid of eggs and oil.
> Eggs and oil, those are good things, right?
>
> The truth is that nobody would be able to identify that you used mayo in
> this way. Mostly, you'll have a more attractive grilled cheese sandwich.
>
> Miracle Wipe is an interesting product and very aptly named cause it's a
> Miracle that it's being sold in stores. Most sales probably come from
> folks that mistake it for mayo - a mistake I have made once before.
> Threw that sucker out right quick...
>
> >
> > Jill

It seems to be a regional thing, but I still run into people even around
here that love miracle whip. Oddly enough, it's not bad for some
recipes (I personally don't purchase it) and I have a friend that uses
it to make deviled eggs. They are some of the tastiest I've ever had.
;-d
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

dsi1 wrote:
> I can dig that. I thought mayo was kinda gross for most of my life.
> Nowdays, I like to think of it as an emulsified colloid of eggs and
> oil. Eggs and oil, those are good things, right?
>
> The truth is that nobody would be able to identify that you used mayo
> in this way. Mostly, you'll have a more attractive grilled cheese
> sandwich.
>
> Miracle Wipe is an interesting product and very aptly named cause it's
> a Miracle that it's being sold in stores. Most sales probably come
> from folks that mistake it for mayo - a mistake I have made once
> before. Threw that sucker out right quick...


We use mayo and Miracle Whip because we like both. People in the south
love Miracle Whip, iced tea, pimento cheese. We even put butter on
rice. ;-)


Becca

Becca wrote:
> dsi1 wrote:
>> I can dig that. I thought mayo was kinda gross for most of my life.
>> Nowdays, I like to think of it as an emulsified colloid of eggs and
>> oil. Eggs and oil, those are good things, right?
>>
>> The truth is that nobody would be able to identify that you used mayo
>> in this way. Mostly, you'll have a more attractive grilled cheese
>> sandwich.
>>
>> Miracle Wipe is an interesting product and very aptly named cause it's
>> a Miracle that it's being sold in stores. Most sales probably come
>> from folks that mistake it for mayo - a mistake I have made once
>> before. Threw that sucker out right quick...
>
>
> We use mayo and Miracle Whip because we like both. People in the south
> love Miracle Whip, iced tea, pimento cheese. We even put butter on
> rice. ;-)

Iced tea is good. My condolence on all the rest. Then again, we dig
Spam. I guess that pretty much makes us even. :-)

>
>
> Becca