This recipe is simple and has flavor, visual appeal and craveability.
After making this a few times, try different types of breads and cheeses.
Try adding slices of prosciutto or smoked ham or grilled vegetables.
I like to serve bitesize squares of grilled cheese as croutons to dunk into cream of tomato or cream of mushroom soup... amazing!
A Beginner’s Guide to Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese may be thought of as one of the simplest sandwiches to make, but mastering it is a challenge. I've practiced this recipe to offer an almost foolproof recipe...
It's a cooking lesson in heat control, texture, and balance.
When I teach beginners, I start with grilled cheese because it demonstrates key cooking principles: how to properly heat a pan, how fat adds flavor and conducts heat, browning reaction, and how cheese melts.
With just a few delicious ingredients and a little attention, you can turn an everyday sandwich into something crisp, gooey, and deeply satisfying... delicious.
In this post, we’ll look at the fundamentals — choosing the right bread, selecting a good melting cheese, and cooking at the proper temperature — so even a first-time cook can create a grilled cheese worth remembering.
Grilled Cheese
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Yield: 1 portion
Ingredients
2 ea Bread slices (you can choose ciabatta, sourdough, etc... pick your favorite)
2 slices Cheese (American, Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc...) try using two cheeses in the same sandwich
3 Tbsp Butter, lightly salted
Step 1
Set up mise en place of the bread, cheese and butter. Place the cheese onto one slice of bread and place the second slice of bread on top to make a sandwich.
Note-you can add a slice of ham or tomato or bacon etc... if you like.
Warm a small pan (I like teflon for grilled cheese) and add butter to melt.
Step 2
Add the cheese 'sandwich' to the pan, into the melted butter. Let the bottom slice of bread absorb the butter for one minute and invert the sandwich so there is butter on both sides. Be careful, it will be warm to hot.
Note-you could butter the bread before adding to the pan but I find the bread tears too easily.
Step 3
Use a rubber spatula to flip the grilled cheese sandwich, you can peek to see how quickly the bread is browning. (it will brown in about 1 minute so peeking is advised). Carefully flip the sandwich and move the pan from the heat. The pan is hot enough to brown the other side.
Note-cook at medium heat so there is time for the cheese to melt. If you have the heat too hot, the cheese will not melt.
Step 4
Split the sandwich and enjoy.
I recently volunteered to prepare vegetable paella for a church Bible group potluck. I was very excited to develop a delicious, new paella recipe and spent time preparing fresh vegetable stock with flavors of the Mediterranean. I always prepare vegetable and fish stocks fresh, as I intend to use them. I’m not a fan of bases or frozen stocks but I sometimes add a small amount of quality base to my stocks. A vegetable stock with mirepoix, cabbage, mushrooms makes sense in certain applications, for certain recipes—but why would we use a mushroom or cabbage-forward stock in a paella? It doesn’t make culinary sense. Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain as a humble meal cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed wonderful paella meals in Valencia prepared with water-not stock, prepared with rabbit, snails and local beans. While traveling through Spain this spring I researched and sampled many styles of paella… no mushrooms, no carrots, no celery and no cabbage.
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.
Chefs often share a bond that transcends politics, religion, and borders. While working in Saudi Arabia with a diverse group of chefs, I experienced this firsthand on my final day. To mark the occasion, they prepared special dishes representing their home countries—a generous feast rooted in tradition and pride. At the center of the table was a beautiful tray of stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbages, squash, and other vegetables, each prepared with care and respect. As we shared the meal, the chefs beamed with pride, and the room filled with a sense of genuine camaraderie. It was a powerful reminder that food remains one of the most universal languages we have.
I remember a chef teaching me to carefully slice the center seeds from a zucchini and then prepare beautiful dices for a ratatouilli. The seeds and center area get soft and mushy before the outer 'meaty' section of the squash cooks.
Lobster macaroni and cheese is my all time favorite version of Mac and Cheese... I make it by preparing a classic lobster sauce, (flambé and all) and blending it with Béchamel sauce, macaroni and sweet, tender chunks of freshly poached lobster. Macaroni and cheese with pancetta
Culinary Basics: The Art of preparing Stocks
Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain. It is a humble meal, originally cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed many wonderful paella meals in Spain. In Valencia I had a local paella with rabbit, snails and local beans. Short-grained rice is always used to prepare Paella, there are several great Spanish varieties like Bomba and Calasparra , prized for absorbing the delicious, flavorful stock and flavors of the ingredients without getting mushy. This is important for creating the dish's signature, crusty bottom layer called the socarrat. Paella is all about the rice!
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.
Beef Wellington is a restaurant classic! Chefs prepare whole tenderloins, wrapped in pastry as well as individually portioned Wellingtons. Culinary historians widely agree that Beef Wellington evolved from French preparations such as filet de bœuf en croûte, which paired beef tenderloin with mushrooms and pastry—techniques well established in French haute cuisine.
Oranges are fantastic in Baking & Pastry. I developed a delicious dessert for the CMC exam (Healthy Cooking) challenge featuring Orange Creamsicle Sorbet with Roasted, Candied Pineapple and Fruit Strudel... with plenty of guidance from the amazing CIA Pastry Instructors! Types of Oranges: There are several distinct varieties of oranges, each with unique characteristics and flavors. The most common type is the Navel orange , recognized for its seedless, sweet flesh and thick, easy-to-peel skin. Valencia oranges are another popular variety, primarily known for their juiciness and are often used for making orange juice. Other notable types include Blood oranges , which have a deep red interior and a distinct berry-like flavor, and Cara Cara oranges , characterized by their pinkish-red flesh and sweet taste. Additionally, Seville oranges , known for their bitterness, are mainly used in making marmalade and flavoring liqueurs.