The grilled cheese sandwich is classic American comfort food. A recent poll that I came across said that in the United States, households that buy sliced cheese make at least one grilled cheese sandwich per month.
And while I admit that I make far more than that myself, it is comforting knowing that there is something Americans can actually agree on.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are simply awesome.
But where does this sandwich come from?
While cheese and bread have long been a staple of the human diet, this particular dish is a bit more modern.
You see, it wasn’t until James L. Kraft created his pasteurized processed cheese in Chicago in the early 1900s that grilled cheese sandwiches became a simple dish to prepare. Before this cheese needed to be bought and used within the same day before it spoiled, so Kraft created a product that wasn’t prone to spoiling and could easily be shipped around the country.
Then, in 1949 when the Kraft company introduced Kraft singles, those handy pre-packaged slices, grilled cheese became the lunch and dinner staple we know it as today today.
In this podcast, you can learn more about the history of this simple little sandwich. And here's a recipe for the most epic grilled cheese ever.
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YouCanHas Cheeseburger (A Copy of the Brunch Box Recipe)
Yields 2 burgers
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, halved, sliced
- 1/2” thick 6 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 slices brioche bread
- 8 slices American cheese
- Green leaf lettuce
- Tomato, sliced
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
Instructions
- Preheat a cast iron griddle over medium low heat. Add two tablespoons of butter to the griddle. Place the onions on the griddle. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the onions and toss/stir with a spatula. Let the onions cook down until softened and lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Remove the onions from the griddle.
- Assemble the grilled cheese sandwiches with two slices of cheese between two slices of bread for each sandwich.
- Form the ground beef into two equal sized balls.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the griddle. When the butter is melted place the sandwiches on the butter. Cook until golden brown, then flip. Remove when golden brown on both sides. Increase the heat to high to for browning the burgers.
- Place the balls of ground beef on the griddle at the same time as the sandwiches. Place a small sheet of parchment on top of each ball and press the burger out flat with a spatula until the burger is slightly larger than the size of the bread of the sandwich. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook until a crust is formed and the bottom is browned, then flip. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF. Remove from the griddle.
- To assemble the sandwiches, spread one grilled cheese sandwich with the mayonnaise. Top with the griddled onions, then the burger, followed by the lettuce and tomato. Top it off with the a second grilled cheese sandwich spread with ketchup.
