Grilled cheese may be the ultimate comfort food, and there are many reasons why it remains a classic. This warm, cheesy sandwich can be enjoyed by itself or paired with a creamy tomato soup. Also, the recipe is straightforward enough that you don't need to be a good cook to master a grilled cheese. However, there is a hack to this simple sandwich that could take it to a whole other level. If you think cheese, bread, and butter are all you need to create this sandwich, you may be mistaken. In this video, we'll give you the secret ingredient you should be using on your grilled cheese.
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00:00A classic grilled cheese sandwich is one of life's simplest pleasures, but there's one
00:05easy tweak that takes it to the next level.
00:07This incredibly simple hack, endorsed by celebrity chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton, among
00:13others, uses an ingredient found in almost every refrigerator in the U.S.
00:18None other than our old friend mayonnaise.
00:21According to Ms. Hamilton, all you need to do is skip the typical butter application
00:25and coat the outside of your bread with mayonnaise instead.
00:28You don't need to put any butter or mayo in the pan, either, just be sure to use a
00:32non-stick surface.
00:34Fry the grilled cheese sandwich on one side until it's golden brown on the bottom, then
00:39simply flip and fry until the other side is golden brown as well.
00:43Perfection.
00:44Hot cheese!
00:45Thank you!
00:47So why mayo instead of butter?
00:49For starters, it's creamy and much easier to spread evenly, which is especially helpful
00:54when your bread is soft or crumbly.
00:56Also, PureWow points out that mayonnaise has a higher smoke point than butter, which
01:01means that it won't burn as easily.
01:03Good news for anyone who's ever looked away from the pan for just a second and turned
01:07back to find their bread an unappetizing shade of black.
01:11Food Network sandwich king Jeff Mauro distills what mayo brings to a grilled cheese like
01:16this.
01:17It's eggs and oil, so the eggs give it some body, nice color to it, and the oil makes
01:22it pleasantly, you know, greasy.
01:25One warning, though, this heavenly mayo hack won't give you the greasy goodness you crave
01:30unless you're using the full-fat version of the condiment.
01:33While there's no shame in having a jar of light mayo in the fridge, the fact remains
01:37that its number one ingredient is water, which will make your grilled cheese sandwich kind
01:42of soggy.
01:43It also won't brown up so nicely.
01:45So for all your cheese-grilling purposes, only regular mayonnaise will do.
01:50You can, however, use flavored full-fat mayonnaise with great success.
01:55According to The Takeout, mayo varieties such as sriracha, chipotle, and aioli can make
02:00your simple homemade sammy taste like it came from a gourmet food truck.
02:04As a bonus, you get all that extra taste without running the risk of any goopiness from added
02:09condiments.
02:10You can even try making your own flavored mayos with herbs and spices of your choice
02:15to complement your cheese selections.
02:17As to how a mayo-fried grilled cheese sandwich will taste, The Kitchen's Dana Veldin described
02:22the one she made as having, quote, a delicious crust that offered a rich, slightly tangy
02:27flavor, and claimed that it would be her go-to grilled cheese technique from now on.
02:32But what if you absolutely can't do without some butter in your sandwich?
02:36Perhaps you share the belief of some of the great chefs that butter makes everything better.
02:40You don't spare on the butter, do you?
02:42No, I'm not a big fan of sparing on anything.
02:45Fear not, butter fans.
02:46It turns out that compromise is possible.
02:49Southern Kitchen suggests you can still use the mayo-frying hack and also add just a little
02:54dab of butter to the pan before you slide that sandwich in.
02:58Once it has browned on one side, add more butter as you flip.
03:02While the addition of butter will, once again, raise that smoke point, and with it the danger
03:06of a blackened sandwich, if you're willing to keep a close eye on your cooking, you can
03:11have the crispy mayo crust plus that little bit of added buttery goodness.
03:15Really, any grilled cheese sandwich recipe will be improved by this mayo hack, no matter
03:20what's inside.
03:21What are you waiting for?