Grilled Cheese Goes Beyond Cheese

We don’t need to be the ones to tell you there’s no science to a grilled cheese. For a Classic American Grilled Cheese, simply slather slices of white bread with some butter, pile on the American cheese and get it on the griddle. Things start to get more interesting, however, when your ingredient list broadens beyond just one cheese, bringing on a whole new spectrum of flavor.

Food Stylist: Anne Disrude 
Prop Stylist: Leslie Siegel

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Food Stylist: Anne Disrude Prop Stylist: Leslie Siegel ,Food Stylist: Anne Disrude Prop Stylist: Leslie Siegel

Photo by: Andrew McCaul

Andrew McCaul

Let’s start on the grilled sandwich that focuses on the cheese itself: This Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese recipe by Food Network Magazine stacks cheddar, Swiss and American before heating to melted perfection. Forgoing slices, Rachael Ray’s garlic-buttered Grilled 4-Cheese Sandwiches come laden with four shredded varieties — provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan and Asiago.

Food Stylist: Anne Disrude
Prop Stylist: Marcus Hay

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Food Stylist: Anne Disrude Prop Stylist: Marcus Hay

Photo by: Con Poulos

Con Poulos

More often than not, the supreme grilled cheese is achieved using two simple ingredients: cheese and juicy tomatoes. Food Network Magazine’s Open-Faced Tomato Grilled Cheese renounces that extra dose of bread.

Food stylist: Jamie Kimm
Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

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Food stylist: Jamie Kimm Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

And its Triple Grilled Cheese With Tomato Soup pairs the sandwich with its consummate match.

Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero

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Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero

Photo by: Sam Kaplan

Sam Kaplan

Add meat to the traditional grilled cheese for a well-rounded sandwich. Ina Garten’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese for Food Network Magazine fuses bacon and two kinds of cheese, while its Corned Beef Grilled Cheese comes together with spicy whole grain mustard, grated Jarlsberg and freshly sliced deli meat.

Food Stylist: Jamie Kimm
Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

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Food Stylist: Jamie Kimm Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

Food Network Magazine’s Ham-Taleggio Grilled Cheese counters the salt of the meat with the sweet crunch of green apple.

Food Stylist: Brett Kurzweil

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Food Stylist: Brett Kurzweil

Photo by: James Wojcik

James Wojcik

For an upscale take on the lunchtime favorite, Jeff Mauro’s Squash, Manchego and Balsamic-Onion Grilled Cheese uses home-roasted, maple-infused squash.

His French Onion Grilled Cheese piles homemade caramelized onions and Gruyere on sourdough for a handheld rendition of the classic soup.

Anne Disrude
Marina Malchin

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Anne Disrude Marina Malchin

Two forms of fig, creamy brie and fluffy challah create the bulk of Sandra Lee’s elegant Double-Decker Truffled Grilled Cheese.

Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero

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Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero

Photo by: Sam Kaplan

Sam Kaplan

Never knew grilled cheese had a sweet side? Food Network Magazine’s Camembert-Apple Grilled Cheese With Salted Caramel comes on a baguette and is accompanied by an indulgent dipping sauce.

We know the slicing stage can be a contentious moment, so we’ll leave that part up to you. Whether cut in triangles or rectangles, rest assured that the flavor is all there.

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