The best way to make grilled cheese
Use 2 slices sandwich bread, 2 ounces grated melting cheese, and 1 tablespoon softened butter. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes per side.
On this page
Grated cheese melts faster and more evenly than thick slices. A lid traps just enough heat to melt the center while controlled burner heat protects the bread.
Which method should you use?
Ingredients and equipment
1 sandwich
Ingredients
Equipment
- Skillet with lid
- Spatula
- Grater, if needed
Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend melts more readily than a thick slab of hard aged cheese.
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Safety boundaries
- Keep the pan handle turned away from the edge.
- Do not add water directly onto hot fat or the sandwich.
- Serve hot cheese carefully; the center can burn even when the bread is cool enough to touch.
Covered medium-low skillet sandwich
Assemble
Spread ½ Tbsp softened butter on each outer face; add 2 oz grated cheese between 2 bread slices.
Look for Cheese reaches the edges without spilling out.
Start covered
Place in a skillet over medium-low heat and cover for 3 minutes.
Look for Bottom is light golden; cheese begins to slump.
3:00 suggested timingFlip
Flip carefully, cover, and cook 2 minutes.
Look for Second side begins browning.
2:00 suggested timingFinish uncovered
Uncover and cook 1–2 minutes per side as needed.
Look for Both sides crisp; cheese fully melted.
1:30 suggested timing
Fix common problems
Using high heat, which burns the bread before 2 ounces of cheese can melt through.
Bread is dark but cheese is firm? Turn the heat low and cover briefly until the cheese melts. Do not add water to hot butter; use a thinner grated-cheese layer next time.
Sandwich is greasy? Use less butter and choose a cheese that melts without releasing excessive oil.
Common questions about this method
Why is the bread dark before the cheese melts?
How do I keep the bread crisp after cooking?
Serve soon after the uncovered finish. If you need to set it down briefly, a rack limits trapped steam better than stacking hot sandwiches on a plate.
Other methods, in full
Open any method to read its preparation and steps side by side with your current choice.
For a batchAbout 25 min
Make four sandwiches with 8 bread slices, 8 ounces grated melting cheese, and 4 tablespoons softened butter on the outsides. At 425°F, bake between two preheated, compatible sheet pans for 6 minutes. Remove the upper pan, flip, and finish uncovered for about 3–5 minutes until golden and melted.
Preparation
4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 8 oz / 225 g grated melting cheese
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
Equipment
- Oven
- 2 compatible rimmed sheet pans
- Spatula
- Dry oven mitts
Check that the second pan can rest over the sandwiches without tipping. Handle both hot pans with dry oven mitts.
Preheat pans
Heat oven to 425°F with two rimmed sheet pans inside for 10 minutes.
Look for Both pans are hot.
10:00 suggested timingAssemble
Build 4 sandwiches with 2 oz grated cheese each and lightly butter the outsides.
Look for Even cheese layer.
Press and bake
Place on one hot pan, cover with the second, and bake 6 minutes.
Look for Bread is flat and beginning to crisp.
6:00 suggested timingFlip and finish
Remove top pan, flip sandwiches, and bake uncovered 3–5 minutes.
Look for Cheese melted; bread golden.
4:00 suggested timing
Adapt to your setup
Sources behind the method
Evidence status: Based on the linked sources. Best Way has not physically tested this method.
Sources open in a new tab. Verify important safety guidance with the linked authority and your product manufacturer.
Based on published sources
Based on the linked sources. Best Way has not physically tested this method.
Updated 2026-09-05. Clarified how lower heat and a lid can finish melting the cheese without adding water to hot butter. Read our testing standards →
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