Martha Stewart’s Simple Trick for the Best Grilled Cheese

There’s nothing like grilled cheese when you need a nostalgic 10-minute lunch to power through the afternoon. You just can’t beat ooey-gooey cheese combined with buttery, grilled bread, especially paired with a warm bowl of tomato soup. I thought I had my grilled cheese down to a science until I stumbled upon Martha Stewart’s method. Forget “Mother knows best;” Martha knows best. 

How Martha Stewart Makes the Best Grilled Cheese

So what’s Martha’s secret for better grilled cheese? Well, she actually has a few of them. For one, she spreads her bread with a combination of mayonnaise and room-temperature butter before grilling.

The butter is a must for that classic grilled cheese flavor, but Martha says the mayonnaise gives the sandwich an “uber-crisp exterior and golden-brown crust.” I love how crunchy the mayo makes the bread and the slight mayo flavor I can taste on the sandwich in addition to the butter. 

For the best blend of flavors, Martha uses a combination of cheddar and American cheese. Specifically, she uses 1 1/2 slices of American cheese and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar for each sandwich.

American cheese—actually a “cheese product” that’s made from a blend of multiple types of cheese—is often regarded as the best cheese for grilled cheese because it has a low melting point, and it melts uniformly. Added in with the creamy American cheese, the hard cheddar gives the sandwich a sharp, nutty flavor. 

For the bread, Martha uses fresh-sliced sourdough. The sourdough makes the sandwich feel more elevated, and its tangy flavor contrasts the rich cheese nicely. The large slices of sourdough also provide a larger surface for the cheese, making it less likely to overflow. 

Tips for Trying Martha Stewart’s Grilled Cheese

• Cheese: You can use pre-shredded American cheese, but it may be harder to find than slices. Alternatively, if you’d rather not use American cheese, swap it with another option that complements the cheddar, like Gouda.
• Grilling: Martha uses a cast-iron skillet to make her sandwich, grilling for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on each side. However, you can also use a non-stick pan, George Foreman grill, or panini press.
• Flavors: Take inspiration from another Martha Stewart recipe—“Grown-Up Grilled Cheese”—and add toppings like Dijon mustard, basil, fruit preserves, or sliced apple to your sandwich.