Grilled Cheese

The grilled cheese, and its derivatives, are fantastic. The standard grilled cheese; cheese in bread with a layer of butter on the outside, fried to perfection and dipped in Ketchup, is an amazing sandwich. But, how did the grilled cheese get so locked up with Ketchup? It is good to dip in anything!

You can change the grilled cheese in so many ways! Lets take a look at everything you can add to it:
Bread: I like brown bread, whole grain or roman meal but of course white bread is standard. You can also use hard breads or even french toast to make it a Monte Cristo.
Cheese: I guess the processed cheese is standard but I especially like Havarti. Gouda, Mozzarella and Cheddar are all pretty common. If you are using a hard bread I recommend some Camembert for an interesting flavour mixture.
Butter or Margarine is a heated debate that I cannot solve in just one post. I will say this. Butter tastes better but is more likely to burn. Margarine is healthier and easier to cook.
Vegetables: This is not a limiting list but Onions, Tomatoes and peppers are my personal favourites. If you plan to use a roast beef (especially anything rare) I suggest pickles.
Meats: Almost all meat is okay. You want to make sure it is thin and not too greasy or the sandwich will fall apart. This means bacon is great but be sure to remove excess grease. Frying the sandwich in the greasy bacon pan is acceptable. I have learned to love Nama Hamu (raw ham) since being in Japan but any ham is good. With tomatoes and bacon perhaps some turkey breast would give you the feeling of a club grilled cheese. Wow. That sounds amazing. Spicy pastrami or corned beef is probably my favourite.
Now for dipping: Ketchup is good but it is not your only option. I recommend Maple Syrup for the Monte Cristo or anything with Camembert. For anything with a spicy meat on it, you need to match it with a coarse mustard. It is the only way to do it justice. For your ham (raw or roasted) I suggest pizza sauce. Finally for something in a mozzarella with onions, The only way to sauce it up right is with left over curry (a lil east meets west action). You dip that sandwich in some curry and you have yourself a meal! Anything with tomatoes on it becomes dipping sauce optional. I also like gravy and au jus. These are extremely unhealthy and therefore you risk a heart attack if you eat them before 8 am. After that it is no problem.
Cooking. The frying pan is standard but if you want to cut out the fatty butter you can always use a toaster oven. There is also what I call the five cent welfare special; cheese whiz on white bread heated in the microwave. Oh those remind me of a simpler time.