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| Big the Turkey |
I burn grilled cheese all the time. And set off the smoke alarms. I've tried lower heat, my big griddle . . . I don't know what my problem is. But, thanks to Pinterest, I have a new solution that makes this crazy easy. If you've all discovered this ages ago, sorry (and why didn't you tell me sooner??).
Here's the gamechanger: You're going to make your grilled cheese in the oven and you're going to make 4-6 at once. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it - I use olive oil spray, you can use another non-stick cooking spray, or you could butter it.
Lay one layer of bread and top with the cheese of your choice. Slices are fine and shredded cheese is fine - whatever you have. If you want other fillings, or any other spread on the bread, that's ok too (my husband likes dijon mustard on the bread, basil and a couple kinds of cheese).
Top with another piece of bread. Spray the tops of the bread with more olive oil (or butter them or something). Lay another piece of foil on the top of the sandwiches and then set another baking sheet on top. The heavier the baking sheet, the better. You're basically making a panini press out of them.
Stick it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Peeking is ok and flipping is not necessary. You want them nice and brown without burning. Mine turned out perfectly!! Brown, crispy on the edges, melty in the middle - yum! It's not a turkey, but it's a legit way to feed the hungry masses. And it goes good with leftover pecan pie or apple pie!
One of my largest cooking fails ever was shortly after Doug & I were married. His brother had come over on a Saturday to help with some projects and I decided to make grilled cheese, something I had never had issues with in the past. So, on went the stove, down went the sandwiches onto the new griddle, and almost immediately, black went the outside of the bread. This was not just burnt, this was absolutely solid black. I was used to gas burners and electric is VERY different. The cheese was still cold. I now can manage a decent grilled cheese even on my electric stovetop (Key: medium low heat. Takes forever, but it works) but that was pretty embarrassing as the first meal I cooked for my brother-in-law. He was unmarried at the time and really got a kick out of it. Ahh. Such memories. :-) I may have to try the oven method sometime. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story . . . and the difference between electric and gas is huge. I have no such excuse - it's probably impatience and having the heat too high. My kids tell people, "my mom sets off the smoke alarm when she cooks." At least it's not all the time!
DeleteNow THAT is a good idea! Never tried it but I will... I burn Grilled Cheese about half the time I make it....Grrr....it would be yummy to sprinkle some Parm on the top too to make it sort of yummy and crusty too! Easier to do that in the oven than on the grill pan.
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