The Foolproof Way To Make Grilled Cheese Sandwiches For A Crowd
Favorite sandwich lists often elevate well-known regional specialties. For example, Philadelphia debates its most essential sandwich, roast pork or cheesesteak and in New York, a pastrami on rye sandwich is a popular choice, But, YouGovAmerica found a way to cut through all the provincial bias. They asked their poll takers to rate sandwiches on a likeability scale. The humble grilled cheese came out on top. A whopping 79% of respondents said a grilled cheese was a sandwich they "like" or "somewhat like." A lobster roll mustered a measly 35% likeability.
It's tough to beat a grilled cheese and a bowl of soup. Whether you dip your sandwich into Creamy Tomato Soup or Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup, there's usually a disparity between serving portions of these perfect pairings. Soup is often made by the gallon, enough to easily fill a dozen bowls. But, those bowls of soup will be lucky to be lukewarm while waiting for a dozen grilled cheese to come off the griddle. There has to be a better way to feed a crowd.
An oven makes grilled cheese for a crowd easy
"Grilled" has always been a bit of a misnomer. "Griddled" is more like it. But, since our favorite grilled sandwich doesn't end up on a grill, where else can it land? The oven.
Parade shares helpful hack to make multiple sandwiches at once. Start by preheating two rimmed baking sheets in a 450-degree Fahrenheit oven. While those preheat, prepare as many sandwiches that will fit onto the baking sheet. Be sure to add the fat of your choice to each side of the sandwich, like butter or mayo. Pull one sheet pan out and onto a cooling rack, load with sandwiches, top with the second baking sheet, and return this to the oven. In ten to fifteen minutes, the sandwiches will have melted and turned golden brown. It's a good idea to flip the sandwiches halfway through cooking to ensure even browning. In the end, you've got eight to ten sandwiches and only two pans to toss into the dishwasher.
This technique doesn't mean you can't include your favorite grilled cheese hacks. You can still avoid soggy grilled cheese.
Upgrade your crowd's grilled cheese sandwiches
If you peruse the r/GrilledCheese subreddit you'll find some firm opinions, including that grilled cheese is only three ingredients, "Cheese. Bread with spread (usually butter)." Many cooks aren't so strict. A patty melt might not meet that standard but the same techniques apply. So, with this oven technique, you can do a lot more than just whip up grilled cheese for a crowd. You could knock out a slew of patty melts, or upgrade your Reubens even further by making a handful of them at a time.
Of course, you don't have to go so far as to make these oven-grilled cheese into mile-high melts. There are endless possibilities for making grilled cheese even better. For some other ideas, King Arthur Baking considers every aspect of the grilled cheese. Using different cheese(s) is easy enough. Pondering some fillings beyond ham is a real level-up, too. You can use turkey, chicken, bacon, or whatever your heart desires.