When I look at a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich, I always lament at the ingredient list – the cheese used can just be so expensive. Yet I’ve stumbled across a great hack that doesn’t leave my wallet dry and empty. In fact, you might even have the ingredient on hand right now!
Enter mayonnaise. Weird, I know. Mayonnaise in grilled cheese? It sounds like a hard pass, but hear me out… Spreading both sides of the bread with mayonnaise guarantees you a golden grilled cheese and no buttering is required. With mayonnaise, you’ll get an ooey-gooey cheese filling, without any fancy cheese in sight.
You’ll see from the video below that even restaurant chefs turn to this culinary trick.
Why does mayonnaise make grilled cheese so tasty? There are two factors. A grilled cheese sandwich with mayonnaise isn’t going to burn (I mean unless you forget about it in the pan, then it will burn). The oil in mayonnaise has a higher smoke point so the grilled cheese can be cooked at a higher temperature for longer compared to when you use butterfat.
The second reason is when mayonnaise is spread on the inside of the bread, the cheese melts better. Drier or less expensive cheeses will blend with the mayonnaise creating an interior “cheese sauce” of sorts. These two factors result in a crispy exterior and warm gooey interior.
Though I’m not going to bash butter, I’m definitely going to be using this mayonnaise hack. Finally, no more burnt exteriors or cold hard interiors. No more need to waste time softening butter. But the best benefit is that you won’t need the fanciest of cheeses to make an amazing grilled cheese sandwich!