Some cheeses are much more suitable for grilled cheese sandwiches as they have better melting qualities.
Cheeses with a high fat and high moisture content such as Mozzarella or Taleggio melt well at a relatively lowtemperature (around 55 degrees). Other cheeses that are much lower in moisture like Parmesan or Manchego
melt at a much higher temperature (about 82 degrees) and will never produce that stringy melt associated with
grilled cheese sandwiches. There are also some cheeses that are set using acid rather than rennet and because
of this will never melt but rather just harden when heated as the moisture evaporates, these include fresh
goat’s cheese, ricotta and halloumi among others. It is worth keeping this in mind when making your
sandwiches.

In the recipe introductions there are sometimes suggestions for cheeses that could be substituted should you
not have the cheese called for. The general rule is that you can replace similar textured cheeses with one
another, such as Gruyère for Comté or Camembert for Brie. Flavours may vary but the effect you are after will
often be the same, so don’t feel too restricted if you can’t find one particular cheese; just follow this rule and
pick another. Most blue cheeses are interchangeable with one another.
If you are after the classic oozing, stringy grilled cheese sandwich then the cheeses that do this particularly
well are:

Mozzarella
Monterey Jack
Ogleshield
Fontina
Havarti
Gouda
Asiago
Taleggio
Provolone
Gruyère
Comté
Emmental
Raclette
Muenster
Jarlsberg
Cheddar

At other times you might choose a cheese not just for the melting qualities but also for flavour or suitability for
the recipe. Other cheeses that can be used in these instances are:
Manchego
Goat’s cheese
Parmesan
Brie
Camembert
Époisses
Reblochon
Stilton
Roquefort
Gorgonzola
Danish blue
Cream cheese
Mascarpone
Ricotta
Labneh
Burrata
Ossau-Iraty
Edam

THE GRILLED CHEESE CLUB SANDWICH
An absolute American classic. Serve with potato chips for that authentic experience.

SERVES 1
PREP TIME 10 mins
COOK TIME 10–12 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 rashers smoked streaky bacon
3 slices white farmhouse bread
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
2 slices roast chicken or turkey
½ tomato, sliced
3 tablespoons grated Gouda
2 romaine lettuce leaves, stalk end trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE (OPTIONAL)
Potato chips

1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes each
side. Drain on a piece of kitchen paper.
2 Toast one slice of the bread. Spread the other 2 slices with the butter and turn them over. Mix the mustard
and mayonnaise together and spread on both slices of bread.
3 Top one slice of bread with the chicken or turkey, tomato and cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Place
the toasted slice on top and then the bacon and lettuce on top of this. Top with the final piece of bread,
butter side up.