We ask comfort food eatery Babamoo how to make the best grilled cheese
Did you know that April is grilled cheese month?
Now is the best time to appreciate the simple yet delicious sandwich. Seriously, how beautiful is grilled cheese? With its crispy bread providing a light crunchy bite and oozy cheesey goodness telling you everything will be okay... no wonder it deserves a month.
The humble grilled cheese falls right into comfort food restaurant BabaMoo's domain and they decided to celebrate the month with their own range of sandwiches that we head out to try.
While we were there, we decided to pick their brains on what one needs to make the perfect grilled cheese and got some pretty decent tips.
1) Butter the exterior only
The best grilled cheese has a golden crisp on the outside that delivers a much needed crunch to the sandwich's rich texture and adds to its visual appeal. Just look at BabaMoo's buffalo chicken grilled cheese. It delivered a crunch extremely satisfying and the flavours within weren't all mushed up.
To achieve this it's best to butter the exterior before it hits the grill, and only the exterior. If you butter the inner side you risk the bread becoming too soggy and also it doesn't allow for the cheese to stick to the bread.
2) Layer the sandwich on the grill
You might be tempted to construct a sandwich and then toss it on the grill but did you know the best trick is to layer while on the pan?
BabaMoo's signature pulled beef and turkey bacon grilled cheese, which is a must try btw, is made on the grill, one layer at a time. It prevents the bread from soaking up the sauces within the sandwich before being grilled and makes for a fresher sandwich.
3) Use the right cheese
If you use the right cheese, any combo can work. BabaMoo proves it with their Nutella grilled cheese. Yeap, that's what it is, but hear me out. I was unsure about this sandwich until I tried it and genuinely was surprised at how good it is.
For this, they use mozzarella and say that's what makes it work. While another sandwich would have a different blend of cheeses, that wouldn't have blended well with the Nutella. Using the right quality of cheese will take your sandwich up to another level.
4) Keep the flame low and be patient
It's tempting to put the heat on high and quickly be done with the tedious job of cooking. After all, a grilled cheese sandwich is a quick fix, right?
You can actually risk a bad sandwich with a burnt exterior when you cook on high. BabaMoo's grilled cheese doughnut with vanilla glaze - their original creation - has taught us that cooking on a low flame and taking your time will be more rewarding in the end and I assure you, your sandwich will still be a quick fix, just longer than what you're used to and yummier.