The Secret To A Grilled Cheese With A Perfectly Melty Center

A grilled cheese sandwich is the quintessential comfort food, supplying a cheesy savory flavor and an unbeatable textural contrast. If the textural goal is maximum opposition between toasted, crunchy bread and a melted center, a grilled cheese that's raw or solid inside is a tragic failure. The secret to a grilled cheese with a perfectly melty center every time is mayonnaise.

We've settled the debate on whether mayo or butter is better for a grilled cheese in favor of mayo. But here we're not talking about spreading the mayonnaise on the outside of the bread. We're suggesting that you also add a slather of seasoned mayonnaise between the layers of sliced cheese. Once you've spread mayo across the outside of your slices of bread, add a slice or two of cheese, followed by a dollop of seasoned mayonnaise, another couple of cheese slices and that top slice of bread before grilling your sandwich. 

Mayonnaise will add a creamy consistency and help bind the cheese together as it melts for that ultimate gooey center that we all crave in a great sandwich. Consisting of oil, eggs, and a dash of vinegar, mayo also offers a tangy finish that'll help balance the richness of the cheese. Since you're already using it to toast your bread, mayo isn't an extra ingredient you have to shell out extra for in your quest for the perfect grilled cheese. Plus, since it's an emulsifier and a binding agent, you can use its cohesive properties to add seasonings for even more depth of flavor.

Not only will mayonnaise add a creamy element to the melted center of a grilled cheese, but it's also a vehicle for seasonings. You could stir fresh cracked pepper, minced garlic, and dried parsley into an olive oil-based mayonnaise for a spicy, aromatic complement to cheese.

You can also base your choice of seasonings on the type of cheese you use. For example, pepper jack cheese and cheddar would be great with chipotle mayonnaise. Stir this bright and fresh pesto or a blend of parmesan cheese, oregano, and red pepper flakes into mayonnaise to pair with a mozzarella grilled cheese sandwich. If you're using ultra-rich cheese like brie, a mayonnaise spiked with mustard and lemon juice would provide the perfect amount of spicy and tangy notes to brighten the richness.

While slices of cheese are easier to spread seasoned mayonnaise over, many recipes recommend using shredded cheese for more even melting. The mayonnaise hack will still work with shredded cheese because you can stir a portion or all of the shredded cheese mixture into the mayonnaise with seasonings. Our recipe for the ultimate grilled cheese, for example, shreds cubes of cheddar and gruyere with seasonings in a food processor. Simply add a tablespoon of mayonnaise to the shredded cheese before adding it to those thick slices of sourdough bread.