A classic grilled cheese sandwich is one of
life's simplest pleasures, but there's one easy tweak that takes it to the next level. This incredibly simple hack, endorsed by celebrity
chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton, among others, uses an ingredient found in almost
every refrigerator in the U.S. — none other than our old friend mayonnaise. According to Ms. Hamilton, all you need to
do is skip the typical butter application and coat the outside of your bread with mayonnaise
instead. You don't need to put any butter or mayo in
the pan, either — just be sure to use a non-stick surface. Fry the grilled cheese sandwich on one side
until it's golden brown on the bottom, then simply flip and fry until the other side is
golden-brown as well. Perfection! "Hot cheese!" So why mayo instead of butter? For starters, it's creamy and much easier
to spread evenly, which is especially helpful when your bread is soft or crumbly. Also, PureWow points out that mayonnaise has
a higher smoke point than butter, which means that it won't burn as easily. Good news for anyone who's ever looked away
from the pan for just a second and turned back to find their bread an unappetizing shade
of black. Food Network "Sandwich King" Jeff Mauro distills
what mayo brings to a grilled cheese like this: "It's eggs and oil. So the eggs give it some body, nice color
to it, and the oil makes it pleasantly, y'know, greasy." One warning, though — this heavenly mayo
hack won't give you the greasy goodness you crave unless you're using the full-fat version
of the condiment. While there's no shame in having a jar of
light mayo in the fridge, the fact remains that its number one ingredient is water, which
will make your grilled cheese sandwich kind of soggy. It also won't brown up so nicely. So for all your cheese-grilling purposes,
only regular mayonnaise will do. You can, however, use flavored full-fat mayonnaise
with great success. According to The Takeout, mayo varieties such
as sriracha, chipotle, and aioli can make your simple homemade sammie taste like it
came from a gourmet food truck. As a bonus, you get all that extra taste without
running the risk of any goopiness from added condiments. You can even try making your own flavored
mayos with herbs and spices of your choice to complement your cheese selections. As to how a mayo-fried grilled cheese sandwich
will taste — The Kitchn's Dana Velden described the one she made as having, quote, "a delicious
crust [that] offered a rich, slightly tangy flavor," and claimed that it would be her
go-to grilled cheese technique from now on. But what if you absolutely can't do without
some butter in your sandwich? Perhaps you share the belief of some of the
great chefs that butter makes everything better. "You don't spare on the butter, do you?” “I'm not a big fan of sparing on anything." Fear not, butter fans, it turns out that compromise
is possible. Southern Kitchen suggests you can still use
the mayo-frying hack, and also add just a little dab of butter to the pan before you
slide that sandwich in. Once it has browned on one side, add more
butter as you flip. While the addition of butter will, once again,
raise that smoke point — and, with it, the danger of a blackened sandwich — if you're
willing to keep a close eye on your cooking, you can have the crispy mayo crust plus that
little bit of added buttery goodness. Really, any grilled cheese sandwich recipe
will be improved by this mayo hack, no matter what's inside. What are you waiting for? Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
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