grilled cheese

noun

variants or grilled cheese sandwich or less commonly grilled-cheese sandwich

plural grilled cheeses or grilled cheese sandwiches also grilled-cheese sandwiches

: a sandwich with cheese and sometimes additional ingredients (such as bacon or tomato) that is cooked usually on a griddle or in a frying pan until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted

Even the simplest grilled cheese requires following some basic rules to make the sandwich great. First, choose a cheese that melts. I love a good Parmesan or other aged cheese, but it has no place in a grilled cheese.

—Eric Greenspan

… George W. Bush preferred grilled-cheese sandwiches made with Kraft Singles and white bread …

—Rebecca Flint Marx

It's one of the best grilled cheese preparations I've ever tasted—perfectly toasted buttery triangles of brioche and a cheesy interior—but if I closed my eyes, I wouldn't be able to tell that the filling had any lobster.

—Michael Bauer

… sweet grilled cheeses such as Grilled Brie with Apricot Jam, and Goat Cheese and Honey on Cinnamon-Raisin Bread.

—George Bragdon

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above