VGS Cooking Club: The Grilled Cheese (Nov. 2023)

[Jeevan | 8,912]

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

I've not had the time to edit the first post cuz I'm out right now, but I was gonna just edit this thread. 

 

3 hours ago, Link said:

I’m confused. Which is the main thread? This is now the grilled cheese thread, starting with nian gao? Or should I post a gc thread

Let me propose a thread for each month?  We can post all month long if we do more than 1 instance of it and it would be easy for folks to go through and look at the recipes etc.

[Jeevan | 8,912]

Whoever's month it is can post their original blurb with their recipe and then post pics of the dish after its cooked?  Kinda like hey its my month, here is what we are doing, create away!

[Gloves | 11,790]

3 minutes ago, Jeevan said:

 

Let me propose a thread for each month?  We can post all month long if we do more than 1 instance of it and it would be easy for folks to go through and look at the recipes etc.

Plan right now is new thread each month. I was thinking one week at the end of each month to vote in a poll on the next recipe, then that thread turns into the thread for that month (same as I've done here).

 

2 minutes ago, Jeevan said:

Whoever's month it is can post their original blurb with their recipe and then post pics of the dish after its cooked?  Kinda like hey its my month, here is what we are doing, create away!

If people aren't against it, I'd prefer to personally host the threads each month. I can guarantee that I will be able to do so on a regular schedule, and ensure the thing keeps on track in that way. I'm not against changing that and letting people make their own threads for this if that's what people want, but it's honestly kind of a rare instance of me feeling a little protective about the thing being consistent.

[Link | 2,714]

3 hours ago, doner24 said:

A nian gaorilled cheese 

Skip the sugar* and season the rice with cumin, onion powder, pepper, and garlic (as you would shrimp). Nian gao/grilled cheese/grits mashup.
 

*way to make the rice stick together TBD

[Jeevan | 8,912]

1 minute ago, Gloves said:

Plan right now is new thread each month. I was thinking one week at the end of each month to vote in a poll on the next recipe, then that thread turns into the thread for that month (same as I've done here).

 

If people aren't against it, I'd prefer to personally host the threads each month. I can guarantee that I will be able to do so on a regular schedule, and ensure the thing keeps on track in that way. I'm not against changing that and letting people make their own threads for this if that's what people want, but it's honestly kind of a rare instance of me feeling a little protective about the thing being consistent.

 

[Link | 2,714]

1 minute ago, Gloves said:

one week at the end of each month to vote in a poll on the next recipe, then that thread turns into the thread for that month (same as I've done here).

Ok, that makes sense. 

 

2 minutes ago, Gloves said:

If people aren't against it, I'd prefer to personally host the threads each month. I can guarantee that I will be able to do so on a regular schedule, and ensure the thing keeps on track in that way. I'm not against changing that and letting people make their own threads for this if that's what people want, but it's honestly kind of a rare instance of me feeling a little protective about the thing being consistent.

Fair enough by me.

[Jeevan | 8,912]

Now.....tomorrow morning I go get stuff to make me a grilled cheeze!  

[Link | 2,714]

I’m going to make new things for this after I go to the store, but in the meantime here are some GC (not GameCube) sandwiches I’ve made in the past just to jumpstart things. 

Cheapo American cheese on Wonderbread

Same thing, different day

Cheetos GC. Sourdough bread and (my go-to) and muenster cheese this time. You have to cook it open and put the Cheetos on right before eating so they stay crunchy.

Bad picture, good sandwich. 
GC with salami, LTO, diced garlic

1. buy unsliced bread
2. freeze it
3. slice it as thin as you can
4. grill cheese
Sunroof GC

 

This one I was just fucking around. I mean, that’s what most of these are, but when I posted this people were A: concerned and asking if I needed money, or B: cracking trailer park jokes. Saltine GC

I made that, and adjusted the recipe:

My notes from this second try:

i tried it again. this time i buttered and grilled the bottom of the cracker instead of the top. i put salt & pepper too since now the salted side wouldnt contact my taste buds. the flatter bottom made more, and more even contact with the grill, so that turned out more like the experiment i was hoping for, which was to see if a crispy cracker gets crunchier when you grill it. the other improvement was to wait to put the cheese on. moisture sitting on the surface made the cracker a little soggy. grill the crackers first, then put the cheese and give it a quick blast with a lid on the pan to melt the cheese but not soak the cracker. 

im laughing at the "poor" jokes, but this is experimenting with technique (with, yes,  cheap ingredients (and btw these are aldi saltines, not even nbsco premiums )) and, like, i think this version i did today was actually really good and could be a one of a kind unique draw as an appetizer at some small town diner. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Link
accidentally double posted some pics. edit: ive taken them out three times and they wont go away 🤷‍♀️E: I figured it out now!

[Jeevan | 8,912]

1 minute ago, Link said:

I’m going to make new things for this after I go to the store, but in the meantime here are some GC (not GameCube) sandwiches I’ve made in the past just to jumpstart things. 

Cheapo American cheese on Wonderbread

Same thing, different day

Cheetos GC. Sourdough bread and (my go-to) and muenster cheese this time. You have to cook it open and put the Cheetos on right before eating so they stay crunchy.

Bad picture, good sandwich. 
GC with salami, LTO, diced garlic

1. buy unsliced bread
2. freeze it
3. slice it as thin as you can
4. grill cheese
Sunroof GC

 

This one I was just fucking around. I mean, that’s what most of these are, but when I posted this people were A: concerned and asking if I needed money, or B: cracking trailer park jokes. Saltine GC

I made that, and adjusted the recipe:

My notes from this second try:

i tried it again. this time i buttered and grilled the bottom of the cracker instead of the top. i put salt & pepper too since now the salted side wouldnt contact my taste buds. the flatter bottom made more, and more even contact with the grill, so that turned out more like the experiment i was hoping for, which was to see if a crispy cracker gets crunchier when you grill it. the other improvement was to wait to put the cheese on. moisture sitting on the surface made the cracker a little soggy. grill the crackers first, then put the cheese and give it a quick blast with a lid on the pan to melt the cheese but not soak the cracker. 

im laughing at the "poor" jokes, but this is experimenting with technique (with, yes,  cheap ingredients (and btw these are aldi saltines, not even nbsco premiums )) and, like, i think this version i did today was actually really good and could be a one of a kind unique draw as an appetizer at some small town diner.

This thread club is gonna ruin my diet .  Sourdough has to be the way to go no?

[Richardhead | 2,813]

Just now, Jeevan said:

This thread club is gonna ruin my diet .  Sourdough has to be the way to go no?

Brioche.

[Murray | 2,449]

lol the Saltine

[Link | 2,714]

1 minute ago, Jeevan said:

Sourdough has to be the way to go no?

Sourdough is my favorite. I also like rye once in a while. White bread has its place, as do others.

[Jeevan | 8,912]

1 minute ago, Link said:

Sourdough is my favorite. I also like rye once in a while. White bread has its place, as do others.

im a no white, wheat for everything normal, this i will experiment with lol

[Link | 2,714]

3 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

Brioche.

Brioche inside out 

[Link | 2,714]

Mayonnaise. 

Mayo instead of butter. Gives it a more tangy flavor. 

Mayo spread inside the bread, bumping up with the cheese. Makes it taste insanely creamy. 

I recommend mayo that doesn’t have sugar in it. (Hellman’s/Best does.) It tastes better. imo. Duke’s is the brand I can get around here.

[Jeevan | 8,912]

14 minutes ago, Link said:

Mayonnaise. 

Mayo instead of butter. Gives it a more tangy flavor. 

Mayo spread inside the bread, bumping up with the cheese. Makes it taste insanely creamy. 

I recommend mayo that doesn’t have sugar in it. (Hellman’s/Best does.) It tastes better. imo. Duke’s is the brand I can get around here.

i have heard of this but dont think im gonna go that route, i have something special in mind.....

[Link | 2,714]

22 minutes ago, Murray said:

lol the Saltine

Wait til I do it with XL Cheez-Its!

[Link | 2,714]

7 minutes ago, Jeevan said:

i have heard of this but dont think im gonna go that route, i have something special in mind.....

Just an idea to throw out there generally for people who have not heard of it and might find it interesting to try.

[Richardhead | 2,813]

4 minutes ago, Link said:

Just an idea to throw out there generally for people who have not heard of it and might find it interesting to try.

I’m not a fan of Mayo for grilled cheese. I get why it’s a thing, but I’ve never liked it. Has a weird taste.

Butter or bust bitches!

[Murray | 2,449]

14 minutes ago, Link said:

Wait til I do it with XL Cheez-Its!

I did a breaded fried chicken with Cheez-It's instead of breadcrumbs once.  Better than the original. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Murray

[Richardhead | 2,813]

1 minute ago, Murray said:

I did a breaded fried chicken with Cheez-It's instead of breadcrumbs once.  Better than the original. 

Kind of like Miley singing Jolene was better than the original ?

[Richardhead | 2,813]

@Murray you think I jest. I’m 100 percent serious though.

 

[Murray | 2,449]

6 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

@Murray you think I jest. I’m 100 percent serious though.

 

@Richardhead postin' Miley Cyrus in the grilled cheese thread. Sounds about right. 

[Link | 2,714]

I know I’m ton-posting ITT but fuck it, it was my suggestion, right? Obv I have ideas about grilled cheese. And I want to share them in the spirit of inspiration. 

So here are some tips that I’ve learned from experience. 

Melting: It’s good to start with room temperature cheese for max melting. Nothing worse than burnt bread and cheese that isn’t gooey. Bring it out of the fridge first, and give it a half hour if you can/if you feel like it. Same with butter, room temp. Spreading it cold is rough. I keep mine in a dish on top of the fridge in summer and in the gas oven in winter. 

Burning: speaking of, set your stove no higher than medium while the bread is on it. High to preheat the pan if you want, but then bring it down. 

Surface: Cast iron works very well here, but there is nothing wrong with using non-stick, ceramic coated, or stainless steel. On stainless, I would recommend a little more butter.

Timing: I have burned many sandwiches. As they say a watched pot never boils, the inverse also holds true: A watched GC will not burn. You have to wait, but attention to your cooktop brings success. I have long wanted to nail down specific time and heat level numbers to write down a formulas (and they will vary depending on bread type, fat type, etc) to yield the perfect GC every time, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Edited November 11, 2023 by Link

[Link | 2,714]

16 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

I’m not a fan of Mayo for grilled cheese. I get why it’s a thing, but I’ve never liked it. Has a weird taste.

Butter or bust bitches!

I did not like it the first time I tried it. It was bitter. I think it needs lower temp than butter and I had subtly burned the egg part. But like I said, just one idea of many to get peoples’ creative juices flowing.

 

15 minutes ago, Murray said:

I did a breaded fried chicken with Cheez-It's instead of breadcrumbs once.  Better than the original. 

FUCK
YES !!!