The Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese, According to Tillamook
Tillamook sells 90,000 grilled cheese sandwiches a year—this is the cheese its chef uses.
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One of the first things I ever learned to make for myself was a grilled cheese sandwich. I watched intently as my grandma layered white bread with mayonnaise and soft butter, with two slices of American cheese inside, before toasting it in a cast iron skillet. Hers was the best, but by middle school, I could successfully produce one for myself, and it was the perfect treat—with a bowl of tomato soup of course—on a cold afternoon.
My culinary tastes have evolved a lot since then, but I still love a great grilled cheese sandwich, and when I visited the Tillamook creamery in Oregon this past fall (a kind of holy pilgrimage for cheese lovers like me), their Double Cheddar Grilled Cheese was a revelation. I loved it so much I asked their chef, Josh Archibald, to tell me how to make it, and he kindly obliged.
Simply Recipes / Tillamook
The Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese, According to Tillamook
The team at Tillamook relentlessly pursued grilled cheese perfection for about two years before putting the sandwich on the menu at their creamery and at the PDX airport, and that effort paid off in the form of a perfectly toasty, melty, gooey, cheese-pull-y masterpiece.
Tillamook head chef, Josh Archibald, explains that, for them, cheddar is better. “For my grilled cheese, I like to use two slices of Tillamook Farmstyle Medium White Cheddar and two slices of Tillamook Farmstyle Sharp Cheddar,” says Archibald. “I have found that by using this blend, you get the perfect balance of creamy, melty, buttery, and the sharp cheddar flavor that we love.”
How Tillamook Makes the Perfect Grilled Cheese
Archibald starts by spreading a mixture of butter and mayonnaise (My grandma was on to something!) on thick sourdough bread. “By using a blend, we think we get the best of both worlds,” he says. “The butter is creamy, and luscious while the mayo does the job of giving your bread an even toasting, and a light almost ‘crouton-esque’ crispness.” You can use whatever mayonnaise you prefer, but Archibald says they use a Japanese-style mayo at Tillamook.
The chef starts his grilled cheese sandwich in a warm pan, increasing the heat slightly as necessary. As opposed to some dishes that advise cooks to flip only once or twice, Archibald says he likes to flip and turn the sandwich often during cooking time to get perfectly melted cheese and a nicely toasted exterior. “The deeper flavor that comes when the bread is darker is more hearty and fulfilling than it is with a lighter toasting,” he notes.
Pro Tips for Grilled Cheese Success
Since putting the iconic sandwich on its menu, Archibald estimates Tillamook has sold a jaw-dropping 90,000 Double Cheddar Grilled Cheese sandwiches each year, so you can be sure they know exactly what they’re doing. Here are some of Archibald’s tips:
Use 3/4-inch slices of sourdough for the bread, and slather on a 50/50 blend of Tillamook Salted butter (whipped) and Japanese mayonnaise to create the perfect golden brown crisp and flavor.
It is easier to increase heat during the cooking process than it is to decrease heat, especially if you use a cast iron pan. I like to start in a warm pan, but I also advocate for a long cooking time, flipping and turning often to ensure even browning and that the cheese melts fully.
Though cheddar is Tillamook’s go-to cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, Archibald says blending other cheeses, like mozzarella or smoked cheddar, provides even more flavor variations to love.
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