The Genius Reason You Should Consider Toasting Your Bread Before Making Grilled Cheese

Who doesn't like a grilled cheese sandwich every once in a while? The childhood lunch of champions, it's one of those foods that can instantly take you back to the elementary school cafeteria or your parents' kitchen table when you were a kid. 

What's also nice about grilled cheese sandwiches is everything you can do to spruce them up. You can add bacon or mac and cheese — or both. You can add some sun-dried tomatoes or dip them in ranch, butternut squash soup, or barbecue sauce. You can add mayo, multiple cheeses, and deli meat ... you get the idea. If you're not in the mood to add other ingredients, though, one trick is all about the bread and what you do with it before you slap it on the pan or griddle.

Buttering your bread is basically a must for any grilled cheese sandwich recipe, but have you ever pre-toasted the bread? This simple step can make a big difference, especially if you're using soft sandwich bread.

There are many mistakes people make with grilled cheese sandwiches, especially in terms of the bread. Some burn it or forget to butter it. Some don't wait long enough before putting the bread on the pan (meaning it's not hot enough to caramelize the exterior), or they wait too long (resulting in overly browned butter). And then, of course, there's the issue of soggy bread, which is more likely to happen with regular sandwich bread than other types due to its soft, delicate texture. But if you toast it first, you can eliminate the risk of sogginess and end up with a perfectly crispy sandwich.

Even if you prefer sturdier, specialty breads like sourdough, ciabatta, and focaccia for your grilled cheese, the pre-toasting trick ensures that both the inside and outside of your creation will have that coveted crisp-meets-chewy feel. Maybe you've mastered the perfect golden brown exterior on your grilled cheese but find that the inside gets too soft when heated with all that gooey cheese. A quick stint in the toaster insures maximum crispiness and Maillard-reaction flavor from the inside-out.