Can You Make Grilled Cheese with Shredded Cheese

Last Updated on May 24th, 2023

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The short answer to this question is yes, and you can make a grilled cheese sandwich with shredded cheese. Some would even argue that shredded cheese is the best option when making grilled cheese.

It melts faster and keeps you from burning the bread and having unevenly melted cheese. It also provides the perfect cheese pull that we all look for when trying to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Using shredded cheese may seem like the lazier way to make a grilled cheese, but it is actually the smarter way, and we are going to talk about how to pick the best cheese for your grilled cheese sandwich.

Person shredding cheese with shredder - Can You Make Grilled Cheese with Shredded Cheese

What is the Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese?

When choosing the cheese for your grilled cheese, you have to think about a few things:

 

  • flavor
  • texture
  • meltability

 

All cheeses have different flavors and textures. A classic American grilled cheese sandwich has slices of white and yellow American cheese, but nowadays, there are several versions of grilled cheese sandwiches, such as:

 

  • Monterey jack
  • Fontina
  • Gouda
  • Cheddar
  • Havarti

 

Based on this list, the best cheeses for grilled cheese will be soft cheeses with creamy textures and good meltability. When it comes to flavors, it is up to you! For example, Gouda cheese has a nice creamy, caramel-like flavor, but cheddar has a range of flavors from mild to extra sharp.

There are no rules when it comes to the best flavor for your grilled cheese. The only rule you should follow with your grilled cheese is to make it how you like with the cheese you think is best! (As long as it’s good and melty!)

 

Does Shredded Cheese Melt the Fastest?

Shredded cheese melts faster than slices because the cheese is in pieces, and the smaller pieces melt faster. The challenge with this is that if there is nothing to hold the cheese together or if there is not enough cheese, it could cause problems.

If there isn’t enough shredded cheese, the cheese could melt too fast and start seeping out of the bread, which you don’t want. The good side of it is you can cook your sandwich on low heat and allow the cheese to melt slowly while your bread toasts to a perfect golden color without burning.

 

How To Grill Cheese with Shredded Cheese the Right Way?

Cooking a grilled cheese sandwich is definitely up to the individual, but when you use shredded cheese, there are some requirements. If you’re going to use shredded cheese for your grilled cheese sandwich, the best way to do it is by cooking it over low heat, as we mentioned above.

When you assemble your sandwich, make sure that you put an equal amount of shredded cheese on each slice of bread so that the cheese doesn’t melt too fast or burn. To help the cheese cook evenly, put a lid over the pan while the bread toasts over low heat, and flip the sandwich once each side becomes golden brown.

 

What Cheese doesn’t Melt?

What is one word you think of when you hear the word cheese? Creamy, yummy, melty? You might be surprised to find out that all cheese doesn’t melt. A few examples of cheeses that don’t melt are:

 

  • Ricotta cheese
  • Soft goat cheese
  • Paneer

 

These cheeses are harder than softer types of cheese, which are moist and have proteins that are not closely packed. The moisture helps the cheese liquefy when it reaches its melting point.

Hard cheeses don’t have as much moisture, so they don’t melt the same as softer cheeses. For your grilled cheese sandwich, it is best to opt for a soft type of cheese to achieve that comforting, melty cheese experience we all look for in grilled cheese.

 

Should you Grate or Slice cheese for Grilled Cheese?

Most recipes suggest grated cheese, but thinly sliced cheese works fine, too, if you don’t want to use grated cheese. As we already discussed, shredded cheese melts easier when making a grilled cheese sandwich.

However, this doesn’t mean that sliced cheese is not allowed. It is really all about meltability. This is why we suggest using thinly sliced cheese if you are going to go for the sliced cheese option.

Most recipes will either suggest sliced or shredded cheese, and some people argue that shredded cheese is better because of how easy it melts.

Besides that, it is up to you as long as you remember low and slow for the shredded cheese, and it’s best to use thinly sliced cheese slices.

 

Final Thoughts on Making Grilled Cheese with Shredded Cheese

Today, we covered an American favorite: the grilled cheese sandwich. But, of course, we know there are many ways to grill cheese, from lobster grilled cheese to mac and cheese grilled cheese.

However, this time, we wanted to equip you to choose the right cheese for your grilled cheese because cheese is the main ingredient.

We also wanted to give you some tips on how to cook grilled cheese with shredded cheese. Here’s a secret: there is no right way to do this classic comfort sandwich, but we hope our tips help you to make the perfect grilled cheese!

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