Grilled cheese is one of those comforting snacks that can turn into breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack and even brunch while not changing a damn thing. Yes grilled cheese is delicious, it’s gooey, it’s chewy, and it’s here to stay !
So what happens when you somehow end up with more grilled cheese than you can handle ? Well, you’d have to reheat the thing to get it back to its original glory, but even that’s a little iffy. So can you reheat grilled cheese ? More importantly, can you do it without a microwave ? Take a look.
Can you reheat grilled cheese ?
Yes, you can reheat grilled cheese and there are a few ways to keep it nice and crispy, with a melty inside. No grilled cheese will ever be as delicious as freshly made grilled cheese, but there are methods of making it good.
What you want to avoid is the microwave, mostly because it can get you very inconsistent results and you’ll often end up with a soggy mess. So the main options are the frying pan, broiler, panini press and the likes.
All of these require you to take the sandwich out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature (about 30 min). Otherwise the difference between the outside and inside will be too much, especially if it’s a thick one with lots of cheese.
Read also: Is Gouda A Good Melting Cheese ?
The bread may end up crispier than the original, but if you really like crunchy things then this won’t really be a problem. There’s a few other methods we’ve found, and we’ve explained them below. Read on !
1. Reheat in frying pan, add butter and lid or tinfoil
Possibly the best way, but it requires the most cleanup. You simply need to re-fry the sandwich, but you have to put either a lit of a tinfoil tent on it.
Use medium heat, maybe even lower and heat for a longer time. Otherwise the outside will fry up and the inside will get barely warm. So add a bit of butter back into the pan, put the sandwich in, and put a lid or tinfoil tent on it. The point is to trap heat, and allow steam to do its thing.
The steam will both soften the bread but also warm it. When the sandwich is warmed through, simply remove the lid and tinfoil, and fry on each side until the bread is nice and crispy again.
2. Use panini or sandwich grill
Another option is to use a panini grill, or a sandwich grill. They operate in much the same way, so you can use any of them. The thing here is that the press might break the sandwich open, so it’d be a good idea to not lock it closed. Only let it close as much as it can, maybe turn the sandwich halfway.
You get a really crispy bread this way, and the inside will be warm but may or may not be runny. It really depends on what cheese you use.
3. Try a toaster oven
Another option would be a toaster oven, though you may want to wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil first. This way it won’t lose too much moisture and warm through evenly. Near the end remove the foil, and let it crisp up.
You may want to keep something like a plate or fold the foil over like a plate. If you have a lot of cheese it may spill over.
4. Try the broiler
Another option would be the broiler, if you oven has that option. As with a toaster oven we recommend wrapping in aluminum foil, and heating it through first. Then remove the foil, and put the sandwich on a plate. Let the broiled crisp up one side, and then turn the sandwich on the other.
It may not be the crispiest version, but it will work if it’s all you’ve got and using a pan isn’t really your thing.
5. Grill it !
If you’ve got a grill and have friends over or feel like experimenting, try grilling it. This works best with a grill that has a lid, so you can trap in some extra heat.
We’re not sure how quickly the bread will burn, as a grill really is incredibly hot. But you can always wrap it in yes, aluminum foil, grill it like that at first, then unwrap it and finish it off like that.
We think the smoky note really helps the grilled cheese go where it has never gone before.
6. Use it as a fancy crouton
Okay, what if you really have no time for any of this ? Maybe you’re looking for a quicker, easier way of using up leftover grilled cheese. Well, you can always cut it into cubes and serve it as a crouton for any cream soup you like.
Or cut it into long fingers and dip it in sauce !
Read Also: Why Is Cheese So High In Calories ?
Can I reheat grilled cheese in a microwave ?
Look, you can reheat grilled cheese in the microwave just fine. The only problem is that you need to use a lid or cover, otherwise some parts will get extra dry and some will get no heat.
But if you do this, you trap steam and end up with a soft, possibly soggy sandwich. We think this can be fixed, but it involves a frying pan. In which case you’re better off using it from the start.
But if you’re at work or in a hurry and don’t mind the change in texture then go right ahead and microwave it, no one will stop you. The taste will be mostly the same.
And that’s about it about grilled cheese ! Hopefully you found a way that works for you and you can enjoy it the day after.
Conclusion
I hope you found the best way to reheat grilled cheese that works in your situation. Sometimes you don’t have access to all the reheating methods above but one of them should be available for you. If you are at work most probably reheating it in the microwave will be the best method for you.
