Grilled Cheese Kitchen: Bread + Cheese + Everything in Between

by Heidi Gibson, Antonis Achilleos (Photographer)

From the grilled cheese champions—mouthwatering recipes for melty, satisfying sandwiches, plus macs, soups, pickles, sides, and more.   Melted cheese between slices of toasted bread—it’s the ultimate in comfort food. After collecting multiple trophies at national grilled-cheese championships, Heidi Gibson teamed up with Nate Pollak to open The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco—which became a phenomenal success against all odds. In this book, the couple share dozens of unique, delicious recipes based on cheese and bread, and dozens more for tasty accompaniments from soups to tangy spreads to creative variations on mac and cheese. You’ll even find tips on choosing the best cheeses and breads and techniques for achieving the ideal melty golden-brown results every time.   The classic Mousetrap is dripping with three kinds of cheese. The Piglet wows with its thinly sliced ham and sharp cheddar. And grilled cheese makes a great breakfast—just add an egg! Get tempting photos and recipes   Green Eggs and Ham Grilled Cheese * Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese * Grilled Cheese Birthday Cake * Butternut Squash Soup * Muffaletta Grilled Cheese * Cubana Grilled Cheese * Mushroom-Gruyere Grilled Cheese * Bacon and Jalapeno Mac * Crab Mac * Kale Slaw * and so much more!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Food

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2016

Reviews

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 3 out of 5]

***UPDATE 6/23/2018***

Getting good mileage out of the mac n cheese recipes. I'll forego the heavy cream and torn bread bits, still taste splendid. I have a good feeling about their soups and will have to try next.

***

Me and my boyfriend would always make grilled cheese and tomato soup on lazy weekends ... or lazy weekday nights. I purchased this cookbook for my boyfriend as a Christmas present, although we have not been to Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco before.

The Introduction on What Makes a Great Grilled Cheese sets the tone of the cookbook well - awesome helpful tips from the results you get depending on how you cook (stove-top, griddle, panini press etc) as well as a list of good melting cheeses to experiment with. I've made a few recipes such as The Catch from the cookbook and enjoyed reading the story behind each of the recipes, including the few gag recipes such as the grilled cheese cake and the Bro'wich Project.

I am fond of this cookbook but it has not found its place in my daily cooking pantry. I love a grilled cheese but I don't eat it or its ingredients on a daily basis, so it was difficult for me to choose to make a breakfast, lunch or dinner from this cookbook. This also includes the soups and mac n cheese. I was, to be honest, a bit afraid of the caloric content in the recipes. However, I will still keep it with my other cookbooks for the occasional recipe here and there.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know there could be so many kinds of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, although as a coworker remarked - "Technically, most of those are melts, not grilled cheese." Fair enough, but I still loved the various suggestions for different sandwiches. If I'm at home I usually end up making the same roast beef or smoked ham sandwich, so it's nice to have someone say, "hey, these tastes all work really well together!" Because once you get past a PB&J, for all the effort it takes to make a sandwich (including washing and cutting the veggies, cheese, etc) you really don't want such a basic food to taste bad. Also, to be honest, I've NEVER been a basic grilled cheese person. They always just tasted greasy to me. Even better, and elevating this book into 4-star territory is the chapter that provides recipes for soups to pair with the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Can't wait to try a bunch of these!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ultimate comfort food! I loved some of the combinations of sandwich layers. They included great soups in this book as well. My favorite section is at the back with recipes for spreads for many of the sandwiches. There is also a section of Mac & Cheese recipes that will interest anyone. A fantastic wintertime staple cookbook. Love for your tummy...................

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

On sale today, husband loves grilled cheese, this will boost his choices! Loads of creative ideas, just needs more pics

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum! Great recipes!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love cheese, and who doesn't, then this book is for you! The first half is just variations of grilled cheese sandwiches, the second half is made up of soup recipes and recipes for mac n cheese. It's fabulous. The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars is because there's a total of 24 pictures in the recipe portion of the book. And a couple of those are pictures of ingredients, sitting on a counter in bowls, looking pretty. I want to see ooey gooey toasted bread! Yes, I know what a grilled cheese looks like, and I never get tired of looking at it! Show me!!!

Yeah, I may have to buy this book despite its dearth of pictures.

[Laurla2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

-3 stars. makes me want to try tons of grilled cheese with new cheeses.

sadly, very few pictures. and i hate that in a cookbook.

-clearly i need to expand my knowledge of cheeses. cheeses used in the book that i'm unfamiliar with: sage derby cheese, sonoma jack, triple creme cheese, p'tit basque, ossau-iraty, fiscalini san joaquiin gold, bellwether farms carmody, point reyes farmstead toma, bel paese, israeli sheeps milk feta, oaxaca, double cream gouda, mahon, fresh chevre, emmenthaler, boschetto al tartufo, truffled cheese, idiazabal, jarlsberg, comte, manchego. (i do know feta and gouda, just not those specific ones)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with the Grilled Cheese Kitchen restaurants in California, but after checking out this cookbook I hope I can go there some day. Who doesn't love a good grilled cheese?! The authors give not only grilled cheese recipes, but also recipes for soups and sides that work well with grilled cheese, and homemade condiments like pickles and spreads. Overall, it looks like a really yummy cookbook and if you're a fan of cheese at all you need to check this one out!

[Wdmoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ridiculously wonderful. We had a grilled cheese party on a football Sunday and everyone loved it. Not for those with cardiac issues.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase Grilled Cheese Kitchen here for just $15!

There are few foods in life as delightful as a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Here are 39 recipes that take the basic grilled cheese to the next level. Also included are creative side dishes and cooking techniques. A comfort cookbook to go with the best comfort food.

Elisa - The Book Grocer

[Melanie Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to try these!

Wow! An amazing assortment of grill cheese deliciousnessl. Really want to make that grill cheese birthday cake! From simple to more complex recipes, they all sound meltingly wonderful. Great sounding side and soul recipes as well. I hope I get to go to one of their restaurants someday, but in the meantime, I cant wait to make them myself. Great directions, clearly written. Seems all doable. And delicious.

[Bridget Neace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, I wouldn't be recording a cookbook on my Goodreads (cooking doesn't not bring me joy, for one!), but I needed something a little different for a reading challenge prompt and this fits the bill.

Lots of great new recipes I'd love to try (read: I'd love The Husband to MAKE them so I could eat them, haha!)...but I do wish there had been more pictures included in this book--isn't that what really makes a cookbook?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited about this book. However, great concept, big let down. There are maybe 10%pictures in this book, not everything is a grilled cheese idea, and many of the recipes had a stupid amount of ingredients for what it is. The first bit of the book was pretty good even without the pictures but the big last part was just ... I could do without.

[Danielle Booey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it’s a grilled cheese cookbook so it is exactly what it says it is.

Definitely a couple of cheeses I have never heard of. And I’m real excited about the kale salad and the olive salad in the mufaletta spread looks like something I need to make and eat as well.

Lots of beautiful pictures of meaty sandwiches.

[Michael Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd use this more for the Mac&Cheese recipes. I really loved making the Chevre, White Wine, Garlic recipe in general. Still have more testing to do, but it does what sets out to do. A niche book that covers its niche well.

Received as part of a Humble Bundle.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Grilled Cheese Extraordinaire

Even if you don't eat grilled cheese sandwiches, this book gives you simple to sophisticated options to encourage you to reconsider. It also provides options for accompaniments like savory jams, pestos, and olive sa!ads. Try it - it's delicious!

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great variations to a classic. Enjoyed recipes, something for everyone.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of yummy grilled cheese recipes!

[Laura Hodgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read and although we didn't exactly make any of the sandwiches we have branched out and made some fancy grilled cheeses.

[Amanda Yamate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous, quick read. Can’t wait to make some!

[Purplelion · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a variety of grilled cheese sandwich recipes, but what I liked was the inclusion of side dishes such as mac n' cheese and soups.

[Amber Harbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want pictures!

I loved the recipes! I wish there were pictures for every grilled cheese! The ones they do have look amazing.

[Evil Secret Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing better than soup and sandwiches. Inspired me to have a make your own grilled cheese with various unusual ingredients.

[Norah Leighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

thought this would be more basic but it got fancy really fast. haven't heard of 80% of those cheeses let alone how to source them but some really lovely ideas.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for the colder weather coming upon us!

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes look great! I saved some to make later.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos and lots of tempting recipes!

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love grilled cheese, you will love this book.
Includes some nice soups as well.
DELICIOUS!

[Glennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somedays you just need a good grilled cheese sandwich and if you are looking for ideas that go beyond the usual then this is a great place to start. The book also covers how to cook several sandwiches at once if you are making them for a group of people. Soups are also covered and they offer pairing ideas of what goes well with each soup. A fun cookbook for someone wanting to try out their new sandwich press or just get out of the rut of the usual grilled cheese.

[Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the pictures and descriptions don't have you salivating, I don't think I want to know you! No, but seriously, bread and cheese is life. Oh, and can we talk about how Heidi Gibson, the author of the cookbook and the co-owner of the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, has won multiple trophies at the Grilled Cheese Invitational? I mean, who even knew that existed? I need to go. Anyways, I want to let you know that I really do love me some grilled cheese sandwiches and I cannot wait to try out most of Heidi's unique combinations. I'm most excited to try the breakfast ones because I like to add an egg to almost everything.