Which Cheese Makes the Best Grilled Cheese?

Words by Rebecca Frankel

Photograph by Dotty Albro

One slab of cheese. Two slices of bread. All sizzling in pan with a bunch of butter. That’s right, I’m talking about grilled cheese sandwiches. Is there anything quite like gooey cheese oozing between two crunchy slices of bread?

Something the Shafer Bird Staff has been wondering for some time is what cheese is the superior cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches?

Our cheeses in question were sharp cheddar, creamy brie, jalapeno pepper jack, and gruyere.

I served up four beautiful grilled cheese sandwiches and cut them into sample sizes for seven tasters to enjoy. The votes came in:

Jalapeno pepper jack:3

Gruyere:2

Sharp Cheddar:1

Brie:1

Jalapeno pepper jack was the victorious cheese. The tasters liked the extra flavor the jalapeno added to the sandwich. We all agreed that the cheese cooled down the spiciness, so all that was left was a unique taste.

“The pepper jack was so good! I am surprised I liked it, since usually I’m a picky eater,” taster Shanice Medeiros commented enthusiastically.

“I quite liked the sharp cheddar,” remarked taster Dotty Albro. “It has a very intense taste which was quite good.”

Many of those who chose the jalapeno pepper jack struggled choosing between it and the gruyere cheese. “It was a difficult choice! The gruyere was really, really delicious,” Jalapeno pepper jack picker Jaylen Roberts said.

My personal favorite was the brie because it is creamy and amazing, but I have always been a brie enthusiast.

So there you have it; Jalapeno pepper jack won the battle.

I urge you to decide for yourself! Experiment with cheeses. Have a grilled cheese night and go crazy. Life is an adventure.