The Great Grilled Cheese Debate: Is Butter Or Mayo Better?

Like many of you, I, too, had heard that the way to a scrumptious sandwich was to put the mayonnaise on the outside of the bread before you fry it in the pan. Not to brag about my carb intake, but let's just say I'm a proud grilled cheese aficionado, and when someone wants to tell me that there is a better way to make one, I'm going to look at them with doubt, visualize what they're suggesting, and then, usually, I give it a try. Admittedly, I'm the only one under this roof who insists the only way to make a proper grilled cheese is with mayo (on the inside), slices of aged cheddar, sourdough or Italian fresh bread (using the wrong bread is a ), and butter on the outside.

Sometimes — and stick with me here — I forego the butter. But with the right pan, you don't need it. That's right, I said what I said.



Sometimes, I want the decadence of a properly constructed and cooked grilled cheese without the semi-greasy fingers that can go along with it. So was mayo really worth the switch? I found out. Is mayo on the outside of a grilled cheese better than butter? Mayonnaise, if you're not sure, is essentially just oil, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice, and egg all whipped together into a spread.

Unlike butter, it can be used straight out of the fridge and won't tear up your bread as you give it a coating. It also has a higher smoke point than butter, meaning the exterior is less likely to burn. But as far as ingredients go, they both have high fat content, and fat enhances the flavor.

It's not a hard sell to switch to mayo — just give the bread a swipe of it before putting it in the pan. I did what I usually do: slow heat, lid on so the cheese melts and the bread doesn't burn. Both the butter and the mayo gave the bread a nice, golden brown finish, and were equally crispy; I couldn't tell any visual difference between the two.

Maybe I was expecting too much from the "upgrade," but I didn't taste any difference with the mayo on the outside of the bread instead of butter. If anything, it seemed like a waste of what could be used in a future grilled cheese, with that mayo on the inside of the sandwich where it belongs. I'm not saying it was a , and this method can be used on other dishes like .

But if you're a fan of butter and have mastered not browning it while grilling the sandwich, then stick with what you know; you're not missing out on anything. Recommended.