12 gooey and great grilled cheese sandwiches

The king of hot sandwiches, the grilled cheese is a sizzling, gloriously golden-brown inspiration for tempting limited-time offers, signature menu items or even a whole concept or food truck. 

As grilled cheese guru and James Beard award-winning cookbook author Laura Werlin writes in her latest book, “Grilled Cheese Please,” “Say ‘grilled cheese’ and visions of ooey-gooey ribbons of delectable melted cheese sandwiched between butter-crisped slices of bread come to mind. Now add some favorite foods such as bacon, guacamole, seasonal veggies, pears, and even spicy Korean kim chee (sic) and you’ll discover there’s a lot to love about the contemporary grilled cheese.”

To spark your own grilled cheese greatness, get your griddle hot, and try one of these grown-up versions of a childhood favorite.