Pop Quiz: Review the Grilled Cheese Sandwich closest to you

Sorry but the V-stuff is the stuff for a grilled cheese...that and "light" bread.

Recently learned a trick that saves on the calories and fats even more and tastes great. Instead of butter, Pam the pan and spread both sides with a very light coating of Mayo (Hellmann's, of course -- and Light will do). Crisps up great and delicious -- but NO fat-free cheese. One has to draw a line somewhere!.

That particular taste bud was burnt out, along with the one for Dinty Moore beef stew, brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts and Chef Boyardee ravioli.

The thought of those three makes me wince, but there is something about a Velveeta Grilled cheese. It's probably because my Mom made them (and she NEVER mades Dinty Moore or Chef Boyardee), annd would make them specially for you if you were sick.

To the point on "missing" taste buds, I can't stomache Campbells soups any more- except tomato and tomato rice.

Deb

It pleases me to see all the proponents of Velveeta. I am sure most of us eat things that are much worse for us than Velveeta.

velveeta grilled cheese.jpg

It's not closest to me but I had the Welsh Rabbit at the Irish Rover last night and that's my favorite grilled cheese anyway. Thick bread, lots of grainy mustard. Not tradition but so very good.

Hmmm...I'm eating chili tonight, but I'm aiming for a grilled cheese tomorrow - closest to me would be Big Dave's Outpost, so I may give them a try.

Um...has there always been a giant pizza menacing downtown in the Hot Bytes banner, and I am only now seeing it because of the new format?

I kinda like the idea, though, of pizza-loving aliens landing in Louisville.

And finally, I will say that when I make 'em at home these days, I use cheddar and fontina, but I would never turn down a Velveeta grilled cheese, oh my god. And I like my grilled cheese to have sliced dill pickles on it, call me crazy.

The bf loves grilled cheese but for him it should never be served without tomato soup, and the tomato soup has to have little cubes of cheddar in it as a garnish, which melt slowly in the bottom of the bowl. Over time, I've come around to seeing things his way.

[Robin Garr]

Hmmm...I'm eating chili tonight

Does that mean I'll be seeing you?

The very, very closest restaurant is Shady Lane Cafe, but I haven't tried theirs yet. I don't actually know if they have one.

The next closest is Shiraz. I think both the Shiraz Panini and the Shiraz Rolls count, and I'd give the nod to the Shiraz rolls. Basically, it's just feta, a bit of diced tomato, and some fresh herbs wrapped in a lavash and cooked in (I think) a sandwich press. It's crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside just like a grilled cheese should be, but it doesn't have any heavy, greasy flavor. It's really great.

[Robin Garr]

I am sure most of us eat things that are much worse for us than Velveeta.

Just for the record, my rap on Velveeta has nothing to do with whether it's good for us.

Hmmm...I'm eating chili tonight

Does that mean I'll be seeing you?

I should note that today my mother is a pretty decent cook, but back in the late 60s everything we ate came out of a can or a frozen aluminum tray with each item in it's own space. Velveeta was top of the line fresh....as opposed to canned delites. So I consider myself something of an expert on this beguiled class of cuisine. At the start of my marriage my wife had a fit when I can home from the grocery with Miracle Whip as opposed to real mayonase.

Over the intervening years my tastes have matured substantially but a grilled cheese is made with Velveeta. Actually I know of no other decent use for the stuff. Out of sheer fear I refuse to read what's in it.

Sometimes it's best NOT to know!

This is a really interesting thread. Got me to thinking about the history of Velveeta:

1928 After several years of research on the nutritive value of whey - a by-product of cheese making - Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corporation introduced Velveeta© pasteurized process cheese food in the United States and Canada in a half-pound package. It is unique due to its creamy texture, meltability, and nutritional value.

What is Velveeta Cheese? The United States Food and Drug Administration categorized it as pasteurized process cheese spread. A company in New York first made it in 1918. This company, the Monroe Cheese Company had employed a young cheese maker by the name of Emil Frey. He was trying to help the company he worked for find a way to dispose of the excess whey. Whey was a waste product that was made as a result of the cheese making process. Frey was working on another idea when he accidentally stumbled on a combination of the whey and another cheese that when mixed together created a smooth, almost velvety cheese material. That is of course why it was given the name Velveeta Cheese, because of the consistency.

It could not be called cheese, but there was something about it that all the cheese companies wanted. Each one, using its own brand name, sued the others to be the only one permitted to make this popular new product. In the end Kraft Foods, which had their own brand, simply bought out the others. So in 1927 they became the owners of Velveeta Cheese.

Better living through chemistry!

Some years back, I helped develop a menu made up of variations on the croque monsieur for a place up here in Madison, IN, and while that place closed before we could implement the new menu, I'm working with an established restaurant here to help redesign their menu and completely revise their marketing; we'll be seeing some of those variations soon. So I've thought a lot about hot toasty bread and melted cheese over the years.

At home, our default grilled cheese is sourdough bread, two slices of Boar's Head baby swiss cheese and, in between the cheese, Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle. That's good as is with tomato soup, but sometimes we add thin slices of Roma tomatoes and, on occasion, thin sliced white onions, which makes it a meal in itself. It's not the traditional grilled cheese, but it's heavenly. Add some French onion soup and a glass of merlot, and life is good.

Grilled cheese sandwich (velveeta) and a cup of Campbells tomato soup was lunch everyday for years, but I have not knowingly eaten any velveeta in a long, long time. That particular taste bud was burnt out, along with the one for Dinty Moore beef stew, brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts and Chef Boyardee ravioli.

Every once in a while, to me, nothing tastes better than those things! Except strawberry pop tarts.