2008_06_06-sandwicheaten.jpgOk, maybe not its very best friend (some of you might prefer bread or salad). But grilled cheese and soup are more than just casual acquaintances. We love rounding out a meal of soup with a crusty, gooey grilled cheese—satisfying and complementary without stealing the show. (See? What a pal.) Here are our best tips and recipes from the archives.

RECIPES
• Comte, Olive, and Arugula Grilled Cheese (pictured above). A sophisticated, salty, visually stunning version.
• Salty and Sweet: Grilled Cheese on Raisin Bread. A duh combination, but one we never attempted until recently. So good.
• Grilled Cheese with Tomato Chutney. We love the taste of a tomato on grilled cheese, but sometimes it can be unwieldy. Chutney melds better with the melted cheese.
• Vegetarian Split Pea Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons. Here's your soup and grilled cheese in one bowl!
• Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Part of our grilling roundup from a couple of summers ago.
• Banana and Fromage Blanc Grilled Cheese. A sweet version from CHOW.
• Grilled Kimcheeze. This sandwich from Serious Eats has some serious flavors going on.
• Pimiento Cheese. Have you ever made a grilled cheese with pimiento cheese? It's divine.

TIPS
• The Toastabag: Grilled Cheese in the Office Toaster (below). A helpful little tool if you want to make grilled cheese in a slot toaster. Read Faith's review of it.
• Toast-It Bags. More discussion of these waxy paper pouches.
• The American Grilled Cheese Sandwich, from Good Food with Evan Kleiman. This episode explores the history of the grilled cheese and gives interesting tidbits and recipes.
• Would You Put Cheese on a BLT? What's your verdict?
• In Praise of American Cheese. Sometimes the plasticy squares win.
• How to Make a Pressed Sandwich Without a Sandwich Press. All you need are some heavy skillets (and possibly a tea pot).

2010_08_27-Bag01.jpgRelated: Cheese: On Melting

(Images: Nina Callaway; Faith Durand)

(Originally published January 6, 2011)

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