Ina Garten's Favorite Cheese For Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Is Ultra Bold

You really can't go wrong with grilled cheese. Whether you're a fan of the American cheese and white bread version from your childhood or you prefer a more upscale twist (adding a few sweet ingredients can help you create a killer grilled cheese sandwich), the toasty, melty sandwiches are a familiar comfort food for many. Ina Garten loves her grilled cheese sandwiches with a super-bold ingredient: extra sharp Vermont cheddar cheese. It certainly has more of a bite to it than the American stuff. 

An episode of "Barefoot Contessa," Garten's Food Network series that ran from 2002 to 2021, shared that the boldness of extra sharp Vermont cheddar is a great fit for grilled cheese sandwiches. Rather than trying to thinly slice the cheese, Garten shreds it up with box grater, allowing her to evenly place a generous amount — about ½ cup — on each sandwich. We get it — ultra-sharp cheddar adds a rich umami taste to grilled cheese, which can work nicely to cut through the sweetness of white bread, creating a taste experience that goes far beyond the stuff you remember chowing down on as a kid.

When it comes to coating the bread of your grilled cheese before you toss it in the pan, we've all heard the old butter or mayo debate (we're on team mayo — the simple swap makes grilled cheese taste like heaven). Ina Garten, however, takes it to the next level. She uses both butter and mayo to grease up each slice of the bread she uses for her grilled cheese, and she gives her grilled cheese a gourmet glow-up by adding a decent amount of Parmesan cheese to the mix as well. This gives the sandwich a crispy, crunchy, salty crust that hits your mouth before you get to the ooey-gooey extra sharp Vermont cheddar in the middle.

Garten also recommends using a panini press to make your grilled cheese instead of tossing it into a pan on the stovetop. It makes sense — a panini press ensures that every bit of the bread gets toasted and that your sandwich is evenly heated, so your cheese melts all the way through. Following Garten's grilled cheese tips can help to create an unforgettable, bold comfort meal that will have you returning to your panini press time and time again for more melty goodness.