Turn Your Grilled Cheese Sandwich Into A Flavor Bomb With This Old-Fashioned Filling

Buckle up, culinary time travelers — we're headed back to the 1920s, when the grilled cheese sandwich first gained popularity in the United States. While it's hard to imagine there was ever a time when kids and adults alike didn't know the deliciousness of biting into a toasty grilled cheese sandwich, the lunchtime staple didn't burst onto the American scene until around a century ago. Known then as a cheese dream (I'm not sure why we ever moved away from this fitting moniker, but I digress), grilled cheese sandwiches weren't just loaded up with dairy. A recipe from the time calls for melting the cheese before it ever hits the bread, creating a flavorful seasoning with dry mustard (which you absolutely need in your pantry, by the way), salt, and paprika.

The difference between the century-old recipe and the grilled cheese that most of us know and love today doesn't stop with the seasonings — the technique for making the flavor-bomb filling is a little different too. Rather than placing the cold cheese in between slices of bread and waiting for it to melt as the cheese toasts, this filling is melted in advance (stick with us here). The recipe recommends combining the cheese and the seasonings and mixing them together in a bowl set over a pan of warm water, allowing the cheese and seasonings to melt slowly. The filling is poured in between the two slices of bread before the whole sandwich is toasted to perfection.

If you're whipping up a 1920s-style grilled cheese, there are a few things you can do to help drive home the flavors of the sandwich — and the era. The recipe we mentioned doesn't specify what type of cheese to use, but we'd recommend going with American or extra sharp cheddar (we tried and ranked 13 cheeses for grilled cheese and these two came out on top). You can also get a little creative with the seasonings. If you don't happen to have any dry mustard on hand but still want to give this a try, you can try mixing a bit of the liquid mustard in your fridge into your cheese before you melt the ingredients together. A sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce can add a savory touch, or you could sprinkle in some cayenne pepper for a kick of heat.

Another way to add more flavor: Try incorporating some mustard into your butter (or mayo, if you seriously want to make your grilled cheese taste like heaven) on the outside of the sandwich before it hits the heat (keep an extra-close eye if you use honey mustard, however, as the sugar could cause it to burn more easily). Finally, consider adding a little mustard cup on the side for dipping if you can't get enough of the flavor. No matter how you choose to dress up your 1920s-style cheese dream (we should totally bring this term back), adding mustard can help to elevate your sandwich.