Forget Basic Butter — This $3 Trader Joe's Find Makes Grilled Cheese 10x More Flavorful

Grilled cheese is one of those nostalgic comfort foods that can be made extremely simple or skew overwhelmingly artisanal (or even overdone). But while the classic version with individually wrapped slices of cheese stuffed inside toasted white bread is great, many people like to give their grilled cheese a little extra oomph. That might mean using the perfect cooking technique for the ultimate crispy, gooey grilled cheese or upgrading the sandwich's classic elements to add more savoriness. There are many ways to turn your grilled cheese's filling into a flavor bomb, but it's also worth paying attention to the sandwich's exterior by swapping ordinary butter or mayo for a flavored spread like Trader Joe's Butter with Parmesan, Garlic, and Herb.

Aromatic, zesty, nutty, and cheesy, this butter adds flavor to the most banal grilled cheese with almost no effort. Since the bold ingredients are already folded into the butter, all you have to do is spread it on the bread and toss your sandwich into the pan. The herbs and garlic penetrate the bread as it crisps, while the Parmesan helps form a crunchy layer that keeps your sandwich cheesy inside and out. At about $2.99 for 4 ounces, it costs more per ounce than generic grocery store butter, but since you only use a little at a time, it's still relatively budget-friendly.

You don't need a ton of Trader Joe's Butter with Parmesan, Garlic, and Herb to take your grilled cheese up a notch. In fact, if you slather the outside of your bread slices too liberally, they could absorb too much fat and get soggy rather than crisp. Just spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread while stacking them vertically with the buttered sides together on a cutting board as you build your sandwich. Layer your chosen cheeses on the top slice and place it in the pan butter-side down, then add the second slice on top, butter-side up. This is how you build a buttered grilled cheese with zero mess.

Of course, if you don't have a Trader Joe's in your area, you can also easily build your own compound butter using a simple formula: up to 2 tablespoons of seasonings per stick of butter. You can create a copycat version of TJ's butter, come up with your own blend, or use this same formula to make the TJ's butter even tastier. For instance, adding Trader Joe's citrusy garlic blend or chili lime seasoning into its brand of compound butter could add a fresh, spicy burst of flavor to elevate the herbs and parmesan. Ingredients from your own spice cabinet, such as lemon pepper seasoning or smoked paprika, would also be delicious. In fact, if you like mixing equal parts mayo and butter for an especially crispy sandwich, zhuzhing up Trader Joe's herby, cheesy butter with your own flavors will help keep it from being overshadowed by the mayo.