Ingredients

• 2 slices of your favorite sandwich bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 – 3 ounces of your favorite medium cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Generously slather one side of each piece of bread with your room-temperature butter. The buttered sides will be on the outside of the sandwich, so if your bread is a crazy shape like mine was and you want the pieces of bread to match up when the sandwich is closed, plan accordingly.
2. Turn the bread over, unbuttered side up. To one piece of the bread, add a single layer of cheddar sliced 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick. Cover every last little bit of the bread, overlapping here and there if necessary.
3. Top the sandwich with the second piece of bread, buttered side up.
4. If you’re using an electric griddle, set the temperature to about 275 degrees. Or use a roomy saute pan over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich on the preheated cooking surface and let it cook for about 5 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it’s not burning (it probably won’t at such low heat, but cooking surfaces vary from kitchen to kitchen). It’s tempting, but don’t press down on the sandwich! Unless you like your grilled cheese extra flat, in that case, go for it.
5. After the first five minutes, carefully flip the sandwich with a spatula and cook the other side for 5 minutes.
6. Flip and cook each side for a couple more minutes each. The bread should start to get golden brown and the cheese nice and melty.
7. After about 15 minutes of cooking over medium-low heat, increase the heat to medium and, turning every so often, watch the sandwich carefully until the bread is perfectly toasted a golden brown.
8. Remove the sandwich from the heat, carefully cut in half if you would like, and enjoy your perfect grilled cheese sandwich.