Cheese On Toast

[camerata]

Anyone got any tips for cooking cheese on toast in a microwave? I mean how do you get it brown on the outside and gooey on the inside? Can it be done?

[Pink Mist]

Maybe a convection oven might do it, but you got no hope with a normal one

[Jai Dee]

I mean how do you get it brown on the outside and gooey on the inside?

Paint it with Vegemite?

[Tywais]

Suspect need to use a toaster for the bread then put the cheese on and put in microwave. There are microwaves with built in broilers that can probably do it. Since I have a sandwich toaster (about 1000 Baht) I don't worry about it.

Like these (top two) > http://www.sinsiamelectronics.com/catalog/...4188d1f6b6610fa

[gummy]

Normal microwave won't do it. Change you microwave for a Combi one. That way you grill your Cheese on toast as normal and for other things you use you microwave. That is the cheaper option rather than buying an imported oven with grill.

[sbk]

a microwave will make your bread gooey as well as your cheese

[camerata]

I have a really small kitchen so I don't really want to buy any more equipment. I believe with a microwave you have to lightly toast the bread first. I just wondered if the cheese could be made brown after I read about one guy using a blowtorch to do it.

[sbk]

Camerata, I've never heard of toasting your bread in the microwave. Unless you have one of those new kinds that are both microwave and convection.

The problem with regular microwave ovens is they don't actually brown your food at all. Just heat it up

[Tywais]

As mentioned you would need a microwave with convection heater. If you have a gas top and skillet you can do it the old fashioned way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grilled_cheese_sandwich

http://www.squidoo.com/grilledcheese/ (Video included)

Saw one place where they used a clothes iron to do it, the key was the wool setting.

[camerata]

Camerata, I've never heard of toasting your bread in the microwave. Unless you have one of those new kinds that are both microwave and convection.

The problem with regular microwave ovens is they don't actually brown your food at all. Just heat it up

I meant I have a regular toaster, so it's no problem getting the toast done before putting it in the microwave. So assuming I pre-toast the bread, does the cheese go bubbly and gooey (but not brown) in a microwave?

[Tywais]

Camerata, I've never heard of toasting your bread in the microwave. Unless you have one of those new kinds that are both microwave and convection.

The problem with regular microwave ovens is they don't actually brown your food at all. Just heat it up

I meant I have a regular toaster, so it's no problem getting the toast done before putting it in the microwave. So assuming I pre-toast the bread, does the cheese go bubbly and gooey (but not brown) in a microwave?

It will definitely melt but need to watch and not set it for too long. I melt cheese in the microwave when I make baked macaroni and cheese. If too much it will disassociate. Try 20 seconds first.

[camerata]

I found this with google:

"The toast is first cooked as normal, both sides. Sliced or grated cheese is then applied, and microwaved for 20 seconds. This variant gives it a strange texture if you're used to the first variation I described [regular grilled] because the toast is crunchy under the layer of cheese."

It's not really clear how the cheese tastes, though.

[Tywais]

I found this with google:

"The toast is first cooked as normal, both sides. Sliced or grated cheese is then applied, and microwaved for 20 seconds. This variant gives it a strange texture if you're used to the first variation I described [regular grilled] because the toast is crunchy under the layer of cheese."

It's not really clear how the cheese tastes, though.

Guess I need to try it that way, have the slices and bread already and am getting hungry reading this. Though the sandwich toaster works well, it is a mess to clean up after due to the cheese running. I would add some butter/margarine to the toast just before putting the cheese on it. It should taste ok.

[camerata]

To be absolutely authentic you need Branston Pickle on it too.

[Tywais]

To be absolutely authentic you need Branston Pickle on it too.

That sounds good too. Well, I said I was hungry after reading this and am now munching on a toasted cheese sandwich and came out nicely. 20 seconds was just right as the cheese started running out the sides. Maybe only a touch of margarine or butter. Used Kraft chedder slices but if you like something tangier then a sharp chedder would do it. I put it on a paper towel and placed it in the microwave. A slice of smoked ham added would be good too.

[Pink Mist]

how about just using the frypan and make a toasted sanga

2 slices bread buttered both sides

onion sliced thin

tomato sliced thin

cheese (motzarello or jarlsberg preferred) or cheddar.

layer in following order in fry pan

bread slice

cheese

onion

cheese

tomato

cheese

onion

bread slice on top

cook slowly to start with untill cheese starts to melt at bottom of stack, turn over and continue.

turn twice more, compressing sanga with spatula.

plate and eat

[Gary A]

I don't think you can make a decent toasted cheese sandwich anywhere except in a skillet. You need to brown the bread after you have buttered it while the cheese melts between the bread slices. An electric hot plate takes less space than a microwave oven and not much more space than a toaster. I used my hot plate MUCH more often than the microwave.

[Lickey]

Small gas blowlamp is the way to go, used to use 1 in truck in UK, takes about 20 secs and you get the crispy finish on the cheese, if you are in the kitchen, brush a bit of egg white on the cheese, this gives it a little crunch,you can do a bacon sarni with a blowlamp to, but do outside because of the smell and fat dripping of the bacon, and colemans english mustard is better than branston pickle as an extra,,

[britmaveric]

Can't be done.

[Jet Gorgon]

Sorry, Camerata, like all the other posters, I agree, it cannot be done. Soggy mess.

Toater oven/grill for bruschetta-style or GaryA's skillet method -- I like mine with thick slabs of cheddar, grilled to golden on the outside and then, most important, cut into four squares to eat. Big glass of cold milk. Heaven.

Or use Stiggy's toaster-turned-on-its-side method (see one-pot thread).

That iron improv sounds useful, too. Was that in a movie where some defecting Russian ballerinas heated up tins of beans or something on the hotel iron? Or blow torch... or maybe over a hibachi.

[Cuban]

I've seen a video in the past few weeks of a man using a hot clothes iron to make a cheese toastie.

This is the only link I could find that almost relates.

[raslin]

And on a very related issue, Makro have stopped selling cheddar cheese blocks and only have Mozarella. Can I use this for cooking e.g. sandwiches, cheese sauce, potato cheese etc?

Or do I have a round trip of 900 km to buy cheese in Bangkok?

Roger in Surin

[Jet Gorgon]

And on a very related issue, Makro have stopped selling cheddar cheese blocks and only have Mozarella. Can I use this for cooking e.g. sandwiches, cheese sauce, potato cheese etc?

Or do I have a round trip of 900 km to buy cheese in Bangkok?

Roger in Surin

Mozz is good, but it goes stringier and gooier than cheddar. Good in open faced sannies topped with slices of tomatoes, bell peppers, sausage, etc under the grill. Three or four minutes.

[sbk]

Camerata doesn't want a toasted cheese sandwich, I think. He is looking to make toast and melt the cheese on top, so that the cheese browns and bubbles but the toast stays crisp.

You can't get the browning effect in the microwave but, if you toast your toast quite brown, it might not get too soggy in the microwave, but as has been said, don't nuke it for more than 20 seconds at a go, to get the right effect. I've microwaved burritos with cheese on top and the tortilla hasn't turned soggy so toast should be ok.

[camerata]

Camerata doesn't want a toasted cheese sandwich, I think. He is looking to make toast and melt the cheese on top, so that the cheese browns and bubbles but the toast stays crisp.

Right. I haven't eaten cheese-on-toast for about 20 years, and then it was made with a grill pan. But I'm not intending to start again - too much fat and cholesterol. I just wanted to show someone what authentic cheese on toast was like. I guess it can't be done properly with a microwave.

My microwave is 1350 watts. Will 20 seconds on high be too much?

[Tywais]

You can't get the browning effect in the microwave but, if you toast your toast quite brown, it might not get too soggy in the microwave, but as has been said, don't nuke it for more than 20 seconds at a go, to get the right effect. I've microwaved burritos with cheese on top and the tortilla hasn't turned soggy so toast should be ok.

My little test run last night, I toasted two slices of whole wheat bread, put a little margarine on them then added two slices of Kraft chedder in between. Put it in the microwave for 20 seconds and the cheese had melted (and quite hot - so be careful with the first bite) and the toast was still crisp. Didn't know people liked the cheese browned also.

Should work fine with one slice of toast and the cheese on top (also, not heard of the single slice of toast & cheese sandwich) but will not brown the cheese.

[camerata]

Yeah, this is "cheese-on-toast" I'm talking about, not a toasted cheese sandwich. The posh version of it is Welsh rarebit.