Inside-Out Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled cheese sandwiches rank high on the effort-to-reward scale. With minimal ingredients, these gooey delights come together in minutes and are no more difficult to make than buttering bread and giving it a flip on the skillet. Of course, there are the nuances that separate good grilled cheese sandwiches from spectacular ones: choosing the right bread and cheese, assembling the ingredients in optimal ratios, and cooking them at the ideal temperature for golden brown exteriors with perfectly melted centers.

Frequently asked questions

What cheese goes best with a ham sandwich?

We love this sandwich with Swiss cheese, the classic choice to pair with ham. We recommend going for Gruyère, an especially great melting cheese with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that's typically stronger than other Swiss varieties. If you'd prefer to use cheddar, choose a tangy sharp one to balance out the salty ham.

Do you grill cheese on high or low heat?

A grilled cheese is nothing without its toasty, golden brown crust and gooey insides. To accomplish this, you're going to want to cook your sandwich over medium-low heat. If the heat is too high, you could end up burning the buttery outsides before the sliced cheese has a chance to melt. To ensure melty cheese, some prefer to cover the pan as the sandwich cooks to trap the heat.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For this hot ham and cheese sandwich, it's all about a few key add-ons, one of which is used in an unexpected way. Naturally, we've included mustard here, but we mix it with apricot preserves for a bit of complementary sweetness. Crisp dill pickle slices are an optional, albeit tasty, sandwich topping. And lastly, our recipe calls for Parmigiano-Reggiano along with Swiss cheese — and this is where the fun really comes in.

Instead of tucking the grated Parmesan into the sandwich with the ham and sliced cheese, we sprinkle it on the outside, pressing it into the butter so it adheres. As it cooks, it creates an extra-crispy crust, making for an impossibly delicious sandwich both inside and out.