The Great American Grilled Cheese Experiment

The grilled cheese sandwich: It is the quintessential cuisine in the average American’s kitchen. It’s inexpensive and easy to make. Just slap some cheese between two slices of bread, fry it in a pan with a little butter and voila, the delicious, cheesy goodness is all yours.

The grilled cheese is absolutely wonderful in all its simplistic glory, but the traditional sandwich also offers seemingly limitless opportunities for innovation. Some folks like to add bacon or tomato, while others take it in a whole new direction and throw Ramen noodles on it. Yeah, Ramen noodles.

So what exactly are you putting on your grilled cheese these days? We want to know, so please tell us in the comments below. In the meantime, for your culinary enjoyment, we serve up a list of your local Patch editors’ favorite spin on the grilled cheese. Buon Appetito!

• Heather Asiyanbi, Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch: Has to be a mix of cheese - like provolone, sharp cheddar and mozzarella. Preferably between thicker slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread. Only use real butter, though, not non-fat, non-stick stuff on the pan.
• Sarah Worthman, Fox Point-Bayside Patch: I love mine with pepper jack cheese, bacon and tomatoes. Best if you've got a bowl of tomato soup to pair it with.
• Andy Ambrosius, Sussex Patch: Munster cheese, cream cheese, tomatoes and pesto seasoning.
• Sarah Millard, Waukesha Patch: A delicious side of a perfect chicken broth-based soup that is full of chunky goodness such as dumplings and lots of vegetables. 
• David Cotey, Greenfield Patch: Pepper jack cheese, bacon and maybe some turkey.
• Adam McCoy, Shorewood Patch: I'm just a plain cheddar or American cheese sort of dude. Just melt those processed cheese slices between two pieces of buttered bread and go for it.