If I had a nickel for every grilled cheese I have made in my life, I would be a bazillionaire. Hands down my favorite sandwich, I’m willing to bet I have tried it with every kind of cheese known to man. This is true. But with all of this high publicized cheese talk, the real secret to the perfect grilled cheese is not only about the cheese, but about how crispy the bread is.

In my humble opinion, there are two things that can ruin a grilled cheese sandwich: unmelted cheese, and bread that is dang-near-out-of-the-bag. No good. It’s like room service gone all wrong. I’m here to solve the problem.

The secret to the perfect grilled cheese is simply a smear of mayonnaise on the outside of each slice of bread. Folks, this is a game changer. Here is how to make this perfect sandwich.

Take out two slices of bread. My favorite is wheat bread. With both slices open, spread a thin layer of spicy brown mustard on the top surface of each slice. Place desired cheese (in this case, American is hands down Amen) on one slice of bread. Three slices of cheese is suffice. Top the cheese side with the mustard side of the remaining slice of bread.

Preheat nonstick pan on medium low heat, with 1/2 tablespoon butter. While butter melts, spread a layer of mayonnaise on top slice of bread. Once butter has melted, place sandwich, mayo side down, into the skillet. Spread a layer of mayo on exposed side of bread. Cook on medium low heat until the bottom is golden. Flip sandwich over and continue to cook slowly until the remaining side is golden and the cheese is melted. (the key here is low and slow).

Once cheese is melted and both sides of bread are golden, remove from pan and slice down the middle. This grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect accompaniment to my Tomato Soup recipe. Total comfort food at its finest.