Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Pork, three cheeses—blue, cheddar, and Parmesan—and tart spiced apple chutney make up this delicious grilled sandwich from Santa Monica chef Raphael Lunetta. The carnitas recipe makes enough shredded pork for 12 sandwiches, though you may find other delicious uses for it. If you like, substitute leftover pulled pork for the carnitas for a quick sandwich fix. Slideshow: More Carnitas Recipes

In the early years of Top Chef, the judges took forever to agree on which contestants should stay and which should go, and conversations often dragged into the wee hours. These days, the judges generally decide more quickly, but during season 7, one particularly long, lively debate required substantial refueling, and Padma Lakshmi introduced Gail Simmons to a favorite late-night snack: melted sharp cheese and spicy chiles on toast. Simmons had to know more! Lakshmi explained that she often ate this popular open-face sandwich as a child in India. A recent taste of the cheese toast at a buzzy Indian restaurant in London inspired Simmons to create her own version. Her grilled cheese crossed with chile-cheese gets a flavor boost from mango chutney spiced with fresh ginger, which lends both floral and peppery notes. Slideshow: More Grilled Cheese Recipes

Chef Chris Cosentino proves here that you can elevate the humble grilled cheese sandwich into something magical with just a few tweaks. His buttery, crisp version is filled with luscious Taleggio cheese, then drizzled with honey and sprinkled with flaky salt and coarsely ground black pepper. It’s so simple, but also jaw-droppingly good. Slideshow: More Grilled Cheese Recipes

When you’re making a sophisticated, complex, grown-up grilled cheese, you need something a little sturdier than white bread. Here, the best breads for grilled cheese sandwiches.

Crisp bread that shatters with each bite; savory, melty cheese that stretches as you pull it apart. Sometimes, nothing beats a good grilled cheese, and the fact that there’s a national holiday dedicated to it even further cements our belief that this is the king of all sandwiches. But you don’t just have to limit yourself to plain cheese and bread—try adding honey (trust us on this one), slapping on tomato and prosciutto, or mixing Fontina with mushroom and sage. We’ve gathered all of our favorite recipes to celebrate the humble grilled cheese—all you have to do is pick which one to make first.