20 ingredients that will make your grilled cheese even better

Lots of apple pie lovers put cheddar or American slices of cheese on their desserts, why not do the same with a grilled cheese?, Select a drier variety of the fruit as not to end up with a mushy sandwich, like a Gala or Granny Smith. Not fan of cheddar? Emmental is great with apples for a grilled cheese date that calls for a nice bottle of white wine for grown-up dinner night. 

If we're putting avocado on our toast, we're certainly putting it on our grilled cheese. (Fine, we're Californians. We put avocado on our avocado, to be perfectly honest.)  Doesn't matter the cheese, just the warmth of the pan activates something wonderful in avocados that cause them to become one with the sandwich. 

We do recommend looking for California or Mexican avocados though (pictured on the left) versus Florida avocados (as seen on the right). West coast varietals have more taste – ask anyone who has had a Bacon or Reed avocado – and tend to be a tad creamier. 

You didn't really think we were going to leave bacon off this list, did you? While adding meats makes a grilled cheese a sandwich melt, bacon is the exception to the rule. Cheddar tends to rule the day here, but don't sleep on using bacon with pepper jack cheese for a spicy, smoky grilled cheese. 

Like a lot of foodies, when people give us gifts it's usually something food-centric that we don't always get a lot of use out of – like bacon jam. It can overpowering on its own (or worse, bland), but just a small bit perks up the mildest of cheeses and can hold its own again the sharp cheddars of the world. So if you have a jar you've been saving for whatever reason, crack it open and make it part of your everyday sandwich making. 

Caramelizing onions takes a lot of time and patience, which is why when we make some, we always make a extra to jar for later. With some sourdough, rye or even a thick slice of rye bread, they go well with gruyere for a French onion soup inspired grilled cheese. 

Our spring and summer gardens always produce more herbs than we can use (or even dry for use later), so we're old hands at tossing herbs on everything that goes on our plate this time of year. Dill picks up Havarti nicely, and chives are great on everything from provolone to gruyere. The freshness of both herbs help cut through some of the heaviness of bread and cheese. But our real favorite? While you're heating up your pan, gently fry some sage leaves in just a touch of oil or butter for just a minute and toss them on a grilled cheese with fontana. 

Just a small drizzle of honey goes a long way with a creamy goat cheese or even a funky blue. Something about the extra sweetness and the tang of either cheese is hard to resist, but it's even better when warm; it's almost decadent tasting.  

Spicy, pungent kimchi might not be what you expect to find on a grilled cheese sandwich, but once you try it once you'll find yourself becoming a fiend for it with Monterey Jack or cheddar. Worried about it being too spicy? Look for mild kimchi (it will be labelled on the jar) before taking it to the next level. 

OK – this isn't one of these "in your grilled cheese sandwich" suggestions, more of a "on your grilled cheese" tip. Instead of using butter which can scorch if your pan gets too hot, use the old diner trick of using mayonnaise in its place. Hate mayo? We understand. You won't even know it's there, and instead of burning the bread while you try to melt the inside, you'll have a golden crust instead. We're big believers in this grilled cheese sandwich trick. 

Either fresh of sautéed, Swiss is our grilled cheese of choice when we have some mushrooms to use up, but you can also use almost any semi-soft cheese to bring out the earthiness of mushrooms.

Mustard is great with paired with a strong cheddar or a creamy American, especially a nice dijon or country-style whole grain mustard. This is a combination we love when also paired together with cornichons or pickles on rye or sourdough. 

Manchego might not be your first thought when it comes to grilled cheese, but shredded it heats up nicely and melds together with olive tapenade for salty and creamy heaven. We like this on white bread, but it also goes well with an earthier whole grain. 

Either freshly sliced or pickled, jalapenos work well with jack, cheddar and cream cheese for a jalapeno popper styled sandwich. 

We love pears and cheese together, so it's a no-brainer to slice them for camembert or Jarlsberg grilled cheese. Remember the honey we recommended earlier? It's especially great with pears and grilled cheese too.

We have yet to find a cheese we don't like to serve with the heat of pepper jelly, but it's especially good with smoked gouda, colby, a mild Havarti or even muenster. Go easy on the spread though; the extra heat from the grill opens up the pepper flakes on some jellies a little too much and you'll miss all the notes of cheesy wonder. 

There always seems to be a jar of pesto we can't seem to use up around our fridge, and the easiest way to use it up is to start putting it on grilled cheese sandwiches; hard cheeses, semi-soft and soft cheeses alike – but of course the classic rules supreme; provolone and mozzarella grilled cheese sandwiches always welcome a bit of basil-y brightness. 

Cornishons or pickles should be patted dry first to avoid too much brine from soaking into the sandwich which seems like a little effort for a grilled cheese, but the work is worth it. The crunch and the power of the vinegar to cut through even the richest cheeses is worth it. We're fans of pumpernickel, medium cheddar and pickles – and maybe sneaking a little ham on there too.  

Humboldt Fog cheese, a fruity jam and thick slices of sourdough or wheat bread make for a grilled cheese that is almost dessert-ish for when we want something on the sweet side. 

We all grew up with tomatoes on grilled cheese, but somehow outside of diners you don't see them offered as much these days on menus – they've become lost in a sea of fancy additions like prosciutto. That's OK - we find better grilled cheese sandwiches come from our own kitchens, and with summer's tomatoes on their way, it's an easy way to use up the extra. Always great on American or cheddar (and with avocado!), we also like using them with provolone and mozzarella mixes.  

Think of this as having pizza without all the hassle of making or ordering pizza. (And less greasy for sure!) Spread a thin layer of tomato or pizza sauce on on the bread and use either shredded mozzarella or provolone (or both) and you have a pizza-grilled cheese. We won't tell if you sneak some pepperoni on their either. 

This is a good place to advocate for freshly shredding your own cheese though. Bagged cheeses often have stabilizers mixed in to keep the cheese from drying out, which is fine if you don't mind a less gooey cheese. The same things that keep it fresh keep it from properly melting.