Making Grilled Cheese In The Air Fryer? Don't Skip This Simple Step

For fans of the movie "Chef," there will only ever be one correct way to make a grilled cheese sandwich: channel the spirit of Jon Favreau and then fuss over your three-cheese masterpiece. Lift the bread to check if it's toasted, adjust the heat, slide the sandwich around the griddle, and, for the final flourish, spread on a little more butter. Not only is it delicious, but all that fiddling around even makes you feel like a real chef. Having said that, if you're open to a low-effort version that delivers mindblowing results every time, you must try making your grilled cheese in the air fryer. Just make sure you don't skip one simple step — pre-heating.

Making grilled cheese sandwiches on a pan can lead to inconsistent results. Not having absolute control over the heat means your toast might get crunchy before your cheese melts. Or you wait too long and you have gooey cheese, but burnt toast. The air fryer grilled cheese takes all guesswork out of the equation, especially by pre-heating the air fryer (no higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit). The rest of the steps remain the same: two slices of bread buttered on the outside, your favorite cheese or cheeses on the inside, before leaving it in the air fryer for four to six minutes, flipping once at the halfway mark to ensure both sides are crunchy.

Why is this better than the pan? Essentially, an air fryer functions on the same principles as a convection oven. Once pre-heated, the temperature inside remains consistent, heating whatever you place in the basket evenly from all directions, practically guaranteeing melted cheese and crunchy toast every single time.

Just as with the stove-top method of making grilled cheese, there are things that can go wrong in the air fryer, too. For example, it might make sense to secure the sandwich with a toothpick once closed to make sure the fan in your air fryer doesn't blow it off. The other common mistake people sometimes make is skipping the butter. While air fryers do use less fat than usual to cook, there's a good chance your toast will end up being dry and crumbly if you skimp on the butter.

We're of the firm belief that all grilled sandwiches are great — from the humble late-night quick fix (white bread, butter, cheese slices) to its more exotic variations (stacked Tex-Mex grilled cheese, anyone?). The good news is your air fryer does not discriminate. The simplest and most delicious upgrades always involve swapping out your white bread and playing around with different cheeses. We suggest avoiding soft cheeses and picking harder ones like sharp Cheddar or Gruyere, which melt into perfect stretchiness. In that epic scene from "Chef," Favreau uses white cheddar, yellow cheddar, parmesan, and gruyere on sourdough bread, so that's as good a starting point as any for your experiments. You can also pair these with some fun condiments like bacon jam or kimchi while you're at it.

Meanwhile, if you're in the mood for more over-the-top upgrades, here are some of the most extravagant grilled cheese sandwiches in America for inspiration. Quick heads up: there's a caviar grilled cheese in there that you may not be able to resist.