The Easy And Simple Way Mr. Rogers Made His Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled cheese sandwiches are unique in that there is absolutely no wrong way to make one, outside of failing to use bread or cheese. Some of the most extravagant grilled cheese sandwiches in America feature a range of top-of-the-shelf ingredients, including caviar, black truffle, and Wagyu beef. But there's nothing wrong with just grabbing some white bread, slapping on a couple of slices of processed cheddar, and placing it in your toaster. Believe it or not, American television's favorite neighbor, Mister Rogers, found an even easier way to make his grilled cheese sandwiches: Open-faced and in the oven. 

A Facebook post by the Fred Rogers Institute shows Mister Rogers pulling out crunchy, golden brown toasties from the oven. "Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!" the post reads. "You may know that Fred was a vegetarian, but you may not realize he was a fan of making open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches."

To make this version of the grilled cheese, all you need to do is spread some butter on slices of bread, top them with cheese, and slide the tray into a hot oven until the cheese melts. The use of the oven means these can be made in bigger numbers, compared to a stovetop or a sandwich grill. As one of the Institute's replies to a comment says, "It's efficient if you need to make them for neighbors." Apart from being a top hosting tip, this is also a quiet nod to the seminal children's show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which first aired in 1968, a few years before Fred Rogers went vegetarian.

"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which aired from 1968 to 2001, explored various topics of interest for kids and consistently preached kindness to all. "There are three ways to ultimate success," one of Mister Rogers' most famous quotes went. "The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind." This kindness extended to animals as well, and in order to ensure he practised what he preached, Fred Rogers turned vegetarian in the 1970s and remained one until the end.

"I stopped eating meat, fish, and fowl about 10 years ago," he told Vegetarian Times in 1983. "As I grew older, I found I liked it less and less. Part of it has to do with the animals—it's hard to eat something you've seen walking around." Unlike some Hollywood stars' favorite foods, which could border on the eccentric (Marlon Brando would eat a jar of peanut butter in one sitting), Rogers followed a pretty spartan diet. Milk and cereal or fruit and toast for breakfast, peaches and cottage cheese for lunch, tofu and vegetables for dinner. He also told the Vegetarian Times that he loved Tofu burgers and beets. Going by all this, it does seem like the grilled cheese sandwiches were likely reserved for his cheat days.

By the way, if you are looking for an indulgent fix for your cheat day, we'd recommend the Ultimate Grilled Cheese instead of Mister Rogers' open-faced version. Try it, and you'll thank us for our kindness.