the secret to healthy grilled cheese

Do any of you dieters remember grilled cheese??

mmmm, its so good, but doesn't sound at all healthy.

but it doesn't have to be that way.  I've figured it out.

When you cook it on the skillet you need lots of butter to keep it from getting burnt and to give it a buttery taste

well, butter tends to be like 120 calories a teaspoon or so.  And I know people that can use half a stick making grilled cheese.

What I like to do, is spray a little canola oil spray (0 calories) on the pan.  And grill the bread on both sides for a little bit.  The problem with the spray instead of butter is that the bread wants to brown faster than the cheese wants to melt, so you can either turn down the heat, or put it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

This makes grilled cheese for 200 calories.  Which with some soup makes a great low cal lunch.

I agree that you can make a nice, gooey grilled cheese sandwich without it being greasy.  I do it pretty much the same way, and avoid butter.

However, your calorie count of butter is off.  a tablespoon is 102 and a pat, which is 1 1/2 teaspoons, is 36 calories, all from saturated fat.

Do you think it would work with butter flavored Pam?  I too miss grilled cheese.

I bet it would work with Pam just the same, thats like only 7 calories for a 1 second spray

Whoa... How does 1 tbsp = 106 and 1.5 tsp = 32? I didn't realize there were 4.5 tsp in 1 tbsp?

 blushing...

I was a little off myself.  That's what I get for relying on my memory and not the CC search

Here it is

Butter  102 to the tablespoon (14 grams)  36 to the pat (5 grams)

Before I went on a camping trip with a BBQ< "grilled cheese sandwhiches" weren't made htis way for me. We have a sandwhich press, and just wrap a sandwhich between baking paper (if you dont want to clean up and stops it being sticky) and leave it there until its brown and melty on the inside. You dont add butter to the outside (tho you can) so its prolly not as "tasty" but you could make some concoction with butter buds (dont know what it is really, we dont have it) or as you said flavoured pam.

How does reduced fat cheese go in a griller/press/microwave? I dont get the opportunity to buy it (yet) but once I have my own kitchen, I;d like to see jsut how "horrible" this stuff is.

I think butter flavor pam works great for grilled cheese, and pretty much anything else you'd normally fry or toss in butter (quesedillas, etc).  It's not the "same", but it's close enough!

I've always done 'grilled' cheese in the oven - broiled it - or in the toaster oven.  That way, it's just the bread and the cheese. 

Oh - and the jam - I put jam on the outside of my grilled cheese sandwiches.  Strawberry is the best.  And you can't knock it till you try it!!!  :-)

Hmm, sounds like I'm better off trying with canola oil on low heat first.  Maybe try with butter flavored Pam if I need some butter taste. 

sydthekid-I won't knock the jam until I try it.  Promise!!  ;)

Personally, I just pop my bread into a toaster and then, using 2% cheese, I stick it in the microwave for 15 seconds. No butter needed.

That's a GREAT idea!
i should've thought about it sooner, i'll probably eat one of those on weekends, it'll be perfect
=D

1/2 tbsp Balade light butter spread (25 calories)
2 slices Arnold wheat bread (80 calories)
2 slices Kraft fat-free cheddar (60 calories)

165 for the whole sandwich! And I swear it's good.

I use one slice of cheese, no butter, and bake it in the oven or toaster oven.  I have to be careful, though-- I have a tendency to accidentally burn cheese sandwiches, even if I'm watching them well -_-;;; .

You all made me so hungry for grilled cheese!  Here's how I did mine - I spread both pieces of bread, very thinly, with Earth Balance whipped margerine, adding about 40 calories to the sandwich.  I used 40 cal a slice diet whole wheat and low fat Leederdammer cheese,  I sliced the cheese with a vegetable parer and weighed out an ounce.  That's 90 calories.

So 40 + 80 + 90 = 210 for the sandwich.  Not quite as healthy as fat free, but pretty good after all.  And it WAS good!

I think what happens when you use Pam and the entire surface of the pan is coated, the part that has no food on it smokes and burns.  I only use Pam for coating baking pans now.  I find that I have to use oven cleaner to get the over spray off my glass pans.

I use the "I Can't Believe it is not Butter" spray, Nature's Own Light wheat bread and Kraft 2% singles. Very tasty = )

I use WonderBread Light Wheat (80 cals for 2 slices), a few slices of South Beach Diet American Cheese Slices (35 cals a slice), and if i'm using the frying pan i spray both the pan & bread with butter flavored cooking spray (0 cals). it's pretty tasty, and can be kept under 200 calories depending on how many slices of cheese you use.

but i also use the route of toasting the bread & melting the cheese in the microwave, since i'm lazy and impatient, and it also means i don't have to dirty a frying pan. i personally don't need my grilled cheese to be buttery-tasting, i don't mind.

How thick are those wonderlight slices?!?! My bread is 80 cal for one slice! And thats not even thick cut!!

they're the same size as regular WonderBread slices. normal-sized and i find that they taste the same (but i'm no bread critic or anything).

yeah, i used to use whole wheat slices that were regular cut and 80 cals too.

If you use frozen bread and a lid, you can heat it on low in a non-stick pan with or without oil.  It browns on the outside, melts on the inside, not greasy!

I learned a new way to make a grilled cheese today:

Step 1: Take two slices of bread and one slice of cheese... Assemble the sandwich and then wrap it in Aluminum Foil...

Step 2: Plug in Iron and warm-up to highest heat setting...

Step 3: Iron both sides of grilled cheese

Step 4: Indulge in your hot, steamy Ironed Cheese sandwich...