Gordon Ramsay Gave You Terrible Grilled Cheese Advice
To say that Gordon Ramsay is a good chef is a huge understatement. Between his books, his restaurants, his television shows, and his extensive experience as a professional chef, the man has built a culinary empire. He creates epic dishes that people absolutely love and his fans adore him. So imagine their confusion when a video was released showing him making a grilled cheese sandwich that was unconventional, at best, and a culinary catastrophe, at worst.
The video quickly went viral and was met with some savage (and sometimes hilarious) comments on the YouTube page where the video resides. Many wondered how a chef like Ramsay could get such an uncomplicated dish so wrong. Among the elements of his method that were criticized was the thickness of his bread, his choice of cheeses, the addition of kimchi, and the burnt status of the finished product. Yet, Ramsay croons that the sandwich is "incredible," "so good," and "delicious."
Judging from the response, it seems just about everyone was skeptical of his self-critique. There are dozens of ways to make grilled cheese sandwiches; They can contain different cheeses, different breads, and lots of condiments. If there's a basic rule to follow, though, it's that the cheese should melt. Woefully, Ramsay broke this cardinal rule and it's one that's tough to forgive.
What went wrong?
Ramsay opts for two different types of cheese: pecorino with pepperberries and asiago. The problem right off the bat is that these are two strongly flavored, hard cheeses. Neither one of them could be described as good melting cheeses, but are rather better for grating. And instead of opting to grate or cut them thinly, he cuts them into thick planks. Ramsay then slices up a tasty-looking artisan bread loaf but the slices appear to be very thick.
Ramsay's decision to include kimchi on the sandwich is a little polarizing as well. While the sour, salty, spicy condiment certainly can elevate lots of other flavors, he's already working with two strongly flavored cheeses and the addition of something as powerful as kimchi might be too much. This, of course, is completely dependent upon personal taste, though, so we can't criticize the global-trotting chef too much for this. By the time Ramsay places the prepped sandwich in a skillet, the oil he's coated it with is so hot it's smoking pretty heavily. This could only mean one thing: burnt bread and, sure enough, when he flips the sandwich, one portion of the bread is blackened.
The moment everyone waits for is the moment that proves to be the most disappointing. When he cuts into the sandwich, there is no melting cheese whatsoever. Was the bread too thick? Was the cheese too thick? Was the heat too high? It was probably a combination of all three.
It's probably tasty, but it's not a grilled cheese
You've got to hand it to Ramsay for thinking outside the box on this one. A good, funky cheese is usually delicious on a grilled cheese sandwich and kimchi is an absolute flavor bomb. But, perhaps, the roasting of this international superstar chef would have been tamed if he'd made a few minor changes. For instance, if the bread slices were a little thinner, the outside might have gotten toasty and browned and still melted the cheese inside. Including a melting cheese also could prove to be a smart move, like cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella, Havarti, or gruyere. Hard cheeses should probably be grated or shaved if you have any hope of melting them.
Finally, a pan or griddle that's too hot is a surefire way to burn that bread before the cheese has a chance to melt. Low and slow is a better choice, but if you do want an initial hot sear on the bread, finish the sandwich in the oven so the cheese melts properly.
What Ramsay creates is more along the lines of a cheese sandwich, which is a perfectly decent dish, but to call it a grilled cheese isn't accurate in a lot of people's eyes. Hopefully Ramsay got a good laugh out of the aftermath. We wouldn't want to be around if his reaction was more akin to his moods in "Hell's Kitchen."