It’s National Grilled Cheese Day — here’s the key to making the perfect sandwich

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Food52/Joey De Leo

April 12 marks National Grilled Cheese Day for 2016!  

Is there anything more satisfying than layering your favorite cheese between two buttery slices of bread, throwing it in a pan, and watching everything get all crisp and gooey? The answer is probably no for anyone who's celebrating today. 

As for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, the key — after having carefully selected your ingredients — is picking out the right pan you cook it in. Go with a regular nonstick fry pan and you'll get decent results. But if you want to make the best possible sandwich, you'll want to make it in a cast iron skillet. 

The thing about cast iron cookware is that the more you cook with it, the more seasoned it will become, and the better your food will taste over time. Its density is also what helps your foods brown beautifully and cook evenly.

There are lots of options to go with here, from Lodge's super affordable skillets — buying a 10-inch one off Amazon will set you back just $15 — to Le Creuset's and Staub's luxury options. All told, though, whichever cast iron skillet you choose should yield delicious results. Enjoy!

The luxury options: Staub 10" Cast-Iron Fry Pan, $160; or Le Creuset 10" Signature Cast-Iron Fry Pan, $160.
The affordable one: Lodge 10" Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet, $14.97.