This Tangy Ingredient Brings Bright Flavor To Grilled Cheese

Whether you're 5 or 95, a good, old-fashioned, ultra-crispy grilled cheese is one of those timeless provisions that never goes out of style. Despite its enduring appeal, giving a plain Jane grilled cheese the occasional makeover keeps its novelty intact. Enter kimchi — the tangy, refreshing, flavor-forward fixin' that takes your average grilled cheese from ordinary to extraordinary with minimal extra work.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made by fermenting vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage, radish, or cucumber, with flavoring agents like Korean red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. Similar to sauerkraut, kimchi flaunts a tangy, briny, and bright taste. Unlike its German cousin, however, the flavors used to make kimchi culminate in a more dynamic flavor profile and aromatic tapestry that walks the line between savory, sour, and spicy. 

By introducing kimchi into your grilled cheese, you provide the otherwise one-dimensional taste of bread and dairy with full-bodied layers of flavor complexity and depth. In addition to its electric flavor, kimchi also has a crunchy, refreshing, and satisfying texture that imbues the soft, creamy, and gently toasted consistency of a grilled cheese with a more lively mouthfeel. Not to mention that kimchi is a great source of digestion-improving probiotics, essential vitamins, and minerals that give your grilled cheese a nutritional upgrade.

Grilled cheeses are one of the most accessible sandwiches to assemble, making them a perfect option for foodies new to cooking. Although it's a bona fide upgrade with a sophisticated finish, adding kimchi to a grilled cheese doesn't have to complicate this historically simple process. By keeping a few simple tips in mind, you'll have a bold and bustling grilled cheese that will keep you coming back time and time again.

Whether you opt for a store-bought variety or make your own homemade kimchi, the type of veggie used can influence the final grilled cheese. To keep it familiar and low stakes, napa cabbage kimchi is a tried-and-true option that's crunchy yet tender, substantial, and as timeless as grilled cheese itself. Radish kimchi shares a similar flavor profile with a more distinct crunch. Cucumber kimchi has a slightly more refreshing edge than the former options and, like radish-made kimchi, boasts a hard-to-miss crunch. The type of cheese you select makes a difference, too. Use cheddar to harmonize with the sharpness of kimchi, mozzarella to amplify its many tasting notes, and pepper jack to bolster its fiery undercurrents. Although any bread works, sourdough is an excellent option for matching the tangy flavor complexity of kimchi.

To assemble a kimchi grilled cheese, simply add a fistful, spoonful, or forkful of kimchi to the inside of two slices of cheese-lined bread. Spread butter (or mayo) on the outsides of the bread, and grill until golden and crispy. Finally, don't hesitate to introduce complementary add-ons like crispy bacon, peppery green onion, or a drizzle of honey to keep the sandwich interesting.