- Grilled cheese sandwiches, especially panini made in the special Italian sandwich maker, are incredibly popular. Not only are they being served in more high-profile restaurants than ever before, but the sale of panini machines for the home have reached an all-time high as noted by the Los Angeles Times in April of 2003: "The panini press is on its way to becoming this decade's version of the gelato maker or espresso machine: a sophisticated appliance that promises to turn out a simple Italian pleasure right in your very own kitchen."
- Author Laura Werlin is one of the leading American authorities on cheese and the author of two successful books for STC: The New American Cheese (2000), which won an IACP Award, and The All American Cheese and Wine Book (2003).
- Each recipe offers instructions for making on stovetop, grill, and sandwich maker.
- Despite the popularity of the grilled cheese sandwich, there is no other book devoted to this comfort-food classic.
- Gift format and low retail price make the book an easy stocking stuffer or last-minute holiday gift for any cook.

"Anyone who needs a recipe to make a grilled cheese sandwich should probably not be in the kitchen in the first place. But cooks interested in more clever versions of the American classic could certainly learn a thing or two from Werlin, IACP winner for The New American Cheese and James Beard Award winner for All American Cheese and Wine. Stressing the sandwich's versatility, the author serves up everything from classic (and 'almost-classic') grilled cheese sandwiches to quesadillas and sweet grilled cheese options. Spicy Double-Jack, for example, calls for red pepper flakes and sourdough, while Grilled Spinach and Goat Cheese Croissant uses the French pastry's plentiful butter to complement a cheesy filling. Even Buttery Figs and Blue Cheese and Rich Raspberry Brioche can be classified as grilled cheese sandwiches; the former incorporates crusty Italian bread and gorgonzola, and the latter uses goat cheese and egg bread. In order to make a 'great' grilled cheese sandwich, Werlin explains, grate cheese (don't slice it), pile it on and let it ooze. Use salted butter, softened beforehand. And when it comes to bread, size does matter-thicker bread will outweigh the filling. For each recipe, Werlin provides instructions on making the sandwich in a skillet, in a sandwich maker or on a grill. 20 color photos." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Despite the popularity of the grilled cheese sandwich, there is no other book devoted to this comfort-food classic. Each of these 50 innovative recipes offers instructions for making the sandwiches on stovetop, grill, and sandwich maker.

Brie and apricot jam on a baguette; spinach and goat cheese on a croissant; blue cheese and fresh figs on crusty Italian bread: this is not your mother's grilled cheese sandwich. In Great Grilled Cheese, cheese expert and award-winning cookbook author Laura Werlin presents 50 scrumptious grilled cheese and panini recipes that range from the traditional to the contemporary. In addition to the more inventive combinations, including grilled cheese for dessert, there's always room at the table for the classics: grilled American on white, or apple, ham, and cheddar on sourdough.

Werlin discusses techniques-nonstick versus cast-iron pan, whether to cover during cooking, how to use the ultrapopular panini machine. Maren Caruso's tantalizing photographs perfectly convey the appeal of creamy melted cheese pressed between two slices of crisp, buttery bread. For cheese aficionados, parents whose kids insist on grilled cheese at every meal, and the kid in all of us who craves comfort food, Great Grilled Cheese will satisfy everyone's cheese dreams.