Your Grilled Cheese Sandwich Needs Some Help From This Korean Staple

As much as we love grilled cheese sandwiches, it's not particularly controversial to say that the sandwich could use a bit more substance. While it is oftentimes paired with tomato soup, the sandwich can be made even better through the addition of other ingredients. Of these options, the best is likely kimchi, a Korean side dish that has become incredibly popular in the United States in recent years. While combining kimchi and a grilled cheese isn't the most popular way to consume either dish, it is easily one of the best ways to upgrade your grilled cheese sandwich.

Most people believe that the best way to add kimchi to a grilled cheese sandwich is to cook a small serving of the fermented vegetables (just don't use Trader Joe's kimchi) in a skillet before adding it to the sandwich as a filling. Then, all that's left to do is toast the entire sandwich in your skillet or grilled cheese maker.

Due to kimchi's tangy, oftentimes spicy, flavor it really adds a ton of interesting notes to a simple grilled cheese sandwich. However, the Korean staple doesn't totally steal the spotlight; kimchi blends quite perfectly with the melted cheese creating a harmonious and striking final dish.

Kimchi has a pretty long shelf-life — as long as it's stored in the fridge. This means, if you find yourself getting tired of using the delicious Korean dish on your grilled cheese sandwiches, you can keep it without worrying about it going off.

Needless to say, kimchi brings a unique twist to your standard grilled cheese sandwich and, because of this, it isn't easily replaced by other ingredients. Given that kimchi is a fermented dish – one commonly made with cabbage, scallions, carrots, chili flakes, and other ingredients – the best substitute is to use other fermented ingredients and vegetables. For example, adding pickles to grilled cheese sandwiches provides a similar tang to kimchi (even if it lacks the spice), cutting through the fatty cheese. If you want your grilled cheese to have a stronger kick, consider adding pickled jalapeños to the sandwich. If you're feeling really experimental, you can even turn your grilled cheese sandwich into a fermented medley by using kimchi, pickles, and pickled jalapeños in the same sandwich, although the sharp and tangy flavors will likely overwhelm the cheese. Failing all this, you could always try a Nutella grilled cheese sandwich (don't knock it till you've tried it).