Cheese is a bit of an obsession of mine. I honestly cannot remember a time in my life that I did not love cheese.The first meal I ever learned to make was a grilled cheese sandwich. I was so into making them that my parent’s actually bought me a grilled cheese pan for Christmas when I was about 8. So when I was given the opportunity to do a taste test through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program of Sargento Natural Cheese versus a processed cheese, I knew making grilled cheese would be the perfect way to test them out.
Ingredients:
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 avocado
2 tomatoes, sliced (I used Roma tomatoes)
4 slices of Sargento Natural Cheddar Cheese
4 slices of a Processed Cheese (I used American)
4 slices of smoked applewood bacon
2 tablespoons butter
Tomato soup
Optional: a few drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire
I went with the sliced cheddar cheese from Sargento so that the sandwiches would visually be the same.
To give a little background, Sargento is 100% natural cheese, made from only natural ingredients (milk, cheese cultures, enzymes and salt).
Processed cheese, on the other hand adds, emulsifiers and preservatives, making it a cheese product instead of actual cheese. The cheese is melted down to a liquid and then formed into a slice. Even more gross, some processed cheese can be in unrefrigerated storage for months. Goo. Ok, now on to the yummy part.
Both sandwiches are made the exact same way.
Begin by slicing your avocado and tomatoes.
Prepare your soup according to the directions on the label. Add a few drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to add a little kick to the tomato soup.
Add two slices of bacon to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until desired level of crispness, turning occasionally.
Add 1 tablespoon butter to a separate saute pan over medium heat. When melted, add two pieces of sourdough bread.
I like both sides to have a little toasting, so I flip my bread after a few minutes and then top with cheese. Feel free to skip that step. Top with slices of cheese (either American or Sargento cheddar).
When the cheese is melted (about three minutes), add the cooked bacon, tomato and avocado to the bread.
Assemble the sandwich and cut in half. Serve with tomato soup for dipping.
So that both sandwiches were hot, we tried one half of each one after another. The American cheese sandwich wasn’t too bad, but the taste of American cheese could not be ignored. I found it to have a somewhat plastic-y taste to is. The sandwich also tasted like each individual part, (i.e. more of a bacon, tomato, avocado and cheese sandwich on sourdough) versus a bite of melty grilled cheese.
The Sargento cheddar, however, worked really well within the sandwich. All the flavors melded together and didn’t overpower each other. The Sargento cheese also had a wonderful gooey texture that clung to the other ingredients within the sandwich.
Honestly, there really isn’t that much difference in taste between the two, so if you are a fan of American cheese, the Sargento cheese would not be too much of a change to your palate without the fillers and almost half the amount of sodium. The real difference is the quality of the cheese as well as the end result.
Sargento offers a range of natural cheeses to fit any tastes, including Colby Jack, Swiss, Mozzarella, Provolone, Pepper Jack and Gouda (plus many more). I stuck to using cheddar solely to keep the cheeses somewhat similar. To really amp up the taste of this grilled cheese, I suggest mixing two of the Sargento natural cheeses to add more flavor (think Mozzarella and Provolone, Pepper Jack and Cheddar, etc.)
Many thanks to Foodbuzz for the opportunity to try Sargento Natural Cheese!
