SHOWDOWN: PBJ vs. Grilled Cheese - Which is the better sandwich and why?

I'm going to say grilled cheese, even though as a child my parents had to put the peanut butter on a top shelf, and even then I still climbed up to get it. They even have a sneek picture of me at age 4, in my underwear, climbing up on the counter to get down the peanut butter! The reason is the Maillard Reaction, by which protein combines with sugar and produces the browning reaction, including the mouthwatering taste.

You only get the Maillard Reaction by heating. And since the typical peanut butter sandwich is on untoasted or grilled bread, it doesn't happen. Add to that that you can swap out cheese and make something really terrific, and grilled cheese wins it for me!

Grilled Cheese. And not that tarted up sandwich you guys keep talking about. You don't put sun dried tomatoes, Italian tuna fish belly meat, or other random junk in there.

You do that, and it becomes a pannini, not a grilled cheese. The Bread. You need something with stability.

And nothing thin and crusty. You want the bread to have some mass, some structure. Cuban is perfect.It's dense, so it holds the butter better, and can crisp on the outside, while the inside takes on that nice buttery donut texture.

It has structure. It is sturdy.It has SMALL cells of air. This means you don't get drippy molten cheese on your hands.

Cause that HURTS.So, if you listed Ciabatta as your grilled cheese bread of choice, you can pick up your free case of car wax, and exit stage left. Now. The Cheese.

Go with something that will melt. If your cheese is a goat dairy product.. see above comment about car wax. Goat cheese does not melt, it merely softens then bursts into flame.

If your goat cheese melts, you didn't get real goat cheese. Pick whatever solid cow cheese you prefer, they all work pretty well. The Fat.

Note, I did not say butter. Butter is a wonderful thing, but almost any fat can be used. Just be wary of the smokepoints of your fats and oils.

Keep in mind that infused oils used to lube up the pan, can work instead of butter, and can add a huge amount of flavor to the outside of the sandwich. So you can layer complimentary flavors between the fat, the cheese, and the bread. And now I give you.. Kaiote's Coronary Sammich.1.

Cuban Bread. Sliced on the bias for slives about 4 inches long.2. Meunster.In block form please.

Sliced on the short side, about 4 inches long. 3. Pepper Jack.

See above. 4. Bacon Grease.

Smear the bacon grease on one side of the bread. Put it in the pan. Put one slice of each cheese on top of it.

Grease up the other piece of bread. Stick it on top, piggy side up. Fresh black pepper lightly on top.

Flip that sucker. Little more pepper. Watch your smokepoint.

You want the grease to be HOT, but not burning. This is key, as it prevents the full amount of grease form soaking into the bread.It's not a health issue here, it's a texture issue. Ok, if you worry about your waist... toast the bread slightly first.

Then, barely scrape the bacon grease on there. Oh, and the pickles... When you eat all of your favorite pickle.. you know, the ones that cost 3.50 a jar that you yell at your friends for touching? Save the pickle juice.

Throw whatever raw veggies you have around the house in there.It's a brine, and in a couple days, they will make some of the best pickled cauliflower, okra/green beans/snow peas EVER. For this sandwich, I recommend tossing some chili peppers in there, then some snow peas. The snow peas should stay crisp, and pick up some of the chili heat.

This helps to cut through the heavy fattiness of the sammich. Don't let your wife catch you.

This showdown gets down to sweet vs savory. The PB&J hits the sweet tooth while the grilled cheese hits the greasy spot in my stomach. As a quick snack that takes no cooking skill, the peanut butter and jelly wins.

Whether you are going camping, in a college dorm, or have no heat source, then the tried and true George Washington Carver bread spread choice for of us that still need parental permission to operate a stove top. Now, with a little more attention to detail and responsible kitchen hands then a grilled cheese sandwich is even more pleasing. You choose the bread, you choose the butter and cheese, and you have simple dynamite sandwich.

After a night of heavy drinking, the grilled cheese would be drunkards choice even though the PB&J is the least prep. Here's one sure thing I DO know. Adding a slice of crisp bacon to both sandwiches definitely makes them better.Is anything bacon can't do?

Then again why choose? Why not put the two together into one amazing sandwich that hits all the endorphins? Some one has already thought of that and provided us with the recipe.

Check it out below. allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Cheese-and....

I can't believe no one's mentioned this yet! Grilled cheese hands down. Why?

Because paired with a bowl of tomato soup, you have the world's best meal (carbs, cheese, tomatoes - my perfect combination).

The grilled cheese is the better sandwich. Peatnut butter is a good fat because it sticks to your ribs and you feel full longer but a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is pretty much nothing but sugar. A grilled cheese is a good source of calcium, has a satisfying crunch to it, goes well with added veggies (onion, mushrooms, etc.), and it's also fun to make.

Grilled Cheese! It does not matter a grilled cheese, pickle and a warm bowl of tomato soup thats the best. I love PBJ as well, but more for a quick fix when Iam running out the door.

flickr.com/photos/parkerman/501695833/ flickr.com/photos/nixpic/2856729003.

What a tough question! I think it boils down to is this - the instant gratification of the tasty pbj (with strawberry jam, thank you) or the wonderful anticipation and then yummy consumption of the warm, grilled cheese. Being nine months pregnant, I am not sure of my answer as both sound very good right now!

If you're talking health-related then I would say PB&J. The peanut butter has a high source of protein and the jelly is pretty much a fruit. You can use any kind of bread for a PB&J, so if you make it with whole wheat, you are golden.

Grilled cheese is mildly healthy in that there is a small amount of protein in the cheese depending on what kind/quality you get. But the sandwich is made by using butter and frying it in a pan. Butter is really not healthy in my opinion, and the fat content in this sandwich is a little higher than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

If you're talking personal opinion, I'm going grilled cheese all the way! It's just so tasty. I don't care for the stickiness of peanut butter, and grilled cheese just has a great texture and buttery taste to it.

Almost heavenly! Awesome question!

Hands down, PB&J. Although grilled cheese is quite good, PB&J is just so much simpler to make.

Grilled cheese! I have never been a PB&J fan....the peanut butter on the roof of my mouth drives me crazy! The best grilled cheese, in my opinion is with Pepper Jack Cheese.

Cut into triangles! :-D I like the idea of showdown questions! Can't wait to see more!

I find myself CRAVING peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches after a hard workout. Perhaps because of the protein in the peanut butter. Plus, you can take a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich with you for lunch, whereas a grilled cheese is only good when it is hot and gooey.

I do enjoy grilled cheese, infact I had one for lunch today w/ my soup, but PB and J is a staple. Plus, if you enjoy the gooey warmth of the grilled cheese, try grilling the PB & J, I did this the other day, and it was fantastic! PB&J is definatly the knockout winner!

Forget about childhood memories, it's daily practice for me to make a PB&J and put it in my tote bag. I love to make mine with Whole Grain Foods|Frontier Bread from the Sunflower Bakery, organic crunchy Peanut Butter|peanut butter and organic Blueberries|blueberry preserves. I'm a Vegetarian Food|vegetarian, and I never know if I'll be near a veggie friendly restaurant when hunger strikes.

A PB&J is the best portable meal for me. The Sunflower Bakery bread is available at Whole Foods Market. Now if I'm at home and it is a blustery day, there is nothing like a gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwhich and a bowl of creamy Tomato Soup, Campbell's Soup of course.

I use the same bread as above and for the Cheese|cheese, well Provolone Cheese|Provolone or Monterey Jack Cheese|Pepper Jack are two of my favorites.

Grilled cheese. PBJ is ok, but pretty much anything that's largely cheese is flat-out delicious. And there's so many options.

Yeah, with PBJ you can do chunky vs smooth, vary the jelly, and vary the bread a little, but it pretty much tastes like peanuts mixed with sweetness. With grilled cheese, you can use drastically different cheeses for different flavors, and even mix cheeses. My personal favorite is ridiculous quantities of smoked Gouda, but cheddar, Colby, and Munster can also be involved in good grilled cheese.

And American in a pinch.

Oh grilled cheese, hands down! First of all, it's grilled, so it's warm, gooey goodness. Grilled cheese is comfort on a cold afternoon, goes great with soup, especially tomato soup.It can be dressed up with fancy bread and artisan cheese, but is just as good on plain white bread with American cheese and grilled in butter.

PB&J can't give me all that love. Sure I love peanut butter on my bagel, and PB&J holds some sort of childhood memory for me, but it can't compare with the warm satisfaction of a grilled cheese sandwich fresh off my cast iron skillet.Nom.

What with vegetarians vs meat eaters, pro-lifers vs pro choice, republicans vs democrats, don't we have enough to be devisive about already. The lactose intolerant have already made up their minds on this one, as have those allergic to peanuts. Taste is a very touchy subject.

And I was just reading an article today saying women prefer sweets and bread , while men prefer salt and fat, so the answers are going to be gender predictable. I can just imagine how many arguments will start over this. Oh, but you didn't say anything about taste... So, hands down, peanut butter and jelly wins, and here's why.

Or first, here's why grilled cheese loses. First, skill in preparation Making the perfect grilled cheese is an aquired skill. The temperature must be just right, and you must have patience.It truly takes some practice and trial and error to achieve the perfect grilled cheese.

And nothing tastes or smells worse than burnt cheese. Second, tools and equipment. You must be near a heating source to even make one in the first place, preferably a stovetop.

I don't recommend using an outdoor fire (believe me I've tried). Too smoky, not consistent enough heat, too prone to misahaps. You must have a frying pan and should probably have a spatula.

Third, timely presentation. You must eat the grilled cheese right away. You can't grill one up in the morning and pack it into your sack lunch or picnic cooler and expect later to have an even remotely similar experience to fresh-off-the-griddle goodness.

By contrtast... First, the Peanut Butter and Jelly is a cinch to make. There's nothing to it. Spread out the peanut butter, spread out the jelly, smush together enjoy.

I've even enjoyed a severely smushed sandwich that was in my pocket all day after falling several times on a snowboard. Still delicious. Second, even if you don't have a spreading knife handy you can use your finger to make it and experience the bonus of licking that bad boy clean.

Third, It keeps for hours, even days. My personal record is a two-day old sandwich stored in a brown sack in my car in winter.(don't know if I trust summer) Still delicious. And the bonus reason, coolest name.

"PBJ" is so ubiquitous. No one has to ask what you're talking about.It's like LASER or SCUBA. And it just sounds good, like BLT.

What could grilled cheese do to top that?"GC"? But George Custer already has dibs on that. PS you forgot another go-to sandwich for generations - Baloney -it even got a really cool song written about it.

A grilled cheese sandwich wins hands down. It's the ultimate comfort food for kids especially when combined with tomato soup. Also by variations in the types of cheese and break you can make a hot sandwich that even an adult can enjoy something that's very hard to do with a PB & J.

Oh that just plain hard. I love both but if I really gotta pick, gimme a grilled cheese anytime. I love the taste of melted down cheese and the way butter toasted into the bread.It is just heavenly!

I would have to say the Grilled Cheese. With the right kind of cheese it is just heaven to eat. Plus nothing goes better with soup than a good grilled cheese sandwich.

PB&J just can't be heated and Peanut Butter tends to be sticky and leave you wanting to drink more. There is just no way you can possibly go wrong with a grilled cheese.

Peanut butter and jelly with a tall glass of cold milk is my favorite. Making my mouth water for one right now. So easy and quick and no dirty dishes to wash!

I guess that it depends on who it is for. When I was a kid I liked peanut butter and jelly better, because it didn't get soggy in my lunch pail. Today though, I would much rather have grilled cheese... for grownups.

Maybe a nice grilled baguette with some gruyere, or for something spicy, jalapeno, havarti and avocado, and mozzarella and pesto on grilled ciabbata is hard to beat. Grilled cheese sandwich - hands down.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is generally considered a kids favorite whereas the grilled cheese tends to be more for adults. Having said that, I have known both kids and adults who defy the odds. Although my preference is for a grilled cheese sandwich, I have been known to indulge in a peanut butter and banana sandwich (I don't really care for peanut butter and jam (or jelly)).

These days, with the care taken at schools to eliminate the possibility of allergic reactions, I think the peanut butter and jam sandwiches are not as popular as they used to be. For the most part, peanut butter is not allowed in schools anymore due to possible nut allergies. I'm sure that these kids would not deny themselves the opportunity to eat this favorite food while at home, but it is no longer a staple food for lunches at schools.

For me, it is a toss-up between these two very popular sandwiches. I would venture a guess that the grilled cheese has a slight edge over the peanut butter and jam.

It is clear from reading these answers that far too many unenlightened folks are making do with the Bud-Miller-Coors-Lite versions of both peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese sandwiches. Tragic but not unexpected. Yet it is entirely possible to make the Guinness Stout versions.

There are a world of cheeses out there, and a world of breads. Nothing hits the spot like a sharp cheddar on pumpernickel sandwich on a chilly day. Yet there are are also great Gorgonzola on Dark German Rye, Goat Gouda on Sourdough, and countless others each with more character than a hundred processed cheese and white bread sandwiches put together.

But while some people realize that there are real cheeses and breads to try, few realize the potential of the real peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To make a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you need to start with real peanut butter. 100% pure peanuts and nothing but the peanuts!

That goop made of hydrogenated vegetable oil is not fit for a sandwich. Spread it upon some real bread, like pumpernickel, and then contemplate the vast array of choices to spread on the other slice. Jam perhaps, but which fruit?

And from which country, since imported jams are commonplace even at discount? Or perhaps honey, from any of a number of blooms? Or one of my favorites, marmalade?

Or even chutney! Or a ripe banana (squashed into jam on the spot). But my favorite is Tabasco Hot Pepper Jelly (red not green).

Taste-wise there are so many great possibilities it is impossible to choose. But from both a health and a convenience perspective the peanut butter and jelly sandwich wins hands down. Accompany either with a fine beer or two and you have dined better than a King on a peasant's budget.

The grilled cheese is easy to make for all cooking ages. Warm grilled cheese with tomatoe soup on a cold winters day would help take any sniffles away. The favorite thing of a child was to split the sandwich down the middle and watch the cheese spread apart grasping at the other half until the cheese was to far apart and it broke.

The best thing about the grilled cheese is it can be breakfast or lunch so it is versital. The Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. A hot summers day your playing outside and mom calls for lunch your hot and thirsty.

She hands you a sandwich with soft fluffy bread filled with soft or crunchy peanut butter and cold jelly. One bite and you have two different flavors in your mouth. A sandwich that as you get older still seems to comfort you on a summers day.

Also a sandwich that follows tradition and you find yourself giving it to your children. The great thing about this sandwich is the jelly can come in so many different flavors that you can be creative and there is a flavor for everyone to love. So when you come to pick which one is better and you compare these two sandwiches we come to different questions do you like hot or cold food better.Do you like to cook or something simple.

As looking back to childhood memorys I would say. PBJ wins cause at any age you can help mom make it in the kitchen.

I have 6 year old twins. Everyday I make one pb&j and one grilled cheese - to each their own! Personally, grilled cheese and french fries served in a diner is the only way to go.

I feel it would have to be Grilled Cheese if only for the numerous variations that are possible. If stacked side by side the grilled cheese side would far out weigh the PBJ side. The variations in bread alone that go with cheese are huge, PBJ on pumpernickel does not sound so good to me, then there are the hundreds of different cheeses that can be used.

There are maybe a dozen different jellies and four peanut butters Smooth and Crunchy in regular and natural styles. I would never order PBJ in a restaurant but aged Vermont cheddar on sour dough would not cause me to hesitate.

While both of these are near and dear to my heart, I gotta go with the grilled cheese. Toasty and buttery, warm and gooey...plus, there are so many variations. YUM!

PB&J simply because its easier + cheaper to make and I have a sweet tooth!

Over here in England, we don't do grilled cheese, we take it one step further. We use a device that is somewhat of a cross between a waffle iron and a panini press. Those make the best sandwiches on the entire planet.

Well, this is an odd answer. I definitely feel it's grilled cheese and still get a major jones for one frequently. So here I am on Answers this evening, and every time I go to Answers Home, there's this question staring me in the face.So guess what I just made and am now eating?

A grilled cheese sandwich made from sourdough bread and finely grated "Mexican Cheese" which is just a combination of more than one cheese, and it ROCKS! Seriously. Eating it RIGHT NOW!

My keyboard is getting very greasy in the process. Thanks for the excellent suggestion! I sure as heck did not run to the kitchen with an overwhelming desire for a PB &J.

So there's my answer, to the very fiber of my being - the grilled cheese sandwich is better than the PB & J.

Grilled PB&J. Throw some bread in the toaster. Once it's done, spread PB&J as desired.

Press together. Eat. End of discussion.

Easy! Grilled Cheese Its hot, crunchy and the cheese is melted. Seriously, its like the best simple sandwich ever.

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