Get Ready!

I believe it was Papa Partlow who said that in order to do a job right you have to have the right tools and today's lunch break was devoted to acquiring just those :-) I ventured to my local Home Goods in search of the perfect non-stick frying pan (GGC* advises that you use a non-stick skillet and rely on the butter on the grilled cheese for greasing the pan rather than using cooking spray). Considering basically all of my pans develop a mysterious blackish brown film when I cook in them, this was a very important errand.

The cookwares section of the store was pretty well stocked, so I felt good about my prospects. The first items I saw were spatulas-- one of which said "safe for non-stick pans." Oh shoot, does this mean I need a special spatula too?! *flashes back to mom telling me to only use one particular spatula with her nice non-stick pan* Yes, I do need a special spatula. Good thing there's one right in front of me! Alas, it cost $8. Upon perusing the rack further I found a slightly smaller (but also non-stick safe) variety for just $3. Sold.

(The winning spatula-- note the losing spatula #1 in the background)

Turning around in the aisle I also noticed a shelf of cheese graters of all shapes and sizes! Recalling that GGC recommends grating, not slicing, all cheese I started to reach for these before reminding myself that I have not one, but TWO cheese graters at home. At this point I realized I was in my classic "see something fun in the store and decide I need it just because" mode of shopping. No, I was here with one goal in mind and I had to stick to it. I immediately put my blinders on and made my way past the adorable aprons and dish towels to the frying pan wall.

So many choices! But alas most of them are actually the same pan in different colors. I spent awhile debating the merits of Teflon before remembering that I maybe once heard it wasn't so good for you? Does it give you cancer? Can't remember, but best to not risk it. This left me with the few non-Teflon options that were also non-stick. Luckily, there were these "green" pans that seemed to fit the bill (they felt quite smooth and non-stick, much like the Teflon, but to me the "green" label implied that if I eat things out of this pan I will still be cancer free in a few years). I decided that since the big pans were more expensive I would opt for a pan that was sized to hold one sandwich at a time (and presumably distribute heat to and cook said sandwich more evenly and efficiently). Now the most important debate of all: which color?  Since I already have a red frying pan (and purple was not an option), I chose the orange-- the color of cheese, one of the colors of UVA, and just a happy color in general.

Yay!  All done and ready for sandwich number one tonight!  Alas I removed my blinders on my walk to the register and fell victim to two medium sized polka dot plates which I have now dubbed the "Official Grilled Cheese Plates."  If nothing else they will help to provide consistent perspective as far as sandwich size is concerned.


* "GGC" will henceforth be used to refer to our source text: Great Grilled Cheeses: 50 Recipes for Stovetop, Grill and Sandwich Maker