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There's no bad time for comfort food, and it's hard to think of any meal (or snack!) that's as quick and satisfying as a crunchy, gooey grilled cheese sandwich. The good news is that you can use any cheese you like for your grilled cheese. If it's your favorite, give it a go!

Crispy bread and melted cheese. How can something that tastes so good be this simple? Welcome to National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day on April 12! What’s the secret? We asked Aaron Christenson, the owner of a small Central Oregon restaurant which won a recent readers’ poll in the categories of “Best Kids Menu” and “Best Family Restaurant.” His response? “A perfect grilled cheese has to have a super crispy exterior, brushed with garlic oil. Lots of melty cheese in the center. Thick cut, handmade bread is a must!” And there you have it. Now get grilling.

Even though we understand the impulse to want to start eating grilled cheese as soon as possible, don’t rush the cooking process. Moderate heat allows the cheese inside to fully melt without burning the outsides. Ingredients MAKES 2 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley ½ garlic clove, finely grated ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 4 thick slices Pullman or other sandwich bread 4 oz. sharp cheddar coarsely grated Preparation Step 1 Mix butter, parsley, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a small bowl until...

The original Grilled Cheeeeeese is $6 and comes on a soft, sweet, round bun, which Crave says is similar to King’s Hawaiian Bread. But, for an extra dollar, guests can substitute a griddled, glazed donut in place of the bun. “Our chefs grill the sweet bun halves on the cut sides, flip them over and then pile on the cheese — and we mean pile it on,” Crave says. “We use four slices of American cheese — the best for meltability. As the cheese begins to melt, the halves are put together and the sandwich is griddled until the cheese...

When I was attending public school in the late-1950s and 1960s, one of our favorites of the rotating school lunches was Cream of Tomato Soup and Grilled-Cheese Sandwiches. But as I grew older, I lost my taste for the sweetness of most tomato soups offered in cans at the grocery, or in restaurants. I began to realize that what I was wanting in Tomato Soup was something very tart, clear, and herb-y. About 10 years ago, while lunching in a small local restaurant, I enjoyed a Tomato-Basil soup in a bread bowl which seemed to me to be the *Perfect...

Here’s yet another reason to love grilled cheese: Fans of the ooey, gooey sandwiches have more sex, a new study has found. Thirty-two percent of grilled cheese fans have sex at least six times a month, versus 27 percent of those who don't like the sandwich, according to the dating and social-networking site Skout, which released the findings before National Grilled Cheese Day on Sunday.

Improving the classics is not an easy task. I, for one, have for years been trying to add a kickstand to my burritos to make them stand upright, but the technical challenges prove insurmountable. Big & Littles in Chicago has done better with its update to the grilled cheese, however: It battered and deep-fried it. Robert: All I need is a bowl of deep-fried tomato soup and it's a complete meal. Miles: It's beer-battered, so everyone be prepared for me to call in sick tomorrow with a grilled-cheese hangover. Peter: It's breaded bread, and it's delicious. Why not go for...

NEW YORK, - A New York man says he took a page from drug dealers to sell his perfectly legal product -- grilled cheese sandwiches -- on street corners. The man, who asked to be identified only as Ronnie, said he takes orders from customers via text messages, cooks the grilled cheese sandwiches at his brother's apartment and makes deliveries on street corners, the New York Post reported Monday. "I feel like a drug dealer because I'm handing people a paper bag and they're handing me cash," Ronnie said. He said the sandwiches range in price from $5 to $7,...

Johnny Depp, clad in a ric-rac-trimmed apron, is an appealing figure as Sam in the 1993 film Benny & Joon as he cooks a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches using a clothes iron. But will this technique actually work when practiced by ordinary folks in an ordinary kitchen? On December 5, 2004, Roy and Laura set out to make grilled cheeses sandwiches the Benny & Joon way. (Benny & Joon film capture from Depp Impact)

You all read about that girl down in southern California who got an F on her final term paper because she used the word "God" in a term paper about religion which her teacher has assigned the students to write? He had warned them not to use that word. The town is just east of Los Angeles. I want to call it Velveeta, but it probably isn't exactly that.

Ten years of stovetop duty have left it a little charred and discolored, but Diana Duyser says this humble skillet gave birth to a miracle: the highly publicized Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich. Duyser, 52, who sold the sandwich last year for $28,000, hopes to repeat that success with the skillet. She has it listed on the Internet auction site eBay, where top bid Tuesday was $152.50. But Duyser is confident she will get hundreds or even thousands more. "I'm not selling it for $152," she said. "It won't go for that; it's going to go high." Duyser, a jewelry...