What I am about to tell you may shock you — I eat my grilled cheese with mayonnaise instead of butter. I know what you’re thinking, I was clearly raised in a parallel dimension where the world never developed butter.

“Hellmann’s Mayonnaise” is a suitable alternative to butter. It’s clearly the better option.

Throughout my childhood and into my college career, I never thought to use butter when making grilled cheese. It wasn’t until I started living with other people that I found out I’m actually in the minority.

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One of my roommates gasped when he saw me spreading mayo on my bread and plopping it into a skillet. I never knew any different, that’s the way my mother made them, that’s how her father made them and they tasted good. I had no reason to question the method.

I was just as surprised to learn my roommates only made their sandwiches with butter. Long story short, we’re no longer roommates. They graduated.

If you’re not grossed out yet, hear me out. It’s actually great. If you’re used to butter it may take some getting used to the taste and texture difference, but trust me, it’s worth it.

If you already use mayo on your grilled cheese you can back me up, right? “Hellmann’s” even ran a campaign ad promoting the use of their mayonnaise on grilled cheese. It’s at least worth a shot.

The differences aren’t life-changing, but they are noticeable. Of course, the most significant difference is the taste.

Grilled cheese with mayo has this creamy, almost tangy, taste to it as it melts in your mouth. While grilled cheese with butter still melts in your mouth, it doesn’t have the same array of favors.

The texture of grilled cheese is also different. Grilled cheese with mayo is less greasy than with butter. A sandwich made with mayo will brown and crisp better.

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Mayo on grilled cheese is lighter, in weight and in taste. Grilled cheese with butter is richer while having a denser texture to it.

It does seem strange to be using mayonnaise in a hot dish. I don’t do very much cooking, besides what an average college student does. Nonetheless, mayo is an excellent alternative to using butter.

Staff reporter Jacob Lorenz can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @jtlorenz6.

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