Americans love grilled cheese sandwiches and a new survey shares their hot takes on the classic comfort food. It finds that Americans eat enough of them in a year to fill almost 900 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The poll of 5-thousand U.S. adults divided by state finds the average person eats 36 grilled cheeses a year. If everyone in the country did that, it would be enough sandwiches to cover 29,180 football fields.
- Respondents say grilled cheeses are best for quick and easy weekday meals (53%), when a craving hits (38%) and on rainy days (27%).
- Nearly two-thirds (62%) feel that a grilled cheese is best made at home and 40% like having one for lunch more than any other meal.
- Overall, Americans say the “perfect” grilled cheese is made with two slices of American cheese on white bread, medium toasted and cut diagonally.
- But some states disagree on the details. While most agree butter is the best condiment for the sandwich (70%), they have different ideas about how to use it.
- Connecticut (31%), Hawaii (33%), Maryland (31%), Mississippi (29%) and Utah (29%) like to butter the inside and outside of the bread, while California (30%), Georgia (40%), New Jersey (32%), North Carolina (28%), Pennsylvania (30%), South Carolina (29%) and Virginia (28%) prefer buttering just the inside of the sandwich.
- Some states, including Alabama, Ohio and Tennessee, are purists who only use cheese, while Rhode Island likes fresh tomato slices, and some people add ham (38%) and bacon (35%).
- When it comes to cheese, 58% say American is the best, while 49% like cheddar and 18% prefer pepperjack.
- White bread is the top choice for more than half (57%), followed by sourdough (24%) and wheat (23%).
- The bread-to-cheese ratio is “the most important component” of the sandwich for 43% and 52% agree the correct way to cut a grilled cheese is diagonally.
Source: Talker