Are you like millions of Americans? Do you salivate when considering the consumption of a sticky byproduct of nectar of cow, set up in a blanket of bread, grilled to perfection? And did you know, the annual U.S. consumption of grilled cheese sandwiches would nearly fill 900 Olympic-sized swimming pools? Grilled cheese sandwiches are big! Stick around for your personal survey.
Thousands of football fields covered by grilled cheese
A new state-by-state poll of 5,000 U.S. adults found a single average person eats 36 grilled cheeses per year. If everyone in the nation’s population were to eat the average amount in a year, it would be enough to cover 29,180 football fields with the classic sandwich.
Some cheesy statistics
- Grilled cheese sandwiches were found to be best for quick and easy weekday meals (53%), during cravings (38%), and on rainy days (27%).
- Three in five (62%) agreed that grilled cheese is best made at home and 40% said they prefer eating it for lunch more than any other mealtime.
- However, Mississippi rather enjoyed it as a breakfast option (24%), Kentucky found it best as an afternoon snack (33%), South Dakota said it’s perfect for dinner (35%), and Oregon claimed it’s best as a late night snack (12%).
Who paid for this cheesy study, anyway?
You may wonder, who on earth dreams up these surveys? Is the U.S. taxpayer footing the bill so somebody can cut the cheese? Relax, industry paid for this one. Commissioned by Pepperidge Farm and conducted by OnePoll, the study revealed what respondents believe the hypothetically “perfect” grilled cheese looks like: two slices of American cheese on white bread, medium toasted, cut diagonally.
States vary on what goes inside
However, many states disagreed on the intricacies involved in making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Most agreed butter was the preferred condiment to use in the sandwich (70%), but several states argued how it should be used. California (30%), Georgia (40%), New Jersey (32%), North Carolina (28%), Pennsylvania (30%), South Carolina (29%), and Virginia (28%) all prefer to butter just the inside of the sandwich. Connecticut (31%), Hawaii (33%), Maryland (31%), Mississippi (29%), and Utah (29%) all prefer to butter the inside and outside.
There was also plenty of debate on what goes in their grilled cheese. Ham (38%) and bacon (35%) were most popular throughout most states. Many were purists, opting to only use cheese: Alabama (34%), Arkansas (42%), Iowa (39%), Kentucky (37%), Minnesota (37%), Ohio (32%), Tennessee (41%), and Wyoming (47%).
Rhode Island stood out for its preference: choosing fresh tomatoes (44%) over everything else. Still, over half (58%) agreed American cheese was the best option for the sandwich, as well.
Make your bed outta what bread?
“We asked, and America answered: the right bread is crucial in making the best grilled cheese,” said Ama Auwarter, Vice President of Bakery Marketing at Campbell Snacks. “We couldn’t agree more. A bread that encapsulates that delicious, fresh-from-the-oven taste is bound to elevate every grilled cheese.”
What makes a “perfect” grilled cheese?
Results also found the specific and important role bread plays in creating the “perfect” grilled cheese.
- While 43% said the bread-to-cheese ratio was “the most important component” in the sandwich, bread was found to be the most important in Connecticut (23%), Maryland (22%), and New York (24%).
- Over half (52%) agreed the correct way to cut their grilled cheese was diagonal.
- The preferred types of bread to use are white (57%), sourdough (24%), and wheat (23%). Across the board, all states agreed white bread was the best to use.
- Four in 10 (42%) said they prefer thicker bread over thinner bread, preferred by 33%.
- The preferred bread needs to toast well (57%), have a crispy outside (51%), hold the ingredients together (39%), and have a soft inside (29%).
The level of toastiness is up to some debate, however. Three in four (74%) said bread needs to be “medium” toasted, though states like California (20%), New Mexico (20%), and North Carolina (23%) prefer lightly toasted bread.
Florida and Maine both prefer their bread heavily toasted (15%), though Colorado, Kentucky, and Oklahoma all prefer their bread thoroughly burnt (2%).
It’s your turn. We’d like to know about your consumption of grilled cheese. Will RVtravel.com readers fill up their own Olympic-sized pool?
Survey methodology [to be read in high-pitched voice at double speed]. This random double-opt-in survey of 5,000 Americans, 100 from each state was commissioned by Pepperidge Farm between March 8 and March 25, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll. Its team members are members of the Market Research Society. They have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
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Mayo on the outside of the bread not butter. Makes the perfect crunch! A grilled cheese sandwich needs at least two different cheeses and a good cheese pull at the end is the sign of perfection.
Hmmm… Mayo on the OUTSIDE? We put mayo on the inside. Might have to try this – if I’ve imbibed in enough adult beverage to not care.
Tommy: is that a phone number?
I think it was, but I deleted it as soon as I saw it. Would have deleted it sooner but I was proofing tomorrow’s newsletter before I checked the most recent comments. Have a good evening/night, Bill.🤗 –Diane
We all have to look out for each other. You have a nice evening too Diane. 🙂
👍Thanks, Bill. In the view I had when going in to edit Tommy’s comment, there were a bunch of blank spaces after his comment and before that telephone(?) number. So I think he just accidentally typed it in, probably for something else, after he thought he had closed the comment.🤔 We sure don’t want folks’ phone numbers going all over the world via comments on our posts!!! –Diane
Wow, Diane! Thanks for having my back on this issue. I have NO idea how I got my phone number in that comment! I haven’t entered my phone number anywhere in the past month (that I can recall anyway). I have NO idea how (or even where!) that showed up! This time I can’t even blame it on CRS – ha.
You’re very welcome, Tommy. Have a great day! 🤗 –Diane
Boy, I guess so, Bill. Luckily my guardian angel (in this case, Diane) was looking out for me while I was probably blissfully ‘tiptoeing through the tulips’.
👍
I’ve been called a lot of things, Tommy, but I think this is a first for me. Thanks! Just doin’ my job, and glad to help.😊 Take care. 😀 –Diane
Yep, mayo on the outside works! Try it–you’ll like it!👍 Have a good evening/night, Tommy.🤗 –Diane
At least 2-3 times a month. Last night it was grilled tuna melts with fresh caught yellow fin tuna on sourdough with american cheese!
Toasted up perfectly in the air fryer !!
Yum! 🙂
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 DW and I are certainly well in the tail of the distribution for this study. DW only butters the outside when she makes suvmch a sandwich. I have had one or two grilled cheese sandwiches in my ~67 years. DW has less than one a year. If I have had one, not two, of these sandwiches, then DW made it for me a couple of years ago. My go-to lunch is Ritz crackers and a) beef bologna slices, or b) uncooked Nathan’s skinless all beef franks, or c) a drained (of water, not oil) can of tuna with a spoonful of mayonaise. Frying a sandwich seems a lot of work just to have something to eat. 😉 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I’m not really certain of the validity of this survey…36 grilled cheese sandwiches per year? Seems incredibly high.
Since I take a boatload of medications that promote constipation, it is a rare event when I eat cheese. I prefer to butter one slice of ww bread on the inside, put the american cheese atop, and toast it lightly.
I like mine Panini-style on Sour dough. Those who like tomatoes on them- what do they do- take apart the sandwich and put them on or just toast the whole thing together?- Either way it sounds messy.