By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
There are few foods that so simply solve the need for comfort food as the classic grilled cheese.
Prepared in minutes, and combining the crunch of crispy toasted bread with the glory of melted cheese, the grilled cheese is a lunch-time staple that anyone could master.
Or, could they?
In truth, the grilled cheese is a matter of intense debate for chefs and home cooks alike. Aside from the question of which cheese is best, there’s also a hot rivalry between advocates of mayonnaise versus butter.
The classicists prefer the nutty, mom-did-it-best taste of butter; the revolutionaries extol the simplicity, high-burn point, and tanginess of mayonnaise. Butter, with its lower burn point, can result in blackened bread. Mayonnaise more reliably provides an even, crispy finish when spread on the bread, but doesn’t give you that warm, nutty flavor that butter aficionados prefer.
Fortunately, the Tillamook County Creamery Association and Japanese mayonnaise brand KEWPIE have finally resolved this conflict once and for all, introducing the world’s first ‘Butternaise’.
A New Condiment Has Entered the Chat: Meet Butternaise
As the partners explain, “Butternaise is an artful blend of Tillamook Extra Creamy Unsalted Butter, newly released KEWPIE Organic Mayonnaise and zesty spices and is an integral ingredient in how Tillamook Executive Chef of Culinary Development Josh Archibald creates the Tillamook gold standard grilled cheese.
“This silky spread is meant to be liberally lathered all over the bread of your choosing to create the perfect golden crust on your grilled cheese sandwich masterpiece.”
They rightly describe it as “The crossover you never knew you needed, but won’t be able to live without.”
For many years, I sat on the fence in the butter vs. mayonnaise debate. My best grilled cheese featured thick slabs of old cheddar, gruyere or havarti, and I mainly use butter, but sometimes switch over to mayonnaise.
Using both together never even occurred to me, but plenty of top chefs recommend it.
That includes Archibald, who recommends mixing a tablespoon of softened butter with a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and spreading it on both slices of bread, before adding two slices of Tillamook cheddar cheese, and frying gently on a pan.
The new Butternaise, however, takes all the effort out of the equation in making the perfect grilled cheese.
The collaboration combines two unique companies. Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) was founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative, and is internationally recognized for its award-winning cheese, as well as ice cream, butter, cream cheese spreads, yogurt, sour cream, and frozen meals.
The Tillamook Creamery is so widely admired that it has become the largest tourist attraction on the coast of Oregon, and one of the most popular in the state, attracting more than one million visitors each year.
Kewpie was founded in Japan in 1919 with the mission of making food that brings people joy. In 1925, that vision gave the world KEWPIE Mayonnaise, made with only egg yolks for an ultra-creamy texture and rich, umami flavor that has become a favorite of chefs and home cooks worldwide.
More than a century later, Kewpie’s lineup has grown beyond mayo, and its reach is now global. Kewpie makes dressing, sauces, and various condiments, but its mayonnaise remains the company’s most popular, signature brand.
Kewpie has also expanded massively in North America, with local production in California and Tennessee, and a regional headquarters in Southern California.
Too Good to be True? TLL Offers $1,500 in Free Ads for Prime Members