I made grilled cheese using 5 different celebrity recipes, and the weakest sandwiches were from a reality-TV famous food guru

Rachel AskinasiOct 15, 2020, 19:36 IST

Insider

I tried grilled cheese recipes from Kylie Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Joanna Gaines, and Antoni Porowski to see which was best.
While Jenner's was the most classic of the bunch, Gaines' was the gooiest and most impressive, in my opinion.
I think Teigen's recipe is a fun way to elevate an otherwise simple grilled cheese.
In my opinion, both of Porowski's sandwiches would have benefited from a more savory bread.

Reality star and makeup maven Kylie Jenner occasionally indulges her inner amateur foodie, sharing favorite recipes on her YouTube and social media channels from time to time. Model-turned-home-cooking-maven Chrissy Teigen published two cookbooks. Joanna Gaines followed up her "Fixer Upper" TV success by becoming a lifestyle influencer to a fanbase of homemakers. And Antoni Porowski continues to rise to culinary fame as the foodie on call for "Queer Eye" on Netflix.

These celebrities have shared numerous recipes, but none are quite as free-spirited as their individual takes on the classic grilled cheese sandwich.

Whether you're a purist who mostly sticks to cheese and bread, like Jenner and Teigen do, or whether you're looking to step it up a notch with fresh herbs or cured meat, like Gaines and Porowski, there's sure to be a celebrity who has a tried and true recipe for your particular palate.

Though I found the recipes from Jenner, Teigen, and Gaines to each be perfect as-is for their own special occasions, I think Porowski's recipes could use a little tweaking when it comes to his choice of bread.

Kylie Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Joanna Gaines, and Antoni Porowski have each claimed to know a thing or two about grilled cheese.

From left: Kylie Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Joanna Gaines, and Antoni Porowski. Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SinfulColors and Steve Granitz/Contributor/Getty Image and Brian Ach/Invision/AP and Amy Sussman/Staff/Getty Images

First, I tried my hand at the simple recipe shared by Kylie Jenner.

Jenner's recipe calls for six ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider and Rich Fury/Staff/Getty Images

Jenner's first step involves a lot of butter because, as she says, "butter is life."

I doused my pan in butter before placing two slices of sourdough in it. Rachel Askiansi/Insider

Next, I layered my cheese on one of the bread slices before adding salt and pepper.

I let the cheese melt a bit before adding salt and pepper. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The reality TV star opens her finished sandwich to put hot sauce inside.

I thought this was a bizarre move. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Jenner's recipe is a great step-by-step for a traditional grilled cheese.

You can see where the bread touched the buttered pan and where it didn't. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Next up was Chrissy Teigen's jalapeño Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese from her book "Cravings: Hungry for More."

Teigen's recipe calls for five ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider and George Pimentel/Contributor/Getty Images

Getting the jalapeño to stick to the bread wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Thicker pieces of pepper were easier to work with. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Then, it was time to add both of the cheeses.

Parmigiano-Reggiano went on the outside (left) while the inside was filled with extra-sharp cheddar (right). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Teigen's recipe instructs home cooks to put a lid over the pan.

I started cooking the sandwich with one side down (pictured left) and covered it with a lid (pictured center). After flipping it (pictured right), I covered it again. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

This was a seemingly simple yet super tasty sandwich, in my opinion.

The jalapeño mixed well with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Joanna Gaines' recipe was less conventional than the first two I tried.

Gaines' recipe called for five ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider and Larry Busacca/Staff/Getty Images

Gaines has a precise layering process that really works.

The double cheese made for an extra gooey sandwich. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Gaines says to slice the tomato thin and use two slices per sandwich, but I'm so glad I cut my tomato slices in half.

Something didn't look quite right about using two whole tomato slices (left). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The finished product was overflowing with both flavor and cheese.

I was able to taste each ingredient. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The cheese melted into a gooey, drippy, stringy mess that was a true joy to eat.

It was so gooey! Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Next, I moved on to one of two recipes from "Queer Eye" star Antoni Porowski.

Porowski's first recipe called for four main ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Before I built my sandwich, I had to caramelize my leeks.

I followed Porowski's instructions to slice, clean, and cook the leeks. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Building this sandwich was a bit messier than building the others.

I followed his ingredients but improvised my own method. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I cooked the sandwich in the same pan I used for my leeks.

My brioche bread got slightly mushy. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The Netflix star said he also showed Reddy how to make a sharp cheddar and prosciutto grilled cheese, so I gave that a try as well.

Porowski's second recipe called for four ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

As with the last sandwich, I decided to layer the cured meat between two mounds of shredded cheese.

I used a box grater to shred the cheese. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

While the prosciutto was exciting, I felt like this was the weakest sandwich of the bunch.

I didn't think the meat and cheese went well together. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Overall, I think Jenner, Teigen, and Gaines each have recipes that deserve their own time and place in the spotlight, while Porowski's two recipes have room for improvement.

I tried all five sandwiches in one sitting. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Overall, I think Jenner, Teigen, and Gaines each have recipes that deserve their own time and place in the spotlight, while Porowski's two recipes have room for improvement.

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I made grilled cheese using 5 different celebrity recipes, and the weakest sandwiches were from a reality-TV famous food guru

Kylie Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Joanna Gaines, and Antoni Porowski have each claimed to know a thing or two about grilled cheese.

First, I tried my hand at the simple recipe shared by Kylie Jenner.

Jenner's first step involves a lot of butter because, as she says, "butter is life."

Next, I layered my cheese on one of the bread slices before adding salt and pepper.

The reality TV star opens her finished sandwich to put hot sauce inside.

Jenner's recipe is a great step-by-step for a traditional grilled cheese.

Next up was Chrissy Teigen's jalapeño Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese from her book "Cravings: Hungry for More."

Getting the jalapeño to stick to the bread wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Then, it was time to add both of the cheeses.

Teigen's recipe instructs home cooks to put a lid over the pan.

This was a seemingly simple yet super tasty sandwich, in my opinion.

Joanna Gaines' recipe was less conventional than the first two I tried.

Gaines has a precise layering process that really works.

Gaines says to slice the tomato thin and use two slices per sandwich, but I'm so glad I cut my tomato slices in half.

The finished product was overflowing with both flavor and cheese.

The cheese melted into a gooey, drippy, stringy mess that was a true joy to eat.

Next, I moved on to one of two recipes from "Queer Eye" star Antoni Porowski.

Before I built my sandwich, I had to caramelize my leeks.

Building this sandwich was a bit messier than building the others.

I cooked the sandwich in the same pan I used for my leeks.

The Netflix star said he also showed Reddy how to make a sharp cheddar and prosciutto grilled cheese, so I gave that a try as well.

As with the last sandwich, I decided to layer the cured meat between two mounds of shredded cheese.

While the prosciutto was exciting, I felt like this was the weakest sandwich of the bunch.

Overall, I think Jenner, Teigen, and Gaines each have recipes that deserve their own time and place in the spotlight, while Porowski's two recipes have room for improvement.