Is your mouth watering yet? Hold on, there’s more where that came from.

A classic grilled cheese sandwich is a student favorite because of how easily, cheaply and quickly it can be put together, but the best thing about a good grilled cheese is its versatility.

Here are a few tips to take your sandwich above and beyond a slice of processed cheese and two pieces of bread.

The main attraction of the grilled cheese sandwich is the cheese. Get creative and venture beyond cheddar. Swiss makes a great substitute and goes well with pork products and with mushrooms, mozzarella melts well and jalapeno havarti adds a spicy kick to a sandwich.

Use real cheese and know when to slice and when to grate. Slices ensure an even layer of cheese and are much less work, but can prove problematic for sandwiches with chunky toppings. For a simple ham and cheese, for instance, if the ham is not shredded and the cheese is not grated, the sandwich will be difficult to flip because the cheese will not connect the two pieces of bread together. To solve this problem for any sandwich combination, visualize flipping the sandwich. If you imagine it being difficult, grate the cheese and, if necessary, shred the meat.

Some hard cheeses that you can buy pre-grated, like parmesan or asiago, cook well on the outside of the bread. This only works if you pan-fry your sandwich with butter. Mix the shredded cheese with the butter when you spread it and they’ll melt together and form a crunchy outer crust.

Garlic and cheese go well together as well. If you are not afraid of calories, use garlic butter, and lots of it. Lots of butter is what gives your bread that delicious golden brown appearance.

Make sure to time your cooking carefully because burnt cheese isn’t tasty cheese. Be patient and cook your sandwich on a low to medium temperature. Once the pan gets hot it won’t take the sandwich long to cook, but if it gets too hot too fast your sandwich will burn before the cheese melts.

Grilled mozzarella cheese and strawberry jam: This is our editor’s favorite! Feel free to switch up different jam choices and cheeses. Cream cheese is also a great option.

The grilled popper: Cheddar or cream cheese with chopped up jalapenos.

The classic: Cheddar, mustard and ham. This works best with shredded cheese and if you put the mustard smack dab in the middle.

Just add pickles: Grill together some mild cheddar and sliced dill pickles.

Grilled cheese pizza: Pizza sauce, your favourite pizza toppings, mozzarella and two pieces of your choice of bread.

PB, J and their cousin C: Peanut butter, jam and cream cheese.

The mix and match: Try mixing a few cheeses together. For example, swiss and jalapeno havarti go really well together.

Sweet and spicy: Jalapeno havarti and cranberry sauce

The grilled swiss, mushroom and bacon: When using multiple ingredients always make sure to put your cheese down first; this creates a strong sticky base. Crumple your mushrooms and bacon bits in between. Put a little more cheese on top of that, or a lot.

Cheddar and broccoli: Finely chop your pre-cooked broccoli, shred your cheddar and squish them together in some bread. Let everything melt together. Do not try to use raw broccoli, as it will not cook in the sandwich.

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Photo: Jenna Mann/The Sheaf