We eat enough grilled cheeses a year to fill 900 Olympic swimming pools

Toast and liquid gold — America eats enough grilled cheese sandwiches in a year to fill nearly 900 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

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.

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 meal time.

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%).

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.

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.

Over half (58%) agreed American cheese was the best option for the sandwich, as well.

“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.”

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%).

WHAT QUALITIES DOES GOOD BREAD NEED TO HAVE?

• It needs to toast well - 57%
• It needs to have a crispy outside - 51%
• It needs to hold the ingredients and not fall apart - 39%
• It needs to have a soft inside - 29%
• It needs to be thick sliced - 16%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 5,000 Americans, 100 from each state was commissioned by Pepperidge Farm between Mar. 8 and Mar. 25, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).