A rare bit of research determines the perfect cheese on toast

The Royal Society of Chemistry, together with the British Cheese Board, has announced the formula for making the perfect slice of cheese on toast.

Following a series of scientific tests on the grilling conditions, performed by the society’s Science Executive, Ruth Neale, the society and the Cheese Board concluded that the ultimate cheese on toast can be made using this formula.

Ruth, a chemist, said, “To determine our formula we carried out a series of tests on the grilling conditions, changing just one variable at a time - just as a scientist would carry out tests in the lab.”

Once the scientifically determined ‘perfect’ cooking conditions had been revealed, cheese expert Nigel White, Secretary of the British Cheese Board, carried out further tests to determine the best type of cheese and bread to use.

Ruth concluded, “As the result of tests we carried out in our Chemistry Centre kitchen, we found that the perfect slice can be made by melting 50 g of sliced hard cheese, such as cheddar, on a slice of white bread, 10 mm thick, under the grill. The cheese on toast should sit at a distance of 18 cm from the heat source - which in our grill was at a temperature of 115°C - and needs to cook for four minutes to achieve the perfect consistency and taste.”