Yup… I do milk, butter, and a little flour or cornstarch… and then pop in melty cheeses (cheddar, jack, moz, queso asadero) and cook it down to get it right. Then I’ll top the nachos after everything else is right and cook for a few more minutes. Not saying this is stringy, but the texture is wonderfully dense and chewey.
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That’s different. I can’t say I’ve ever seen nachos with lettuce on them. Does it wind up pretty much like a tostada/‘taco salad’?
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Yeah. Two bite tostadas.
With virtually infinite variations.
Let’s eat!
For those that prefer a saucy cheese sauce on the side or as a pour-over, this hack from serious eats works well:
8 oz shredded cheese tossed in 1T of cornstarch
1C evaporated milk, plus more for desired viscosity
spice to taste
Heat, stir 'til smooth. This method prevents the sauce from seizing up as it cools.
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Thanks, I’ll try that.
But I confess I’m now a little confused. Other posters have said additives keep the pre-grated cheese from melting correctly.
I think you might be pleased using Tillamook Colby cheese; it’s a lot softer than their cheddars, and seems to have that unctuous gooey aspect about it.
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The recipe with the evaporated milk from Serious Eats specifies that the user is to grate the cheese (so, no weird cellulose or other additives):
I usually dot each nacho with a little sour cream or Mexican crema. It helps. Although it is already shredded, I like the Tillamook thick cut enough to take advantage of the shortcut.
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You dot each chip before cheesing? That doesn’t sound like a shortcut!
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Big brand commercial shreds all (or nearly all, I haven’t seen one that does not) use food-grade cellulose, although Land O’ Lakes used to use a combination of cellulose and potato starch.
Anyway, I haven’t tested the SE version (I just use milk to thin without the cornstarch) but I don’t think the corn starch will present the same issue, especially given the large amount of milk called for in the SE recipe mentioned.
Someone above mentioned prepared shreds using cornstarch as an anti-caking ingredient but I haven’t seen that in cheeses - maybe some regional brands do use it? But cellulose seems to be the main item used.
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After cheesing and no, it is not a shortcut. The shortcut is using Tillamook thick grated cheese. Drizzling crema would be a shortcut rather than dotting with sour cream.
Two different animals. Once you introduce evaporated milk (or other liquid, such as wine for fondue), a bit of cornstarch helps the cheese and liquid come together into an emulsified sauce. If you are just melting shredded cheese, you definitely don’t want starch interfering. Also, pre-grated cheeses tend to be much drier than block cheese no matter what they use as an anti-clumping agent; my guess is that manufacturers make lower-moisture cheeses specifically for this purpose.
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You beat me to this! That’s exactly it. That cheese sauce from Serious Eats reminds me of the technique one of my favorite fondue recipes uses (mix equal parts cheddar and Jarlsburg and toss with cornstarch. Add by the fistful to a cup or so of Sam Adams lager, stirring until each addition is incorporated. Once it’s all in there, add a dab of Dave’s Insanity Sauce. Consume with bread cubes and more beer.).
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Deleted.
Note how carefully here each chip is individually topped with the pickled peppers. Well worth the attention to detail (it’s all about the ratio).
I think your cheese sauce issue would be resolved by making it a béchamel before adding the cheese. That flour on the bechamel helps smooth things out.
Also, Tostitos suck nuts. make your own chips, if you don’t already. Hot chips out of the oil can not be beat. It’s why you overeat them at the Mexican restaurant, leaving plenty of the entree for the doggy bag. Real chips are real good. Bagged chips have not one thing on the real deal.
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I do a bechemel-cheese sauce for things like Cauliflower. I like it a lot, but it’s not what I’m looking for on nachos.
I reduce mine quite a bit before adding cheese. Get a lot of love for it.
