I need a good white queso recipe. I can't remember what you add to it so it doesn't thicken up when not hot. Let me know what you've got.

Sodium citrate keeps it smooth. Search for the queso with sodium citrate thread.

Thx!

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Agasaurus Tex said:

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Sodium citrate keeps it smooth. Search for the queso with sodium citrate thread.

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Sodium citrate is used to help cheeses that don't readily melt smooth. It's still going to thicken up as it cools because those recipes are mostly cheese, and cheese is solid at room temperature for the most part.

Queso blanco is a different animal, it is liquid-ish at room temperature. More of a cheese soup or bisque really than a cheese dip IMO.

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups real whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 10 ounces (about 4 cups) shredded white American cheese
• 1 tablespoon diced canned green chiles or jalapeños (optional)

Preparation:

• On medium heat, make a roux with the butter and flour, being careful to not burn the roux. It's a small amount, doesn't take long
• Slowly add the milk to the roux, stirring as you do to keep clumps from forming.
• Add the spices, stir well
• Allow the mixture to sit over the heat, about 5 mins. It will thicken to a bisque like consistency with small bubbles forming
• Lower the heat to med-low, then start adding in the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until it is completely melted. Repeat until you have added all of the cheese or have reached the consistency you want - remember that while it's hot, it will be a bit thinner than when it cools so don't add too much and make it too thick or it will solidify up on you when it cools. If it's too thick as it cools, reheat and add milk a tbsp at a time until it thins out, stirring to keep it mixed well.
• Add any garnish you want to add for color, flavor, etc.

Hard to beat this one:

Matt Martinez's Chile con Queso
(Serves 6 to 8)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup finely chopped
jalapeño (you can use canned green chiles if you prefer; just add them with the tomatoes)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces American cheese (I like the white American; if all you can find are the singles, stack them up and cut into little blocks)
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Using a heavy pot, heat the oil on medium-high and saut the onion, jalapeño, and dry ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the broth and heat 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken, then add the cheese and tomatoes. Carefully simmer the queso on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, adjusting its thickness to suit your taste by adding broth or cheese. Serve hot and keep warm, stirring every so often to avoid the dreaded "cheese skin."
Adapted from Matt Martinez's Culinary Frontier: A Real Texas Cookbook, by Matt Martinez Jr. and Steve Pate. Published by Doubleday.

Racist thread. Cancel.

Bookmarking.
Those recipes look DELISH.
Thank you for posting them!

The thinness of the sauce is dependent upon how much liquid you add. Sodium citrate is an emulsifier. What it's doing is allowing the cheese to mix with the liquid you add without having the cheese breakdown into protein and fat (oil).

Stick a slab of cheddar in water and boil it you'll have a mostly solid piece of cheese with water and oil. Add sodium citrate and it will all combine into one mixture.

If you want a thin cheese sauce just add more liquid and make sure you have an appropriate proportion of sodium citrate added to the recipe.

That American cheese you're adding to your recipe has emulsifying ingredients already in it, which is why you're able to make your cheese sauce with it.

1 cup half/half or heavy cream (you can always thin later w/milk)
1 tbsp chicken bullion paste
8oz shredded white american from the deli (ask for a 1" block - that's close enough)
4oz other (cheddar, jack, etc).
1 4oz can chopped green chilis
1/4 diced cup of pickled jalapenos
1 tsp chili powder
1 txp red pepper flakes
1 pinch of cumin (more if you really like cumin)
1 Tbsp finally diced cilantro (the freeze dried kind you get cold in the veggie section is fine). More than 1 Tbsp if using fresh.
S&P to taste

1. Heat the cream and bullion over med/low heat, stirring to incorporate the bullion paste. I add a pinch of kosher salt and a few twists of fresh crushed black pepper.

2. When it forms a film on top then starts to bubble on the edges, slowly start feed small handlfuls of the cheese. I usually start w/the american. don't add more until it is fully melted. Never stop stirring during this process. I use a whisk.

3. Once all cheese is incorporated, kill the heat.
4. Add spices, stir it in
5. Add veggies, stir them all in

At this point if it already seems thick, add a little milk and stir. It is immediately edible, but the flavors set the longer you let it rest, i.e., it is better on day 2 if it makes it that long.

When you reheat later just add a touch of milk to the container the microwave in bursts, stopping to stir so it doesn't dry out.