SPICY nacho cheese

[daisy1]

Hence the word “SPICY” in all caps. Im looking for a nacho cheese that compares right up there with “Fritos Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Sauce” You know the cheese in the little cans that sell in the grocery store in the same isle as the potato chips, I have even tried chopping up jalapenos and adding it to different brands on nacho cheese, nothing compares and cant buy my favorite cheese in the #10 cans, we use it as a dipping for our pretzels sticks

 

[Bubba]

Add rotel tomatoes.

 

[Piper]

Did you cook the jalapenos at all before you put them in the sauce, and did you cook the cheese once you added them? Just chopping them up and throwing them in the cheese isn’t going to do too much.

Saute them in butter, and keep the seeds and ribs in if you want a lot of heat. Put them into the cheese and bring the cheese to a boil. I’d let it sit at a boil for a minute or so while stirring and then remove from heat and let it cool and steep. Strain it once it’s cool.

That’s the only way you’re going to get the jalapeno flavor (and heat) into the cheese. Otherwise you just have nacho cheese with chunks of jalapeno it it.

ETA: If you don’t have a range to saute, you could always roast the jalapenos in your pizza oven before adding them to the cheese. In that case I’d roast them, cut them in strips and then add them to the cheese. Bring cheese to a boil, remove from heat and let steep. Once it’s cool strain it.

 

[daisy1]

Piper:

Did you cook the jalapenos at all before you put them in the sauce, and did you cook the cheese once you added them? Just chopping them up and throwing them in the cheese isn’t going to do too much.

Saute them in butter, and keep the seeds and ribs in if you want a lot of heat. Put them into the cheese and bring the cheese to a boil. I’d let it sit at a boil for a minute or so while stirring and then remove from heat and let it cool and steep. Strain it once it’s cool.

That’s the only way you’re going to get the jalapeno flavor (and heat) into the cheese. Otherwise you just have nacho cheese with chunks of jalapeno it it.

ETA: If you don’t have a range to saute, you could always roast the jalapenos in your pizza oven before adding them to the cheese. In that case I’d roast them, cut them in strips and then add them to the cheese. Bring cheese to a boil, remove from heat and let steep. Once it’s cool strain it.

Piper, what you say above makes since, BUT how on earth do you strain cheese sauce ??? Its THICK, and seems to me that would be extremely messy to strain

 

[Piper]

daisy1:

Piper, what you say above makes since, BUT how on earth do you strain cheese sauce ??? Its THICK, and seems to me that would be extremely messy to strain

You just push it through a mesh or china cap strainer with a rubber spatula like a custard or puree or anything else thick. It will go, you just have to work it with the spatula.

Of course you don’t have to strain it if you want to leave that step out - just leave the jalapeno pieces in it. I’d chop them very fine if you’re going to do that, and leave the seeds out.

Straining or not is a matter of preference. I strain just about everything I make because it produces a silky smooth texture and removes any lumps. For me, I wouldn’t want chunks of jalapeno in my nacho cheese sauce - I’d want a smooth sauce that tastes like jalapenos, and then garnished with a few jalapeno slices.

But whatever you decide, the important part is cooking the jalapenos and heating the sauce to release the capsaisin and flavor for steeping.

By the way, if you roast them you need to remove the blackened skin before chopping.