nacho cheese??

[sean.smith95]

Ive been looking in stores to find nacho cheese like you get at the ballpark. Nobody makes anything even remotely close. Tostitos is ok but not what I was looking for. Velveeta is ok too but still not quite there. Does anyone know any recipes for making it at home?? Or any ideas on how to make it like the ballpark?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Home-made Melted Ballpark Cheese is kind of like alchemical gold. There are 3 tricks: getting the flavor right, getting the flow & texture right, and not burning the whole mix.

I've never tried making it myself, but I've given it some thought. I've also guessed at recipes done by others.

One of the best I ever had was a mix of cheeses (of which I'm sure Velveeta and Swiss were members), a little ground beef (for flavor and meaty fats that thin the mix), and a little beer (for additional thinning and a bit of bitter/tartness)- you'd want one of the lighter colored ones, not a dark.

But your best bet- other than asking for tutelage from a Nacho Guru- is checking out a library or a used book store for recipe books. My guess is that you'd find some recipes in books about cheese, barbecue/grilling, and even in fondue.

After checking out some of the more promising recipes, you go into the kitchen and play mad scientist until you come up with one you like.

[Wycen]

If you want to make some from scratch, I guess it depends on your definition of scrach, but here is the basic of my nacho cheese covering. I call it covering because I like to layer a cover on top of the chips I lay on a plate.

First, you need a big can of nacho cheese. I can't remember the brand I get, but it is blue with pictures of cheese and chiles and is a lot. It may be close to 1 gallon. I have to squeeze it into the vegetable tray sideways.

Fill a large pan half way with water.

Fill a smaller pan with as much nacho cheese as you want to deal with.

Place smaller pan inside larger pan and use it as a sort of double boiler.

The boiling water in the large pan melts the cheese and the second smaller pans is kept from burning. Sometimes I skip the double boiling bit, but if you aren't attentive you'll burn your cheese.

That is the basics. However, depending on what I have on hand, the following additions are made:

Jalapenos, sliced (banana pepper can substitute if really necessary but just don't quite feel right).
Sometimes the jalapeno juice.
Remember the seeds and veins are where the hot peppers get their heat from.

Diced tomatoes. Strain out the juice if you use them from the can (and I almost always do if I add tomatoes, just because it is such a pain with fresh tomatoes, but probably tastes way better).

Black olives. Yeah, black olives are plain and don't have a "taste" (compared to green or what have you) but they are a great addition to nachos.

Other cheese. Maybe you want real cheese, so grate some up. Maybe you want to add a can of Campbells cheese soup, or some left over fancy stuff from a party. Whatever, just remember to make the pieces small enough to melt evenly with the rest of the sauce.

How long to cook? Long enough to make it melty enough to pour or spread to your taste.

Personally I like it thicker, but I used to have a friend who'd add milk to thin it out. Never did like that.

[papastebu]

Doesn't the term refer to cheese that doesn't belong to you?

[Pbartender]

Originally Posted by sean.smith95

Ive been looking in stores to find nacho cheese like you get at the ballpark. Nobody makes anything even remotely close. Tostitos is ok but not what I was looking for. Velveeta is ok too but still not quite there. Does anyone know any recipes for making it at home?? Or any ideas on how to make it like the ballpark?

Have you tried searching the web?

A Google search for "nacho cheese ballpark recipe" gives a whole pile of hits.

[pawsplay]

You mean just straight up readioactive orange goo? The product you are looking for is called "cheddar sauce" and generally comes in a large can. You can look at the grocery store, usually in the economy/restaurant section if there is one. Cheddar sauce, double boiler or trustworthy crockpot on low heat, done.

Making it by hand is trickier. You need some cheese, a little bit of milk, and lots of spare time. It must be blended on low heat, otherwise it will make rubber or start to separate. But basically, cube a lot of cheddar and jack, soften on low heat, add about 1/8 the volume, slowly, in milk, stirring furiously as you go. To get that toasty ballpark taste you will want to prepare it at least a half hour ahead of time so you can give it a few stirs.

Velveeta works the same, but requires very little milk and will turn to rubber even more quickly than unprocessed cheese.