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Judee’s Sodium Citrate 11.25 oz - 100% Non-GMO, Keto-Friendly - Gluten-Free and Nut-Free - Food Grade - Great for Molecular Gastronomy Cooking - Emulsifier for Cheese Sauce - Serves as Preservative?
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A "melting salt" like sodium citrate would work in a pinch. It acts as a sort of emulsifier for cheese, keeping the solid fats and oils from separating. People use it to make melted cheese dishes like nacho cheese or homemade American cheese (rather than that cheap Kraft stuff).
Here's an Amazon link to some.
A bag of sodium citrate is inexpensive, and a teaspoon will transform any grated or crumbled cheese and a little liquid into a creamy sauce.
I’m with you. There is never a reason to buy garbage unrefrigerated cheese dip.
I appreciate this review! Also am a fondue fan but never tried the Aldi mix.
Buy an inexpensive bag of sodium citrate and you can melt any cheese with any liquid. I recommend grating the cheese and adding a little liquid at a time, but with enough stirring and some heat sodium citrate will melt any cheese you put in your pot.
Evaporated milk makes a really great cheese sauce.
Sodium citrate is a good "cheater" way of creating a perfect emulsion that doesn't easily separate. It's easy to buy from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Non-GMO-Citrate-Excellent-Creating-Spherification/dp/B00PKHAQDY
If you really want amazing melty nacho cheese, pick up some sodium citrate aka “melting salts”. A quarter tsp of that in the pan with cheese will turn your cheese into ooey gooey delicious cheese.
Just mix sodium citrate and water and boil, then add cheese and stir. The first time I did it, I tried to make sure I had the average of the ratios I'd seen online... but now I just eyeball it. In the comments people say like 11g/.5lb cheese- so the stuff lasts. Here is exactly what I have: https://www.amazon.com/Food-Grade-Non-GMO-Sodium-Citrate/dp/B00PKHAQDY/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1467594954&sr=8-3&keywords=sodium+citrate
Two favorites: chipotle and bacon with cheddar and cheddar with pickled jalepeno for a classic nacho taste
Velveeta is real cheese, softened with multiple milks, its own whey, and with a couple emulsifiers to keep it smooth and from seperating into curds again. I'd wager velveeta has more dairy than most any other cheese
I can make the same stuff at home from any cheese, milk, and http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PKHAQDY
American cheese is basically the same formulation, and you can make it from any source cheese. I've made pepper jack, gruyere and fontina, and sharp cheddar slices before.
Yeah, you pretty much have to be into modernist cooking to get much use out of it. It's pretty cheap though.
If you are a fan if cheese sauce - I mean, who isn't? - check out an ingredient called sodium citrate. It's a salt that denatures the proteins in cheese and lets you turn almost any cheese into a smooth, perfect sauce with just water. No corn starch, no milk, no emulsifiers, no need for a bechamel sauce. You can make perfect cheese sauce out of any cheddar-consistency cheese (jack, swiss, gouda) with just a few grams of this miracle powder. And it's dirt cheap, too!
We use it in our macaroni and cheese now, and not only does it make the consistency perfect, it no longer separates and gets oily on reheating. You can make mac and cheese that will satisfy the pickiest child and their frozen/boxed consistency desires using real cheese!
You'll want to try sodium citrate then. The American is added in the SE recipe because it already contains emulsifying salts.
I love the modernist cuisine recipe. I usually make it with about 70-80% cheddar and the rest smoked Gouda.
http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/silky-smooth-macaroni-and-cheese/
I found it pretty much impossible to find sodium citrate locally so I got it on amazon.
Food Grade Non-GMO Sodium Citrate (8oz/227g) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKHAQDY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_OBlRwbKAF9H83
Yup:
If you want to take it to the next level, buy some Melting Salts (aka sodium citrate), which liquifies any cheese into queso:
Video example:
Sodium Citrate aka Melting Salts. Pretty cheap on Amazon:
TL;DR: It melts any cheese you throw at it. Into cheesy gooey goodness. Like magic.
It's nothing more than a type of salt (salt derived from Citric Acid). It's granulated white crystals, just like Kosher salt. This video will sell you on it:
I keep a pack in my pantry at all times...nachos, baked potatoes, fondue, ridiculous burgers, amazing cheesesteak sandwiches, chili cheese dogs, Mac & Cheese, cheesy broccoli, etc. The procedure is:
- Pick a cheese
- Shred it
- Whisk it with hot liquid (water, milk, chicken broth, etc.) & melting salts
Voila! Note that more liquid = more runny, so you can make it as thick or as thin as you'd like!
How about this one for $7.99?
https://www.amazon.com/Judees-Sodium-Citrate-11-25oz-Keto-Friendly/dp/B00PKHAQDY
Might not help you for this holiday, but Sodium Citrate will let you make a cheese sauce ahead of time out of any cheese. I comes to a velveta like consistency when it cools and can just be added to hot noodles for stove top mac and cheese or added to the noodles and baked for them more casserole version.
Modern Mac and Cheese - Serious Eats
Everyone thinks this sounds wrong or untraditional but you can make this work out of any combination of cheeses and they all turn out terrific.
I get mine from Amazon. It's a super strong dairy emulsifier. Basically, it's what makes Velveeta melt so smoothly. You can turn pretty much any cheese into creamy nacho liquid with it.
This is a super simple stovetop mac & cheese recipe with a few simple tweaks and additions. It uses easy to remember ratios--which is something I also loved about my last recipe--and take about 15 minutes of hands-on time, if you are fast.
Required special equipment:
Digital kitchen scale
Fine mesh strainer
Notes:
This recipe is for two portions. You can easily scale this up, as needed. I have successfully made a double batch. One important thing to consider is the width of your pot, because the width of the pot affects how quickly water evaporates, and we will be cooking the pasta until almost all of the water has evaporated. For two portions, I use a pot that has an interior diameter of 7 inches. For the double recipe, I used a pot that has an interior diameter of 9 inches. This is important.
I call for sodium citrate in this recipe. Sodium citrate is probably a special-order item for most of you, so I will provide an alternative to using this. For those who are curious, here is a link to sodium citrate that I purchased for less than $8 USD. SC is the key ingredient for making those ultra-smooth and velvety cheese sauces. It is an emulsifier, and it prevents (or makes it really difficult) cheese sauces to break. It also makes it possible to re-heat the mac & cheese without the cheese breaking the next day. It's really great stuff!
To skip the sodium citrate, you will want to use 2 ounces of American cheese. Yes, that's right, Kraft singles. You can go fancy deli American cheese if you wish, but it will make no difference here. We are simply after the sodium citrate that is already within the Kraft singles. That is one of the things that make it such a great melting cheese. In addition to using 2 ounces of American cheese (exactly 3 Kraft singles), you will want to stick to younger and good melting cheese, like mild or medium cheddar, Monterey jack, or fontina cheese. Avoid using sharp or other aged cheeses, as it will not stay as melty without using the sodium citrate.
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces (170g) elbow macaroni, or other short pasta
- 6 ounces (170g) evaporated milk
- 6 ounces (170g) shredded cheese blend (3 oz sharp cheddar, 2 oz gruyère, 1 oz parmigiano-reggiano)
- 3 ounces (85g) hatch chile salsa, or diced green chiles
- 1 teaspoon sodium citrate
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Prep (mise en place):
Grate all of your cheese into one large bowl, refrigerate until needed.
Weigh out 3 ounces of the hatch chile salsa and then separate the solids from the liquids by passing it through a fine mesh strainer and pressing the solids with a flexible spatula. Reserve both the solids and liquids in separate bowls.
Weigh out the evaporated milk and set aside.
Instructions:
Weigh out 6 ounces of dry pasta and add it to a cold 4-quart saucepan that is about 7-8 inches in diameter. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the reserved hatch chile juice to the dry pasta. Rinse out the bowl with water and add that to the pasta. Now add water to the pasta until the water just barely covers the top of the pasta.
Set the pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil and stir frequently so that all of the pasta cooks evenly. Let the pasta boil until almost all of the water has been absorbed or evaporated. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Once there is no more than 1/4 cup of pasta water remaining, immediately add the evaporated milk. Do not drain the pasta water. If there is more than 1/4 cup, just keep boiling until it is reduced. It is better to over-cook the pasta than have too much water at this point. If the pan is dry before the pasta is cooked, add water in 1/4 cup increments until it is cooked.
Add the sodium citrate if using, stir to dissolve, and bring the evaporated milk to a boil. Once it begins to boil, turn the heat to low and add the cheese, one third at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Once all of the cheese has melted, turn off the heat and fold in the reserved hatch chiles and Dijon mustard. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Cost Breakdown:
| Ingredients | Ounces | Cost/oz. | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbow macaroni | 6 | 0.063 | $0.38 |
| Evaporate milk | 6 | 0.07 | $0.42 |
| Shredded cheese | 6 | 0.172 | $1.03 |
| Hatch chile salsa | 3 | 0.20 | $0.60 |
| Sodium citrate | 0.22 | 0.67 | $0.15 |
| Dijon mustard | 0.166 | 0.166 | $0.03 |
Total cost per serving: $1.31
Notes on prices: These costs are from my local Costco and my local Meijer. They represent the cheapest possible option.
Recipe inspiration: Serious Eats
This or similar. It's a cheat code.
https://www.amazon.com/Non-GMO-Citrate-Excellent-Creating-Spherification/dp/B00PKHAQDY
Actually - using sodium citrate will probably be easier than Kenji's multi-step many ingredient process. It emulsifies 'real' cheese into a pourable and moldable processed cheese like substance. Yum. Here's a simple recipe.
Hey if you’re interested in upping your mac & cheese game, you should look into sodium citrate. You can make your own cheese sauce with milk/cream, the cheese of your choice, and a tablespoon of sodium citrate. It does away with weird lumps, and makes the cheese sauce creamy and smooth. My go-to is now a block of smoked Gouda and some heavy cream. A game changer for sure!!
Here’s a link for the stuff I bought:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PKHAQDY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9Y5JFZDR9DEHTDXE224E
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