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Nacho Cheese Sauce - not real food?

toxcrusadr

toxcrusadr

Omelette au Fromage
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Not that anyone should be surprised, and it's not like you're trying to be healthy when you eat nachos. But I was reading the ingredients on a #10 industrial sized can of Nacho Cheese Sauce my coworkers purchased for a fundraiser lunch. Probably from Sam's or the like.

The first 3 ingredients: Whey (which as you know is the watery waste from cheesemaking), hydrogenated soybean oil, and cornstarch. The hydrogenated oil has trans fat in it, another strike against it.

Cheese is actually next, right between cornstarch and salt. Can't imagine there's more than 5% cheese in this stuff, if that.



Anyone make homemade nacho cheese sauce with real cheese? Seems like when I used to make it, I used part Velveeta (probably not healthy either) and part real cheese. That gives you the meltability and smoothness as well as good flavor.
 
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Is the next ingredient cheese? Or 'cheese food' ? My wife and I used to joke about that one a lot. Look in your store and much of the sliced stuff you think is cheese is actually 'cheese food'. Kinda' scary sounding.
 
I just like to shred cheese, layer it on the chips, sprinkle it with Tabasco, and pop the whole mess in the oven for a little bit.

Not all that saucy, but sure is good.

I remember seeing some of those cheese and crackers that they sell in vending machines with the following on on its label: "Now made with real cheese!!" MMMMMMMmmmmmmm!!!!
 
Ohighway said:
Is the next ingredient cheese? Or 'cheese food' ? My wife and I used to joke about that one a lot. Look in your store and much of the sliced stuff you think is cheese is actually 'cheese food'. Kinda' scary sounding.
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Anything they have to tell you is Food, probably isn't. :D

When I was a kid we used to eat little cans of sandwich spread called Potted Meat Food Product. Blech. Can't believe I'm still here. :no:

This stuff actually lists Cheddar Cheese as an ingredient.
 
My ex used to clean movie theaters, I used to help on weekends. They would leave the 'nacho cheese' out at room temperature over night, just turn the warmer off, yuck!
 
Very easy to make your own. Lots of good recipes out there if you don't know how.
 
toxcrusadr said:
Anyone make homemade nacho cheese sauce with real cheese?
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I do pretty regularly although it is just a cheese sauce and not nacho spiced but it is still pretty tasty on a plate of chips and taco meat.

Ingredients:

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Over medium heat make a roux with the butter and flour. Add the milk and whisk until it has thickened a bit and is bubbly. Whisk in the cheese a little bit at a time until it is all incorporated and smooth.
 
You can make your own but even that won't be a healthy option although it will be the lesser of evils. You can be assured that most things that come in cans these days won't be very healthy.

Basically the main ingredients will be cheddar cheese and milk with a thickening agent such as a roux or corn starch slurry. You can also make it with heavy cream and bypass the thickening agent. You can also add in some pepper jack cheese, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder and some diced jalapenos for a slightly kicked up version.
 
I saw a show on cheesemaking once, probably on History or Nat Geo or something. Making real cheese is sort of gross, but the processed cheese is flat out disgusting. Its made like industrial plastics using much of the same equipment to blend chemicals into a homogenous paste, then extrude it out into shapes or just left in a paste and put into jars or cans. Sorry, but nothing that ever came naturally from a cow is aerosol or that shade of orange.
 
Modern Marvels - Processed Cheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbxWy1WBw14

"40 lb blocks of Cheddar are shredded. The aim is to create as much surface area as possible for the chemical transformations that will occur...We add emulsifiers, fat, whey powder and water."

They kinda lose me at "chemical transformations". :D But OTOH at least this factory starts with CHEESE. :yes:

EDIT: I was not able to find any video of completely imitation cheese being made...They Don't Want You To See! LOL
 
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We made the mistake of buying imitation shredded cheese once 'Shred Mate'. Was young and dumb and poor, needed beer and a spaghetti dinner. Bad move. Some day a cardiologist is gonna have to clean out all that $0.79 Fox De Luxe frozen pizza residue from my early twenties.:D
 
cwall99 said:
I just like to shred cheese, layer it on the chips, sprinkle it with Tabasco, and pop the whole mess in the oven for a little bit.

Not all that saucy, but sure is good.

I remember seeing some of those cheese and crackers that they sell in vending machines with the following on on its label: "Now made with real cheese!!" MMMMMMMmmmmmmm!!!!
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Thats fine but you have to toast the chips twice.First without the cheese.
 
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