I’m of the firm belief that queso is mostly sold in stores, rather than made at home, due to the finicky-ness of trying to melt cheese without it breaking, getting clumpy, too oily, not allowing for additional ingredients like jalapeños or salsa, and then congealing into a mess that’ll never melt properly again.
All valid reasons, but I’m here to tell you, there is a way. There are actually multiple ways, and I’ll be delivering 3 of them over the next few weeks, in reverse order of complexity, each noted by the key ingredient(s) that take a regular block of cheese and turn it into melty, dippable cheese queso.
Gameday Queso – Cornstarch and Half & Half
Anyone who makes sauces and dips likely has cornstarch in their pantry. It’s a great thickener to have around. Not only can it be used to create some recipes, but it’s also handy to have around if you need to save a recipe.
Hint: If you made a sauce, soup, or dip that’s too thin, in a separate dish, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and dissolve into a slurry before adding to your sauce. Do not add cornstarch alone as it’ll clump up.
In this version of gameday queso, we start with cornstarch and half & half. You could also use whole milk or heavy cream and adjust the cornstarch accordingly, or have a thinner or thicker queso. If you don’t have half & half, you can mix half milk and half heavy cream. Get it?
Whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and you just start seeing a hint of a boil, then start slowly adding and whisking in the shredded cheese. You may need to periodically remove from heat at the beginning so the cream doesn’t burn to your pan.
Obligatory “shred your own cheese instead of using store-bought shredded cheese.” It’s annoying, but pre-shredded cheese has caking agents to keep the cheese from clumping together in the bag, and those aren’t queso-friendly.
Keep whisking until all the cheese is added and you’ve achieved the thickness you want. This is when you can start slowly adding more ingredients. This version is the most forgiving of the 3 I’ll be sharing, so slowly integrating a jar (or homemade) salsa should hold up well.
Another Hint: Chunkier salsa is better. If it’s too watery, strain out some liquid first so it doesn’t thin out your queso. Same if you use canned chiles or jalapenos, as I did in the video below. Strain out water first.
As always, may all your teams win or your pantry have cornstarch to save your sauces.
Gameday Queso Level 1
Ingredients
- 2 cups Half & Half
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 lb Cheese, shredded Appx 5-6 cups
- 1/2 cup Roasted jalapenos or chiles (optional)
- Salt/pepper or all-purpose seasoning to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Set stove to medium heat and add half & half and corn starch to saucepan, whisk immediately until corn starch fully dissolves.
- Heat until it just starts to lightly boil.
- Remove from heat and slowly add a handful of shredded cheese, whisking constantly until melted in and combined.
- Reduce heat to low and put saucepan back on heat.
- Slowly add remaining shredded cheese, whisking constantly.
- If desired, add all-purpose seasoning, diced chiles, salsa, or whatever else you want. Add extras slowly, still whisking constantly.
That looks amazing!
It was good and I absolutely ate it all. But stay tuned…
How could you not!