Mexican restaurant cheese dip

"kevnbro" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We know it... and we all love it... that buttery, perfectly melted
cheese dip that's nearly impossible to duplicate at home.
Recently, I learned (and correct me if i'm wrong) that Land O' Lakes
makes a high performance melting cheese that can only be purchased by
restaurants and it is with this cheese that the irresistable cheese dip
is made.
I now believe this to be true as my butcher now carries a cheese he
labels, "melting cheese". When I asked him about it, he told me he was
only able to get it because as a deli with lunch service, he classifies
as a restaurant as well as butchershop.
I bought some and sure enough, I was able to duplicate the melt with
only milk as an additional ingredient... a few seasonings later and I
couldn't tell the difference from my dip and a Mexican restaurants.
With that said, we as a consumer should demand Land O' Lakes release
that heavenly substance for those of us who would like to put their
high performance cheese to other uses.

Seek it out! Demand it!! It's well worth it!

I have seen the big cans of Velveeta in the kitchens - and that is what we
used in the nacho machines.

It is indeed a high performance "melting cheese".

Perhaps that is what you seek? Look in the "big cans" section of the
supermarket :-)

Quoted message said:

No this cheese isn't Velveeta... it's a "high performance melting
cheese" i'm almost certain is made by Land O' Lakes and not sold to the
public... yet.

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

kevnbro said:

No this cheese isn't Velveeta... it's a "high performance melting
cheese" i'm almost certain is made by Land O' Lakes and not sold to the
public... yet.

Might it a patented product (with the same fate as Basmati rice)?

Because no place in the Mexican neighborhoods of town here seem to serve
anything resembling cheese with their tortilla chips - the condiments
are house made salsa, and tangy avocado dip with a bite.

--

kevnbro said:

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

Perhaps it was Monterey Jack cheese. Here's the recipe I use.

1 pound American Cheese (Don't buy the kind where each slice is
individually
wrapped. I personally prefer Kraft Deluxe American)
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
12 ounces evaporated milk
3 or 4 seeded and diced pickled jalapenos
1 medium size homegrown tomato OR 2 store bought Roma tomatoes peeled
seeded
and diced
cayenne pepper to taste

Cut cheeses into cubes. Combine with evaporated milk and heat SLOWLY
either in
a microwave or on top of the stove until cheese has melted. Add in
tomatoes
and jalapenos. At this point the nacho cheese sauce probably doesn't
have much
kick to it. Let it cool for a few hours to give a chance for the
jalapenos to
do their thing. You may also want to stir it occasionally to keep
everything
from settling down to the bottom. If after a few hours the nacho sauce
isn't
hot enough for you then add in cayenne pepper. I usually add about an
eighth
teaspoon at a time until I think it's about right.

djs0302 said:

kevnbro said:

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

Perhaps it was Monterey Jack cheese. Here's the recipe I use.

1 pound American Cheese (Don't buy the kind where each slice is
individually
wrapped. I personally prefer Kraft Deluxe American)
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
12 ounces evaporated milk
3 or 4 seeded and diced pickled jalapenos
1 medium size homegrown tomato OR 2 store bought Roma tomatoes peeled
seeded
and diced
cayenne pepper to taste

No, what he is talking about is a heavenly, creamy white cheese without
the addition of cayenne pepper or tomatoes or anything like that. I
can vouch that the stuff Kevnbro is talking is scrumptous. It truly is
delicious.

On 7 Dec 2005 18:29:26 -0800, "djs0302" <[email hidden]> rummaged
among random neurons and opined:

Quoted message said:

kevnbro said:

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

Perhaps it was Monterey Jack cheese. Here's the recipe I use.

1 pound American Cheese (Don't buy the kind where each slice is
individually
wrapped. I personally prefer Kraft Deluxe American)

<snip>

If you look on the packages of American cheese, most of them say
"processed cheese food." Kraft Deluxe doesn't. It says "processed
cheese." Big difference, IMHO. AFAICS, "processed cheese food" is a
chemistry experiment.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

If you look on the packages of American cheese, most of them say
"processed cheese food." Kraft Deluxe doesn't. It says "processed
cheese." Big difference, IMHO. AFAICS, "processed cheese food" is a
chemistry experiment.

Land O'Lakes American cheese is much better than Kraft, if it's
available where you shop. It's not refrigerated until after opening,
and is sold near the Velveeta.

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

If you look on the packages of American cheese, most of them say
"processed cheese food." Kraft Deluxe doesn't. It says "processed
cheese." Big difference, IMHO. AFAICS, "processed cheese food" is a
chemistry experiment.

Processed cheese food is food you feed to cheese. I raise a herd of
cheddar every year. This year I might try raising some mozzarella

Everything you wanted to know about processed cheese but were afraid to
ask:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7806sci2.html

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

If you look on the packages of American cheese, most of them say
"processed cheese food." Kraft Deluxe doesn't. It says "processed
cheese." Big difference, IMHO. AFAICS, "processed cheese food" is a
chemistry experiment.

Processed cheese food is food you feed to cheese. I raise a herd of
cheddar every year. This year I might try raising some mozzarella

Everything you wanted to know about processed cheese but were afraid to
ask:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7806sci2.html

kevnbro said:

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

You might try looking for queso fresco -- that's what it sounds like.
Absolutely wonderful stuff, good sliced straight from the fridge or melted.

kevnbro said:

And I forgot to mention that unlike Velveeta, it's a white cheese.

You might try looking for queso fresco -- that's what it sounds like.
Absolutely wonderful stuff, good sliced straight from the fridge or melted.

Damsel in dis Dress said:

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

If you look on the packages of American cheese, most of them say
"processed cheese food." Kraft Deluxe doesn't. It says "processed
cheese." Big difference, IMHO. AFAICS, "processed cheese food" is a
chemistry experiment.

Land O'Lakes American cheese is much better than Kraft, if it's
available where you shop. It's not refrigerated until after opening,
and is sold near the Velveeta.

Carol

But does it melt like Velveeta?
-L.
(Gotta have my Gooey Cheese Popcorn...)

kevnbro said:

We know it... and we all love it... that buttery, perfectly melted
cheese dip that's nearly impossible to duplicate at home.
Recently, I learned (and correct me if i'm wrong) that Land O' Lakes
makes a high performance melting cheese that can only be purchased by
restaurants and it is with this cheese that the irresistable cheese dip
is made.
I now believe this to be true as my butcher now carries a cheese he
labels, "melting cheese". When I asked him about it, he told me he was
only able to get it because as a deli with lunch service, he classifies
as a restaurant as well as butchershop.
I bought some and sure enough, I was able to duplicate the melt with
only milk as an additional ingredient... a few seasonings later and I
couldn't tell the difference from my dip and a Mexican restaurants.
With that said, we as a consumer should demand Land O' Lakes release
that heavenly substance for those of us who would like to put their
high performance cheese to other uses.

Seek it out! Demand it!! It's well worth it!

The recipe should be Queso Fundido. Haven't searched for it, but most
Mexican markets ahould have a cheese that work for this. Sometimes
strips of green chili are added (Queso Fundido con Rajas), sometimes
mushrooms (con Champignon) or even spicy pork sausage (???).

jim

kevnbro said:

We know it... and we all love it... that buttery, perfectly melted
cheese dip that's nearly impossible to duplicate at home.

Here's a page about Mexican cheeses that may be handy for you to use:

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicancheeses.htm

In my other reply, I was ctl-alt-del'ing when I was talking about the
variations of queso fundido. The sausage you can add is chorizo.

jim

-L. said:

Damsel in dis Dress said:

Land O'Lakes American cheese is much better than Kraft, if it's
available where you shop. It's not refrigerated until after opening,
and is sold near the Velveeta.

Carol

But does it melt like Velveeta?

Of course not! It's real cheese! LOL!

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

Run to your nearest Walmart! The store where we shop (NW Florida)
recently began selling Wisconsin Farms "Restaurant Style Dipping Cheese".
The package is yellow and has the "Famous Mexican Cheese Dip Recipe" on
the front. It is a 12oz block. Just add milk & heat. They have 2 styles-
plain and w/ Jalapeno. We have tried the Jalapeno and it is the real
thing. At our store it was at the front wall, near the deli, where they
have the "gourmet" sliced cheeses and things. Good luck

My wife and I have tried every manner of grocery store standards when
it comes to cheese in attempts to duplicate the dip but with little
luck until we purchased this cheese from our butchershop.
A visit to his website www.richardsmeatmarket.com has the cheese
listed as, "Land O' Lakes Extra Melt"
A google search found me reading this article:
http://www.houstonpress.com/Issues/2004-06-03/dining/toque.html

Quoted message said:

Here's a page about Mexican cheeses that may be handy for you to use:

See... I think that's why it's kept such a secret. The cheese they use
in Mexican restaurants in the U.S isn't a Mexican cheese at all but an
American cheese coming out of St. Paul Minnesota.