![]() Make it Saucy: How does all of this translate to a sauce? We need to create a fluid, pourable sauce without separating the cheese. Examples of good melters are: cheddar, colby, Swiss, monterey jack, and mozzarella. The protein in the older, drier cheese becomes a bit stubborn and will never be a melter like mozzarella. The mozzarella melts beautifully and is stringy when a slice is served but the parmesan holds its shape. Think about shredded parmesan and how it reacts when heated alongside mozzarella in making lasagna. The longer a cheese is aged, the more of its moisture is lost, and the more rigid the proteins become-they resist breaking apart and becoming fluid. Good Melters vs Bad: The best, most meltable cheeses are ones that are young and high in moisture. To help keep your cheese stringy, shred it to expose more surface area so the cheese will melt more quickly, bring it up to room temperature before heating so it doesn’t require as much heat energy to melt, and use low, gentle heat. When exposed to high heat-especially for extended periods of time-that’s when the proteins seize up and become firm–squeezing out moisture, then separating. In an article titled The Rules of Melting Cheese, Fine Cooking points out the importance of melting the cheese slowly and gently to yield the loosey-goosiest results. Case in point, the greasy slick on the top of pizza, and the puddles of grease on your nachos.īut Not Too Much Heat: The melting point of classic cheddar cheese used to make nachos is about 150☏ (66☌). When this occurs you’re left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture. Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture-the same way protein does in meat. In order for the cheese to stay beautifully stringy and melty, the protein needs to stay evenly dispersed with the rest of the moisture and fat (an emulsion). The molecules begin to break apart and disperse throughout the fat and water. Increase the temperature by about 40-60 degrees and that’s when the activity starts with the protein. Melting, a phase change from a solid to a liquid isn’t really happening, the cheese becomes fluid, much like what happens to plastic when it’s heated.Īpply Some Heat: At about 90☏ (32☌) the fat in cheese begins to soften and melt. When heated, the protein molecules break apart and become fluid. The basic building blocks of cheese are milk protein (casein), water, fat, and salt. How can a full-flavor, liquid cheese sauce be made at home? The secret is in the melting properties of cheese, including the temperature of its melting point. ![]() ![]() When cheese is heated it often turns into a curdled mess with pools of grease. What game day spread is complete without a tray of loaded nachos? Well-suited for a snack or full meal, this no-silverware-required dish is a favorite for its lava-like, smooth-as-silk cheese sauce.
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