I was doing 8 ounces of cheese to 1+1/8 cups of water to 10 grams of sodium citrate. The final ingredient is the sodium citrate, which causes the cheese to stay together as it melts. August 18, 2020 at 12:16 pm I have been playing around with sodium citrate for making nacho sauce, and have had a fair bit of success. Yes, I know using sodium citrate requires heat so it is not a cold pack, but what I am going for is the sharp flavor that is there with the extra sharp cold pack cheese. You generally want around 2 to 3 percent of sodium citrate per sauce. The fancy grocery store in my town has a pail in their cheese section. 5 g mustard. Add it and any other additions you want and grill your favorite way. To make your own cheese fondue or queso, first choose the flavors you are aiming for. 2/04/16 7:00PM. To make your own cheese soup first choose the flavors you are aiming for. 13. Sodium citrate cheese sauces have been a particular focus. 10 grams Sodium Citrate. I figured some of you would be interested in finding out what I discovered. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. You don't have to be all that percise, but you need to know the ballpark numbers. I like to mix them with a less powerful cheese to give a good balance. I made the mistake of choosing an IPA for a beer cheese sauce in my second attempt. You generally want around 2 to 3 percent of sodium citrate per sauce. After my recent exploration, I learned how to change their consistency in both directions, but that comes later. Milk seems to dull everything it’s alright for a Mac and cheese but when I make my sauce I want to use it for multiple things so I use water or beer. I’ve done a lot of Experiments with the liquid and water is the best, it allows the cheese flavor to shine. Remember, they don't have to be a traditionally "melty" cheese; anything that isn't super-dry should work fine. I’ve gone as low as 10% water. Some common liquids are beer, wine, cider, stock, milk, or juices. I used Beecher’s New Woman for my most recent sandwich. Is it directly related to the amount of liquid being used? If your cheese has a rind, do not include it in the sauce. My second and third batch were with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I believe it helps that cheese melt, but I’ve never made a control sandwich without it to test that theory. (Or pour into a big bowl and dip away.) But it makes a nice sauce. That's it. They can make everything so easy though, and come at budget-friendly prices to boot. Even runnier sodium citrate sauces thicken up when cold. cheese slices, fondue, cheese dip, mac and cheese sauce, etc.? My son in law, who can't do anything in the kitchen, made some cheddar cheese sauce to put over baked potatoes. Cheese sauce puts the cheese in mac and cheese, it can convince kids to eat vegetables, and nachos would be naked without it. 1 cup Whole Milk. Stir immediately after to combine. Sodium citrate allows the proteins in the cheese sauce to become more soluble while lowering the pH of the sauce, which creates a smooth emulsion without curdling. But a general recommendation for making a cheese dip is to use 1 part cheese, 0.5 parts liquid, 2-3% sodium citrate (by weight). a sprinkle of garlic powder. I have a bag of sodium citrate sitting in the back of my pantry forgotten from a few years back. It is also used as a … Post anything related to cooking here, within reason. Start by zapping a couple of tablespoons of a 60/40 cheese sauce. I'd like to use it to dip nachos in, but the cheese gets to the point I have to scoop the nacho chip in rather than dip it. In a pinch, or when my shredding arm got tired, I’ve made a sauce out of sliced cheese, but it takes a lot longer to melt into the sauce than if I shredded it. From what you've provided, you have 900 grams of cheese, about 230 grams of water and 12.3 grams of sodium citrate. I melt a sliver of butter in the pan for each side, but that’s just me. You will need a scale to get the proportions right, but roughly two teaspoons of sodium citrate disolved in 1 1/4 cups heated milk or water, slowly add 4 cups grated cheese stirring all the while. Microwave for 45 seconds. The result is a stable, smooth melt with no lumps and no leaks—perfect for fondues and cheese sauces. Your favorite cheese, whole milk, and Sodium Citrate. At 2%, you won’t taste much of this unless you add a bitter liquid. I don't think I did it any different than before when it's worked great, but every now and then, it seems like I would be better off just throwing a pound of cheese in the garbage. Very nice post. That gives you 79/20/1 cheese/liquid/sodium citrate. Sodium citrate has a bitter flavor. Press J to jump to the feed. When I first dabbled in sodium citrate sauces, I stuck with a basic ratio of 38% water, 60% cheese and 2% sodium citrate. Cheese plus 85% to 120% liquid - thin cheese sauce, cheese foam, fondues, mac and cheese Cheese plus 120% liquid or more - continues to become thinner and thinner. Adding 0.8-1% sodium citrate to the total weight of […] To make the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium, whisk together 11⁄4 cups whole milk and 10 grams sodium citrate (about 11⁄2 teaspoons) and bring to a simmer. Cheese plus 120% liquid or more - continues to become thinner and thinner. 2% is about 3 grams, just under a teaspoon. It is a lightly carbonated water with slight hoppy and citrus notes that really worked well with pepper jack. Stir immediately to combine. Used a cup of chicken broth, 4 cups cheese, 1 tap SC. Taste and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Leave it for soups. I like a sodium citrate level of at least 2%. Add 1/2 tsp sodium citrate to bottom of a saucepan. I always cut those cheeses with more mild varieties. Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in 4 cups grated cheese until smooth. I wouldn’t feel right about posting to r/Cooking with such a long post without including a recipe, even a super simple one like a grilled cheese. This creates a thick sauce, but not a block of homemade processed cheese—except at room temperature. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The sodium citrate, which causes the cheese to stay together as it melts, is typically used in a 2.0% to 3.0% ratio of total liquid plus cheese weight. Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature. Remember, they don't have to be a traditionally "melty" cheese; anything that isn't super-dry should work fine. Remember, they don't have to be a traditionally "melty" cheese; anything that isn't super-dry should work fine. When adding the cheese to the sauce you can use an immersion blender for a … It was loose enough that if I took a spoon or two of cheese out of the refrigerated container, it would fill in the hole within several hours. 14 grams sodium citrate 3 cups (200 g) Gruyère cheese, grated 3 cups (180 g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated Instructions. The chemical formula for sodium citrate even spells out “nacho”. Translated into real-world numbers that means 4 oz of cheese needs 2 oz of beer, and 2% sodium citrate means (4+2) = 6 * 0.02 => 0.12 oz. Have you tried using milk/cream as the liquid component? Has anyone tried to duplicate the cold pack sharpness and flavor with a sodium citrate base? 1/2 lb Barilla Cellentani pasta. 2% is about 3 grams, just under a teaspoon. But still a lot softer than Velveeta. To make your own sliceable cheese first choose the flavors you are aiming for. Add sodium citrate at 2% to 3% of the combined weight of the cheese and the liquid. I never make cheese dip without it. It's probably more sodium citrate than you need, if I did this a lot I would experiment on backing it down because I can taste the stuff and I don't like it. Most of my sauces use around 10-20 grams so it goes a long way. Patrick Allan. I’d played around with them before, making sauces out of several different cheeses—my combo of smoked and aged gouda is still one of my favorites—but I’d never really explored the extent of it… until now. I've added sharper and stronger cheeses to my citrate sauces. Don't just pour a bunch in, but give it a couple of splashes and work those in. 12 ounces Grated Cheese. Some common liquids are beer, wine, cider, stock, milk, or juices. At all. I just heat the water, mix in the sodium citrate and then add the cheese. The final ingredient is the sodium citrate, which causes the cheese to stay together as it melts. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Recently however I have been trying to duplicate the sharp flavor that is found in cold pack cheese spreads. I used some good sharp cheddar for that sauce, but the milk and flour made it almost bland. This includes a lot of crumbly cheeses like aged gouda and parmesan. But even if I microwaved those spoonfuls on top of something, then tended to get tighter quickly as the cheese cooled off. An 80/20 ratio sauce is less a sauce than a brick of homemade velveta. Can anyone tell me approximately how many teaspoons/tablespoons of sodium citrate I need to use for 2-3 cups of cheese… As the consistency can be changed after the fact, I stick with my 60/40 ratio. 5. My guess is your ratio is off. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskCulinary community. This is exactly what you want for cheese slices. Turn on the heat and bring to a simmer. Sodium citrate also seems tailor made for cheese emulsification. The good news is that you can easily fix this sauce. Any more and it will really become noticeable. It not only acts as an emulsifier, helping fat and liquid to keep from separating as the cheese cooks, but it also has the unique characteristic of forming a stable matrix at room or fridge temperatures while also melting into a liquid at temperatures not too far above body temp. Stir until melted. Cheese plus 85% to 120% liquid – thin cheese sauce, cheese foam, fondues, mac and cheese Cheese plus 120% liquid or more – continues to become thinner and thinner. That was back in my first few sauces, so I might have to experiment again now that I know a little more. My god, it was bitter. I’ve read you can make it without any liquid at all, but I’m not a madman. The secret ingredient for this nacho cheese sauce is Sodium Citrate, a commonly used ingredient in the molecular world for spherification. Out if the 5 or so times I have tried making dip, 2,maybe 3 times it has worked. The sauce … /r/Cooking is a place for the cooks of reddit and those who want to learn how to cook. When adding the cheese to the sauce you can use an immersion blender for a smooth sauce or a whisk for a stringier sauce. A cup of shredded cheddar is about 4 ounces or around 110 grams. 1. Any more and its edges started to bubble and spit. There is one unique ingredient in this dish that help the emulsification of the cheese and beer/water to make the dip super creamy. Make Silky Smooth Nacho Cheese at Home With Some Sodium Citrate. The remaining 70 grams are water, around 4.5 tablespoons. I apologize for how long-winded it became. Sodium citrate allows the proteins in the cheese sauce to become more soluble without lowering the pH of the sauce, which creates a smooth emulsion without curdling. After that, I stuck with water, though I played around with seasoning. This cheese sauce is extremely simple. Depending on how firm you want your cheese soup to be you can use anywhere around 120% liquid for a heartier cheese soup, up to 175% for a thinner version. Remember, they don't have to be a traditionally "melty" cheese; anything that isn't super-dry should work fine. I started with the ratios from Modernist Cuisine and quickly found their water content to be too high. As an experiment, I added a chunk of it to a bowl with a splash of water and microwaved it for 20 seconds. You’d have to fish it out and that gets messy. I've only made this twice, both times using sharp cheddar and fontina for baked mac & cheese. A common food additive allows you to make silky-smooth mac & cheese at home. At my preferred ratio, they are sticky and semisolid when refrigerated but liquify nicely when warm. They make for kick-ass grilled cheeses. After refrigeration, it was tight enough that the hole made by taking out a spoonful would not fill in. Making rich and creamy cheese sauce is a basic cooking skill that pays off in countless ways. Add everything to a microwave-safe container and mix together with a fork. As the cheese is heated, the proteins separate from each other and again act as emulsifiers, strengthening the emulsion by holding fat and water together. I like thin slices of a flavorful cheese. Read on to learn how easy it is to make cheese sauce from scratch using simple ingredients and easy techniques. To save everyone a click, their ratios (by weight) are: After some experimentation, not as well documented as your own, I settled on a liquid ratio of 60%-62%. Can anyone share the proper volume / weight ratios when using sodium citrate for different applications i.e. Smoked or young gouda mixed with the old stuff and provolone or even a preshredded pack of ‘Italian’ cheese paired with parmesan if I’m slumming it. I’ve made mild cheese sauces with Jack or cheddar to use as a base for these little chunks of fancy cheese.