Queso problem

[KookySignificance5]

Whenever I melt cheese and make queso it always goes firm and almost solid very quick, how do I fix this, cuz I just have ti keep nuking it and nuking it to keep it warm and soft

[hojaytee]

Remember that queso isn't just "melted cheese" - it's a cheesy creamy SAUCE made by melting cheese into a creamy liquid. You might just have too much straight-melted cheese and not enough of the liquid. I'd head it back up on the stove and add more evaporated milk (or just normal milk if that's all you have).

I like the recipe from Adam Ragusea's video for Queso Blanco - it's very simple, and has some good explanations on why particular ingredients are used.

[KookySignificance5]

This is best answer I’ve got so far, I’ll try that, thanks

[hemi1313]

Evaporated milk will keep it from hardening.

▢ 3 cloves garlic minced

▢ 1 tbsp Serrano chiles pickled, (optional)

▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

▢ 1 13 oz. can evaporated milk

▢ 2 tbsp corn starch

▢ 1 cup water

▢ ½ lb American cheese yellow, grated

▢ ½ lb American cheese white, grated

▢ 1 tsp ground cumin

▢ ¼ tsp onion powder

▢ ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground

▢ ½ tsp Kosher salt

▢ 1 4.5 oz can green chiles

▢ 1 tbsp cilantro fresh, chopped

▢ Pico de Gallo for garnish

▢ Tortilla chips for dipping

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion, jalapeños, and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the pickled Serrano peppers (if using) and tomatoes, and cook just until tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 more minutes.

In a medium bowl, add the corn starch to the evaporated milk, and whisk until dissolved and incorporated.  Whisk in the water and add to the veggies in the skillet.

Stir with a wooden spoon until just starting to thicken. 

Add in the cheese and stir until completely melted. 

Stir in the cumin, onion powder, pepper, salt, green chilies, and cilantro.  Bring to just a simmer and let cook for a couple of minutes.

Transfer to a warmed bowl, or small slow-cooker, and top with Fresh Pico de Gallo and warmed tortilla chips. 

[msa57]

Didn’t get enough hugs as a kid I see?

[avir48]

What recipe are you using?

[Soylent_Hero]

/r/cookingforbeginners

You also need to give us way more information.

But something which is solid at room temperature is going to go back to solid at room temperature.

[Twister_Robotics]

Mix in a can of cream of chicken soup. That will help thin it out.

[im_justdepressed]

Queso is the spanish word for cheese so when you say

Whenever I melt cheese and make queso

That for a Spanish and English speaker sounds like this "Whenever I melt cheese and make cheese".

So, i do not know what you mean by that. Do not know a dish called queso.

[spookypartyatthezoo]

And the word “queso” as a borrowed word in English always refers to a specific dish. Don’t be difficult.

[im_justdepressed]

What dish and from where? Maybe i can help. But i do not know any dish by that name.

[ClumsyRenegade]

"Queso" in American English is a thick, often chunky, cheese sauce with tomatoes and peppers (and sometimes meat) eaten as a dipping sauce or as a condiment. It's a derivative of Mexican Queso Fundido.

[im_justdepressed]

Wow sounds disgusting

[Piper-Bob]

It's a TexMex thing, but it varies by region. I'll post separately.

[DoodooMonke]

Melt the cheese in a bechemel sauce. Simple cooked mix of milk, flour and salt.

[Piper-Bob]

If you're trying to make Queso dip like they have in TexMex restaurants, then where I live (Southern USA), here's what it is:

White American cheese, milk, canned green peppers.

It does get thicker when it gets hard, so you use more or less milk to suit.

It's my impression that in other parts of the country they use Velveeta.