The Best Type Of Cheese For Nachos
Who doesn't like a nice bowl of warm nachos every once in a while? Those crispy tortilla chips, the juicy jalapenos, the sour cream, and of course, the only ingredient required for a nachos recipe – the melted cheese.
When ordering nachos at a movie theater, restaurant, or ballpark, you don't need to think much about the cheese since there's usually just one kind, but when making nachos from home, the options abound. According to Wisconsin Cheese, more than 1,800 varieties of cheese exist in the world. So how do you pick the best type of cheese for nachos?
You can go the easy route and just buy the kind in a can or jar from the chip aisle at Walmart. Or, you can opt for the fresh route so you can melt it yourself. Either way, you're going to have to make a choice of which type to get. The good news is, there are many cheese types that will taste great and melt well for nacho sauce, so finding the best type ultimately depends on your taste buds.
Soft to semi-hard cheeses melt best for nachos
The labels on those jars and cans serve as a great indicator for what types of cheese taste good on nachos. Or, if you visit Walmart and search for "nacho cheese," you'll find that many options are cheddar: Gourmet nacho cheddar, premium aged cheddar, mild cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, condensed cheddar, and so on.
Cheddar also ranked in the top three in a 2020 ranking of cheeses to use in your nachos while watching a baseball game(via Cleveland.com). The top spot went to Monterey Jack cheese, with the Tostitos Salsa Con Queso recommendation.
Different people and sources may have different opinions, but you're the only one who can decide what's best for you. You may try the Tostitos Salsa Con Queso option and hate it. You might prefer melted goat cheese or award-winning Marieke Gouda instead. As long they melt well, offer a smooth texture, and are flavorful, lots of cheeses can be a great option for nachos.
Why cheddar and Monterey Jack are top choices
If you plan to make your own nacho cheese and opt for cheddar, there are some things to consider. The first is the type, which is determined by age, as Cabot explains. Mild cheddar, for example, is about three months old and is considered "young" cheddar (per Wisconsin Cheese).
Young cheddar, or mild cheddar, works best for nachos because it has a smooth, creamy, butter-like consistency, so it will melt well to make the sauce. Cheddar also offers a nice, sweet flavor that many nacho lovers fancy to complement those perfectly salted tortilla chips.
Now for the Monterey Jack. Named after its place of origin (via Cheese.com), this semi-hard cheese also delights with a slightly sweet taste, mild flavor, and prime meltability. Cabot even been called "the ultimate melting cheese." Plus, there are several variants–comparable to cheddar combination cheeses including dry jack, pepper jack, and Colby-jack. You can also pair it with cheddar.
If you're a creature of habit and have only ever had one type of nacho cheese, it may be time to awaken those taste buds. Start experimenting and try a few new options. Are cheddar and Monterey Jack the best nacho cheeses for you?