Melty Cheese
This creamy velvety cheese is simple to make and replaces any store-bought block of cheese, such as Velveeta. It makes great Mac and cheese, just add some with butter and a splash of milk to hot noodles. Easy, peasy.
Servings: 1 pound
Equipment
- 1 small loaf pan 7"x4"x2" lined with plastic wrap that is hanging over the edges
- 1 food processor or blender
- 1 saucepan or glass measure to heat the water on the stove or in microwave
- 1 silicone/rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin (such as knox) 7 grams or 2.4 grams agar powder to make it a vegetarian option
- 6 tbsp dry milk powder
- 16 ounces shredded cheese See notes
- 1 tbsp fresh herbs optional
Instructions
- Have everything premeasured and at the ready. This goes fast.
- Bring 1 cup of water to a full rolling boil.
- Place gelatin and milk powder in the food processor or blender.
- Pour boiling water over and pulse to blend.
- Quickly add cheese (and herbs if using) and pulse to melt and combine.
- Puree until smooth.
- Quickly scrape into the prepared loaf pan using the spatula. Be sure to get it all!
- Pat the top of the cheese smooth and cover with the plastic wrap that was hanging over the edges to fully cover and seal the cheese.
- Refrigerate for several hours to set. Will store up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
Notes
You can make this with just cheddar, but I love a blend of cheeses. My favorite blend is mild cheddar, gruyere, and a young parmesan. Monterey jack and colby are great choices also.
This is a great way to use up odds and ends of cheeses in your refrigerator. Do be sure that you are choosing cheeses that melt, not feta, panner, halloumi, or highly aged parmesan/romano.
If you have a choice, use a blender on puree setting. If you have the heated feature, use that also.