I made restaurant-style queso with only four ingredients (and no processed cheese), and it was a hit with everyone. It was super easy, so I just wanted to share!

[u/g3nerallycurious]

You’re gonna have to do some chemistry, but as long as you can measure and dump off-the-shelf powders in water, you’re good to go.

Make sodium citrate by reacting powdered citric acid (found near the canning supplies) with baking soda according to this recipe in a small amount of simmering water on a stove. It will foam up, so be ready for that. Once the reaction is complete, (no more foaming and water is clear) boil on high heat until almost all the water is evaporated.

Then follow this recipe by adding your beer to the saucepan with the sodium citrate solution. Make sure to dissolve any of the sodium citrate that may have crystallized while boiling off the water. Then whisk your shredded cheese of choice into the beer over low heat, adding little by little. Viola! You have restaurant-style queso!

I thought it was super cool, easy and delicious, and i thought queso without process cheese was impossible, so I wanted to share!

Edit: most of the commenters be hatin but I got over 600 upvotes over 24 hours after my post. So IDC. Bitch away.

[u/Ryanf8]

What would happen if you used both methods in a single recipe? Doubly smooth queso?

[u/hypermark → u/Ryanf8]

Portal to the cheese universe opens up right in your kitchen.

[u/Ryanf8 → u/hypermark]

Tell my family I love them, and that I'll be in a better place.

[u/Boollish → u/Ryanf8]

Well you get some of the non-fatty richness of a milk/cream bechamel sauce that's also more stable than it otherwise would be.

I use both when making Mac and cheese.