Before we get to gooey stuff though, lets talk about thosemelting salts, particularly sodium citrate.
I then submerged the bag in a water bath set to 167F and waited for the cheese to melt.
Now we were getting somewhere.
This stuff had the consistency of processed cheese sauce, and the taste of Tillamook cheddar.
After a quarter hour in the tub, I pulled everyone out and hit em with the immersion blender.
Like our cheddar, this was solved by some more time in the tub.
The resulting sauce was delightful, especially when drizzled over pickle chips.
(I just really like dill, okay.)
Asiago
This one gave me the most trouble.
It was clumpy and stringy, and started to solidify almost immediately.
That did the trick.
Actually, though this would make a decent dip, I think it belongs on a burger.
It truly is a thing of beauty.
(This turned out to be a very good decision.)
After fifteen minutes in the tub, I blended it all up and poured it into a bowl.
This cheese dip was my favorite cheese dip of all the cheese dips.
Not only did it have the best, most complex flavor, but the consistency was perfect.
(The sherry didnt hurt either.)
It was, in no uncertain terms, a complete success.
And now we must ask ourselves our favorite question:Will cheese sauce sous vide?
Put it all in a bag, and place it in a bath set to 167F.
After fifteen minutes, hit it with a blender of some sort and see how it behaves.
If it emulsifies into a silky sauce, youre all done!
Stop here and enjoy your cheesy creation.
But if your cheese isnt playing nice, proceed to step 3.
Add another 1/4 teaspoon, return to the bath for another fifteen minutes, and try blending it again.
Repeat until you reach your desired consistency.
when you’ve got your sauce all sussed out, your ready to get to dipping.
Photos by Claire Lower.
