Queso Fundido

This queso fundido recipe has a few tricks that’ll keep the melted cheese ooey, gooey, and dippable from first chip to last. Dave Rizo, chef and co-owner of Yellow Rose in New York City, says he prefers a queso dip that’s slightly runnier than the standard, so he developed a version that’s pourable even when completely cooled (though you can easily reheat it). It starts with Lone Star, a light Texas lager that imparts a subtle beer flavor perfectly paired to the pickled chile garnish.

The real secret to this cheese dip’s super smooth and homogenous texture, though, is sodium citrate, a powerful emulsifier derived from citric acid. (To make this dip recipe without it, replace the sharp white cheddar with a cheese product made with sodium citrate, like Velveeta.) As for the other cheeses, you can be a little bit flexible. Rizo tops his queso with Oaxaca cheese (also known as Asadero), but you could opt for Monterey Jack cheese or low-moisture mozzarella if you prefer. For the mild cheddar, you could swap in Chihuahua cheese or another melty semi-firm cheese. And if your local market doesn’t carry fresh Mexican chorizo, you can DIY it, or sub in another fresh sausage.

We like to serve queso fundido in an oven-proof baking dish, which will keep the dip warm longer than a bowl ever could, but a cast-iron skillet will work equally well. Lastly, don’t just limit this dish to appetizer status. Spread it on flour tortillas for a quick quesadilla snack, repurpose it as a cheese sauce for nachos, use it as a condiment for ground beef tacos, pair it with baked potatoes and all the fix-ins, mix it into scrambled eggs…you get the picture.