How to make cheese fries

How do you make cheese fries? This recipe starts with frozen french fries, which you will bake until they’re golden brown and crispy. Next, add a generous amount of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top. Place the pan back into the oven and cook until the cheese melts.

According to the Center for Science in Public Interest’s new book Restaurant Confidential, an appetizer of cheese fries packs 3,000 calories, 217 grams of total fat, and 90 grams of artery clogging saturated fat.

Cheese can either be melted over the stove or on the microwave. Make sure to choose a type of cheese that will actually melt and add some starch and liquid to prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. Heat the cheese over low heat or in small increments in a microwave until it just starts to melt.

Several factors affect melting ability. One is moisture content. High-moisture cheeses, like mozzarella, cream cheese, and Brie, flow more easily than dry hard cheeses. But hard cheeses contain so little water that when they melt, they don’t completely liquefy.

Place it in a microwave-safe bowl, set the microwave on medium heat and nuke for 15 seconds. Stir the cheese and if needed add an extra 15 seconds to reach the desired melted consistency. If a cheese grater is not handy, then you may also cut the cheese into cubes before melting it.

Here’s the how to melt cheese the slow and steady way: use low heat—introduce a double-boiler, even—to avoid overcooking. If you want to speed up the melting a little more, try grating the cheese instead of cranking the temperature—the thin and uniform shape will melt faster and more evenly.

When the temperature is too high or cheese is heated too long, its protein molecules tighten, and water and fat are forced out. This results in rubbery, greasy melted cheese, says Wolke.

Why does mozzarella cheese not melt? Sometimes, you may experience that mozzarella just won’t melt no matter how long you heat in the microwave. Factory-made mozzarella cheese is low-moisture and low-fat. The mozzarella cheese you see on pizza is the low-moisture type that is either cubed or shredded.

Another trick to getting great stretch and less burn off is to put the cheese down first and dab the sauce over (very little sauce like for a Napoletana or a Lombardi or Patsy style pie) I slice my cheese and put down the slices, which gives me a really creamy cheese melt, that doesn’t burn in the wood-burning oven.

Slicing the cheese too thick.

When sliced too thick, the cheese simply won’t cook all the way through, which means you won’t get that oozy, melty goodness you have your heart set on. It melts more evenly and quickly than slices, and you’re guaranteed to have just the right balance of toasted bread and melted cheese.

Fool-proof mayonnaise

The ingredients in storebought mayonnaise have a higher smoke point than butter, which means your grilled cheese lunch is more foolproof. You can cook the sandwich over (slightly) higher heat for a crisper exterior and fluffier interior. Yep, you read that correctly: a fluffier interior.

Start with quality ingredients

Anything less than 1″ will make a flimsy, soggy grilled cheese and anything too thick will not allow the cheese to melt properly. Thick-cut classic white bread that you find in the super market can work, but avoid Wonder Bread or similarly squishy bread.

toast the bread first in a toaster – that will dry it out (or toast both sides in the pan first before adding cheese). Then put in the pan with butter. Use clarified butter, it will have less water.

Toast your bread first. This is optional, but a quick toast will help your bread develop the golden edges and luscious crisp we’re after. It’ll also help prevent your fillings from making the bread soggy. Place the bread cheese side down.

KNOW WHEN TO FLIP

To properly melt the cheese without burning the bread, cook the sandwich on one side over medium-low heat; flip it as it begins to turn golden brown. Grill the other side, then flip the sandwich back onto the first side to reheat.