Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat half and half over medium heat in a medium saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to a low simmer.
- Stir in cheeses starting with the american cheese first. Continuously stir the cheeses to ensure no sticking on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the cheese is completely melted, reduce heat to low and add the Kinder's Woodfired Garlic Rub and a little over half of the jalapenos. Stir and simmer for an additional 4-6 minutes.
- Top with the rest of jalapenos, cilantro and tomatoes. Serve with chips and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- Chop the white American small — Half-inch pieces or smaller melt faster and more evenly. Large chunks take longer and leave you chasing lumps at the end.
- Warm the half and half before the cheese goes in — Starting with warm liquid means the cheese meets something already at temperature. Two to three minutes over medium is all it needs.
- Stir the rub into the base, not onto the top — Working Kinder's Woodfired Garlic Rub into the molten cheese during the simmer lets the smoky garlic infuse the whole dip. A surface dusting doesn't do the same thing.
- Low heat is the rule — Once the cheese is melted, drop to the lowest setting your burner has and don't move it back up. High heat breaks the emulsion and the dip turns grainy and greasy.
- Split the jalapeños — Half in during the simmer so the heat opens up and rounds out. Half on top fresh so there's still a sharp, green bite in every scoop.
- Rescue it if it thickens — If the dip tightens up while it's sitting out, a splash of half and half over low heat and 30 seconds of stirring brings it back smooth.
- Tortilla chips are the call. Go thick-cut restaurant-style — they hold up under a full scoop without folding. Thin chips work, but you'll lose some to the dip's weight.
- Pita chips and raw vegetables hold up just as well and cut through the richness differently. Bell pepper strips, cucumber rounds, even blanched broccoli — the cool crunch against the warm queso is worth setting out alongside the chips.
- For a loaded version, stir in cooked crumbled chorizo right before serving. The smoky garlic rub in the base plays directly off the chorizo's fat and spice. Shredded rotisserie chicken works if you want more protein with less heat. A cold margarita or a Mexican lager belongs on this table.
- Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. The dip firms up considerably as it cools — that's normal.
- To reheat, put it back in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of half and half or whole milk. Stir constantly until it loosens back to a smooth, pourable consistency. Don't push the heat — same rules apply as the first cook.
- Microwave works in a pinch: low power, 30-second intervals, stir between each one. It won't be quite as silky as stovetop, but it holds together.