I was totally against pre-shredded cheese until I tried it for nachos last week

So I always thought buying block cheese and shredding it myself was the only way to go. All the cooking snobs online say pre-shredded has cellulose and doesn't melt right. But I was lazy last Tuesday and grabbed a bag of Mexican blend from Aldi for $2.50. I made sheet pan nachos with it and honestly it melted perfectly and tasted just as good. Am I the only one who thinks the anti-pre-shred crowd is overreacting? Has anyone else found a legit use for the pre-shredded stuff where it actually works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_nelson401mo ago

I mean I had the exact same thing happen with a bag of store brand cheddar jack for taco night. I was convinced it would be a gluey mess but it actually melted way better than my block cheese because I never get the shred size right. The thing is pre-shredded has that potato starch coating which people hate but it actually helps if you're using it on something that goes under the broiler like nachos or a baked pasta. The coating stops the shreds from clumping up and they separate better when you sprinkle them on. I still buy block for mac and cheese or anything where I need a smooth sauce because the starch can make it grainy there. But for something like a loaded potato or chili cheese fries where you just want melted cheese on top I grab the bagged stuff every time now.

ellis.robert1mo ago

Did I just learn more about shredded cheese in 30 seconds than I have in my entire 30 years of eating it? Seriously though, the broiler thing makes so much sense. I burned a batch of nachos last week because I used block cheese and got the shreds uneven so some spots were just sad melted puddles and others were still solid chunks. Maybe the bagged stuff with its fancy starch coating would have saved me from scraping charcoal off a baking sheet at 11pm. I'm definitely trying the bagged stuff for my next chili cheese disaster.