Cheese dip can be made with processed cheese, cream cheese, or hard cheese like cheddar. American cheese is preferred as it melts smoothly. Cheese dip can be served with chips, crackers, veggies, or used as a topping for nachos or mixed with chili. Sweet dips made with fruit and cream cheese are also becoming popular.
Cheese dip in the modern sense probably originated in recipes for dishes such as fondue, in which crusty bread squares are dipped in hot melted cheese. Usually, however, cheese-based sauces are more likely to be served at room temperature and are not made in the same way as fondue which often includes wine. An exception is fundido or queso blanco, a Mexican cheese plate that may contain chunks of sausage and is served hot with tortilla chips. It has become increasingly popular in the United States and is a good substitute for cheese dip made with cheddar, or more often, American cheese.
Most cheese sauce recipes are processed cheeses, to which other ingredients, such as sauce, onions, broccoli, or even sour cream, may be added. American cheese such as Velveeta is often preferred because it tends to be easier to work with and can be melted in the microwave. Cheddar cheese, a popular alternative, can separate if not melted properly, but American cheese tends to melt and stay smooth. This doesn’t mean you can’t use cheddar cheese, but you do need to be careful of the melting point of the cheese, so you don’t end up with a soggy oily mess. If you plan to use cheddar or any other hard cheese, you may get better results by melting the cheese over a double boiler and stirring fairly constantly.
There are a number of dip recipes that use cream cheese, theoretically making them cheese sauce. These usually don’t melt, as the cream cheese is already soft. They are not meant as a traditional cheese dip unless the cream cheese is added to a melted cheese like cheddar or Americano. Adding cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream isn’t that unusual especially when using the former. It helps smooth and soften the dip, even as it cools.
You can serve cheese dip with chips, crackers, pretzels, or veggies. Everyone makes good choices. Some people may melt cheese to serve on top of nachos, combine cheese with beans to make a cheese and bean dip, or mix cheese with chili. Essentially, you can choose from hundreds of dip recipes, including cheese, to keep it varied and delicious for parties or just for personal and family consumption. You can also purchase boxed cheese dip if you don’t have time to make your own.
A recent trend that provides a nice contrast to the more savory forms of cheese-based dips are sweet dips, usually made with a combination of fruit and cream cheese. These can make great dips for fruit or as spreads to put on bagels. In fact, the fastest method to make a cream cheese dip that’s sweet is to simply buy a flavored cream cheese at the store. Alternatively, you can use cream cheese and add mashed fruit or jam, usually in a food processor, to make a thinner dipping sauce.
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