An Inspired Cook

If you’ve ever been to Detroit you know that there is a Coney Island restaurant located every few blocks.  You never have to look far to find one, just go down any street and you will eventually run into one.  Each diner has an extensive menu with every kind of hot dog you can imagine plus a full breakfast menu and family style entrees too.  The great thing about it is that the food is good and cheap.  At least it was during the time that Joe and I lived there.  My favorite thing was the Detroit Coney with Cheese Sauce.  Oh, that gooey cheese sauce was so good!  And finally I’ve found a recipe to make a homemade cheese sauce that captures that smooth and creamy taste. I’ve tried to make it with different cheeses and thickeners but it always came out with a texture that was gritty or chalky. The recipe posted on Serious Eats breaks down the science of how cheese melts.  They also tested different variations like milk, cream cheese and mayo to make the perfect cheese sauce.  They figured out the components which makes cheese sauce creamy like you might find at a Fuddruckers restaurant.  You will find none of the background graininess in this sauce because it doesn’t require flour to thicken it.  The scientific key has much to do with the concentration of milk fat.  They discovered that evaporated milk is more concentrated with much of its water content removed.  Combined with cornstarch to thicken the sauce makes the cheese melt silky smooth. Thanks to Serious Eats I can now make the perfect cheese sauce!