Cheddar as Velveeta substitute?

[StormySar]

Can I substitute equal amounts of cheddar cheese for velveeta in recipes?

Would a sharp cheddar taste most like velveeta? I'm trying to remember what velveeta tastes like but can't...

[pandora665]

Velveeta tastes really similar to a mix of American and Cheddar cheeses. You'd probably be best off with a Colby or Mild cheddar - you may also have to add a little white sauce to compensate for the EXTREME meltiness of Velveeta, depending on the texture of the final dish.

I'm from Wisconsin, where we know from cheese

Erin

[Ruthla]

It depends on what kind of recipe. If you're making a grilled cheese sandwich, cheddar works fine. If you're making a cheese sauce for pasta and/or veggies, you can't just melt cheddar the way you can melt velveeta- you need to cook an actual sauce (melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in some flour, stir a bit, slowly add milk while stirring) and then melt the cheese into the sauce.

[EmeraldGardener]

One little tip that I learned in the restaurant biz is Before adding cheddar cheese to a cream sauce to keep it from clumping-- put your shredded cheese (and it is better to shred it from a brick of cheese yourself) in a baggie or bowl and put just a scant tablespoon of flour into it and shake it all around and then add to the sauce, it will melt smoother with less clumping or separating of the cheese and fat in the cheese.
I like a good sharp cheddar for adding to sauces, that way the flavor is more robust.

[StormySar]

I just found a recipe to make a homemade velveeta cheese. I wonder if it will work. It calls for cheddar cheese, boiling water, instant dry milk and gelatin. I might try it and see how it compares. has anyone made their own alternative?

[VikingKvinna]

Originally Posted by EmeraldGardener

One little tip that I learned in the restaurant biz is Before adding cheddar cheese to a cream sauce to keep it from clumping-- put your shredded cheese (and it is better to shred it from a brick of cheese yourself) in a baggie or bowl and put just a scant tablespoon of flour into it and shake it all around and then add to the sauce, it will melt smoother with less clumping or separating of the cheese and fat in the cheese.
I like a good sharp cheddar for adding to sauces, that way the flavor is more robust.

That's what you do for fondues too. Mmmm.

I think the taste depends on the recipe, but cheddar won't melt as nicely as Velveeta, as PPs have said. Whatcha making? :

[Vancouver Mommy]

I think half a pound of cheddar plus a quart of 10W30 motor oil would equal one pound of velveeta.

[~Megan~]

Yeah, I'd do colby. Its also not as greasy when melted as cheddar.

[bremen]

in many recipes, i use a mix of cheddar and cream cheese to get that velveeta smoothness

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Vancouver Mommy

I think half a pound of cheddar plus a quart of 10W30 motor oil would equal one pound of velveeta.

No, I thnk it's only half a cup of motor oil.

Stormy star- it probably WOULD work, but that mixture sounds just as processed and unhealthy as the ready-made velveeta. I can't see why it would be worth the trouble.

[Storm Bride]

I only used to use Velveeta for macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I never made the cheese sauce just by melting Velveeta, though - I always blended it into a white sauce. I now use a mix of about 3/4 cheddar (usually medium) and 1/4 mozzarella for both dishes. If I have it in the house, or am shopping the day I cook, I also add a hint of emmenthal to my cheese sauce. It doesn't taste the same as it did with Velveeta, but I actually prefer it...and I was a hardcore Velveeta addict from an early age.