A Proper Bowl of Queso with JalapeñOs

Ingredients

• 1 lb white American cheese, shredded or torn
• 4 oz Monterey Jack, grated
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 JalapeñOs, minced
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Method

1. Cook the onion, JalapeñOs, and garlic in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft. Add the cumin and green chiles and cook 1 minute more.
2. Drop to low and add the milk. It should steam, never boil — a bubbling dairy base is the fastest way to a broken, grainy queso.
3. Add the cheeses a handful at a time, stirring in a lazy figure-eight and waiting for each to melt before the next. American cheese is not a shortcut here; its emulsifying salts are the reason this stays silky.
4. Fold in the diced tomato and cilantro and season. It should coat a chip without sliding off, so thin with a splash of milk if it tightens.
5. Keep it warm on the lowest possible heat and serve straight from the pot with chips.