How to Make Nachos with Molly Watson

Published on Thursday, January 14, 2010, by Leslie Jonath, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith / Edit Post

How to Make Nachos with Molly Watson

By Leslie Jonath, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

Food writer Molly Watson dispels any illusions people might have about making nachos. For the record, using cheese sauce and a microwave are fatal errors. Her method only takes a few minutes, and you get crunchy nachos with flavor in every bite rather than a soggy, inconsistent mess. Find inspiration for your next nachos feast with these recipes and ideas.

You’re Doing It All Wrong is constructive criticism. Don’t take it the wrong way: Just learn the right way.

ALLYou're Doing It All Wrong
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  • Come on now. This stuff really is pretty basic. What is the next YDIAW going to be on? Making KD?

    And I feel the same about the pickled jalapenos. Fresh is the way to go.

  • barryg,

    A couple of things that you can do is think of nachos a bit like lasagna.

    That is, lay down a layer of chips, then cheese, then carefully placed salsa or cut peppers (hot or not), and repeat until you've got something like three layers. You might want to add chopped onions or tomatoes as a part of your top layer but avoid adding too much liquid whatever you choose. Good to remember as...+READ

    barryg,

    A couple of things that you can do is think of nachos a bit like lasagna.

    That is, lay down a layer of chips, then cheese, then carefully placed salsa or cut peppers (hot or not), and repeat until you've got something like three layers. You might want to add chopped onions or tomatoes as a part of your top layer but avoid adding too much liquid whatever you choose. Good to remember as well that the cheese on the bottom layer will take longer to melt so don't broil your nachos this way or go too high with your cooking temp--325-350 is fine. Just be patient.

    As well, instead of baking it in a pan, try a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it. That way you can see how the bottom layer is doing and you can slide the still-hot nachos (paper and all) onto a large serving plate that you have ready.
    Poor Molly, I have no idea how she plans to serve those carefully constructed nachos, as nice as they look. More concerning, by the time she's spread on the additional toppings outside of the oven, the nachos have lost temperature and are starting to congeal, and that's not good, never mind that it's not right.

    As for the cheez dip, that' fine as a dip, but not on the actual chips. And there are great vegan versions that are more healthy and tasty and cost-effective than that stuff in a jar.-COLLAPSE

  • queso = chesse in spanish? They are actually white farmers cheeses that are called queso blanco, cotijo, queso fresco, they are all mild salty white cheeses. Asadero, and chihuahua are also varieties

  • If you're cutting your hair like hers, you're doing all wrong!

  • I downgrade these recipes for using pickled jalapeños rather than fresh.

  • I like to actually use a nice queso for my nachos. It melts wonderfully. There's a mexican place nearby that actually has a white sauce made from queso that they spoon over their nachos that I simply must learn how to make.

  • Cheese sauces beat using a "real cheese" not meant for melting anyday. I recoiled in horror from the the clearly oily, separated cheeses in the photo gallery. Talk about a fatal error.

  • "How to Make Nachos with Molly Watson"?????


    i prefer to make MY nachos with ground beef ;)

  • Good tips but there is nothing wrong with having big piles of guac, salsa, or sour cream in the middle, as you can just dip your chips for as much as you want.

    Also, many restaurants get a nice layering effect with their nachos, how can I replicate this?