Create A Legendary Cheese Pull With One Pantry Ingredient

Apart from its rich flavor, a strong cheese pull can instantly be the highlight of any cheesy dish, from a plate of nachos to a deep pan of mac and cheese. Certain cheeses can create the perfect cheese pull, but another ingredient works well too — and there's a good chance you already have it on hand.

That secret ingredient, sodium citrate, may have a strange-sounding name, but it has a long history with cheese. Very simply, sodium citrate is a powder used with processed cheese to give it a smooth, creamy texture and also helps create an even cheese melt while keeping the cheese from separating. 

While it's used in many food products, it's perhaps most commonly used as the ingredient that gives American cheese its signature meltiness for burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches — which is why it's popular among some fast food chains. It's also used as an additive in boxed mac and cheese like Velvetta to add creaminess, which makes it a popular choice in cheese sauces because it makes cheese melty, but not too greasy.

So how do you add this pantry ingredient to cheesy classics? You can buy it on Amazon for less than $20, dissolve it in water or milk, and stir in your cheese of choice — use a teaspoon of powder for every pound of cheese. What results is a thick, creamy, homemade cheese sauce to pour over nachos, into a pan of macaroni and cheese, or over burgers. It can also stand on its own as a dipping sauce for salty snacks and offers opportunities to mix and melt different cheeses for more depth of flavor.

Another (perhaps quicker) way to add sodium citrate to classic cheese dishes is to simply add American cheese. A grilled cheese can feature your favorite American and other cheeses to combine different flavors. Store-bought American cheese sticks can be breaded and cooked in an air fryer for a twist on classic mozzarella sticks, and a block of American cheese from a deli can be shredded and added to mac and cheese and nachos. Each option adds cheesiness and plenty of cheese pulls in the process.