OceansRust
45503
2287
28
#cheese #food #awesome #eat_what_you_want #mildly_interesting
Jun 5, 2025 12:09 AM
OceansRust
45503
2287
28
#cheese #food #awesome #eat_what_you_want #mildly_interesting
TheGrubermeister
Shoutout Ragusea. Dude 1000% knows what's up in the kitchen
DoctorCaptainProfessorAmazing
Saving this for later.
Cookie0fPower
Nice
ThanksForTheThing
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1OTJxZ2prMnB3cHo4d2NnZWE0dXM3YTMzcHl3NjBvYnlvcnlkaHd0diZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/vjGyYSsF765wc/200w.webp
BOHICAbeast
Hail SCIENCE!
Iamtoofuckinghighforthisshit
Cheese
steve3p0
Anybody else wince at the mixing of units ? “50 ml of lemon juice and half a teaspoon on baking soda”
BargYartson
Swedes us tablespoons and milliliters in the same recipes all the time.
MidasTheAlchemist
Or I could just buy some sodium citrate on the Internet?
codasquid
Don’t forget to share his YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/@aragusea?si=IRp-ua2i2gL4TqEo
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
Good ol Adam ragusea!
FllintEasywood
I've done this! It doesn't work perfectly every time but, but only because I eyeball everything.
cyno01
The nice part about buying sodium citrate off the internet is i can put it in a shaker and just use a pinch for adding to the real cheese for a richer boxed mac and cheese, or for sprinkling a little on top of nachos instead of having a whole bunch of liquid to deal w/
triangularity
You can pour the liquid in a wide pan and dry it, then put it in a shaker. Solution dehydrated :)
Geo80
The spiritual successor to Alton Brown
PrincessPuffyPants
FUCK YES!!!! Thanks op!!!!
maddmurph
Favorited and soon to be forgotten.
illmx
Is there a link to more of his stuff? Potentially recipes I can print, @op or other friends?
EpsilonBeSmallerZero
Adam Ragusea on youtube, pretty sure his video descriptions have some version of the shown recipes, but I wouldn't recommend skipping the good parts (the explaining of pretty much everything important) because of that
hell0
Euchre
If I was going to eat plastic cheese, I'd just buy it. I like my traditional cheese sauce, starting with a roux, progressed to a bechamel, then melt in enough cheddar until the sauce almost wants to break.
Babaloga
Not a bechamel but Fondue actually uses pretty much identical chemistry to this using emulsifiers present in wine from the fermentation process. Just because we can describe and isolate the specific family of compounds that do this doesn't make it any more "plastic" than it ever has been.
The processed cheese in stores is all made of mild cheddar. Understanding the chemistry lets you get the same smooth melting out of gouda, or goat cheese, or a very sharp cheddar, or blue cheese, etc.
Euchre
The term 'plastic cheese' is not literal, and it is just a common reference to the texture of such cheese sauces. When you use bechamel to emulsify the cheese, the texture is quite different. Oh, and if you've ever seen 'non-alcoholic' or 'wine free' fondue, it's really just a bechamel based cheese sauce, with flavoring from some source to approximate that of the usual white wine fondue.
Babaloga
Yeah of course you can make fondue without wine, I'm just saying the use of emulsifiers to make a cheese sauce is hardly new, and comparing ANY use of them to the lowest-quality processed cheeses available in stores is very reductive.
thesameasyours
Now chug it
MicahtheMartian
Don't threaten me with a good time.
OceansRust
All that and a bag of chips
PwnageHobo
Non-American here. Do you people actually find that bright yellow stuff appetisting?
dbox
Yeah, they do.
Babaloga
It's cultural context. Apparently there was a kind of arms race in the early 20th century. Higher quality cheese would be slightly yellow, so manufacturers put small amounts of yellow food coloring in their product to make it seem higher quality. Over time competing
companies put more and more coloring in until yellow cheese was just normal.
It doesn't taste any different, it's just yellow.
Babaloga
If you mean processed cheese in general, like American cheese (or cheese slices as it's apparently called in the UK), that's technically a completely separate thing from the color issue. Processed cheese can be white, and non-processed cheese can be yellow, you just add the dye to the milk at the start.
Regardless, processed cheese is just mild cheddar ground up and mixed with an emulsifier so it melts better, it's really not that bad. Only the really cheap stuff is more milk fat than cheese.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
AKA Kraft and many store brands. Worst offenders. But you can buy more quality American cheese in blocks like most other cheeses and without dyes. Much better stuff.
spronkfu
https://youtube.com/shorts/KKG-LznoJJo?si=vuqW067VNeCmGauk
stronomer
But ... why?
Ifekinlovesauerkraut
Dude. Cheese.
stronomer
Not the cheese I prefer. But otherwise: valid argument
Freyja33
A.) You wouldn't need to buy sodium citrate, because sodium citrate mixed with cheese is just what 'American cheese' is. The entire point of American cheese is that it can be melted down and reconstituted, and a side benefit of this is that you can always turn it into basically a cheese sauce by melting it down and it mostly won't burn or crack. B.) sodium citrate may sound unnatural but it is totally edible and naturally occurs in many foods (including lemons, which he included in this recipe).
albester
I misread "it mostly won't burn or crack" as "it mostly won't burn your crack" and thought that this depends on the kind and amount of chili peppers you throw in ...
Babaloga
This is a short (a stolen one, I might add) but he has a full-length video that basically says exactly that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSfHVTx1WMk
CoyotesOwn
And he did that when making queso blanco: https://youtu.be/EKHItk0P_dc?si=zsNc3smzgh6Uitsr
Freyja33
Like I'm just saying, cut out the middle man here, we have a commonly available item that has already done one of the main steps in this for you, you don't have to create your own American cheese from scratch
justfillingthespace
In the full video that this clip is taken from, he mentions this exact thing in the first minute or so.
Babaloga
technically it's a different video, this is an actual short that he made. I also thought this was a clip from that video until I went to find the link.
justfillingthespace
I knew it was a short, but I didn't feel like explaining that he made a full video on this topic but this clip isn't in it but he still says the same thing in both of them. At that point I may as well mention that he has one video discussing this topic in his mac 'n cheese recipe, and another video on this topic for the chemistry specifically.
ImBatmansCat
#1 ok, so we are still using the chemical cheat, we are just being cheap about it. Got it.
KoalaPanties
Yeah, it's basically the same thing right of the shelve with same "dAnGeRoUs ChEmIcAls" it's fearmongering.
ImBatmansCat
S H E L F
Sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate, by the way, ARE chemicals and you’re the only one here talking about danger or fear mongering.
ME2BNS12
I was erroneously mislead to believe this was gooey sauce made without sodium citrate. Instead, it's about how to make your own, organically. Language is hard, man.
somnif
You can also make a roux based cheese sauce which is quite gooey and wonderful, but admittedly a bit trickier to do without problems
heyletsbefriends
you werent misled, you just werent listening
aristera
What?
ME2BNS12
SO the title should have been "how to make your own sodium citrate" and whatever
NorrinxRadd
Wait, really?
somnif
I mean, you'll also get some lemon flavor in the mix, which may or may not be a good thing for you, but yeah, it'll gooify cheese.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Citric flavor and milk product taste like vomit to me so... no thanks on that.
NeverEnoughFoxes
That loop ....
DaveSamsonite
For those times when only Cheese Whiz will do
EvPointMaster
I hate the "loop meta" on short videos. It's literally designed to waste viewers time.
BlueDsc
The UI for Youtube shorts is absolute dogshit, but I do like that people looping videos like this is pretty common on it.
BlackTrashTiger
Dragon10449
NeverEnoughFoxes
NSFWfrontpage2
If you already have a slice of processed cheese in the fridge you can toss it in for the same effect. (it already has sodium citrate in it)
androgenoide
One Kraft Singles slice is enough to make a whole mess of real cheese into a gooey dip.
BlastFX
Actually, it's more likely to have sodium phosphate. The food industry tends to prefer it over sodium citrate because it affects the taste less.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
It will depend on the brand. But you are right that phosphate adjusts the flavor less. There is "concerns" about its use but no real evidence of it being bad for you. So if you have American cheese with that in it then the main cheese you use for the sauce will be less mellowed, but same with the phosphate cheese. Both will be stronger so that will depend on how strong a cheese flavor you want.
viila
A small glass of coca cola has more phosphate in its phosphoric acid than any amount of melting cheese you'd care to eat in a day.
BlastFX
I just have glass plug reagent bottle of sodium citrate. I wish I could get some sodium phosphate, but for some reason, none of the reputable suppliers will sell less than a fifty pound bag.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
*Trying not to vomit* Its on Wal-mar *BLAAAAAAAAAARGH* t's website *heaves* for like $60... But yeah other than that it's like $350-500 giant fuckoff bags.
BlastFX
I'm in the EU, so Walmart's not an option. Probably should have led with that. I could buy it on ebay or from this random Polish website, but I'm not quite comfortable doing that with food.
UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA
Don't make it with these "chemicals" (aka sodium citrate!) instead, make it with sodium citrate. Wow. Sound.
Targe0
A lot of people get scared off using the pure forms of things like that. So it's much easier to get people to do the things the hard way, because they will feel it's the more natural way of doing it.
necrojoe
He said "without buying sodium citrate off the internet", not "make it without sodium citrate".
Babomonkey
More of a "you don't have to special order this stuff; you can make it at home" vibe.
UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA
It was the chemicals (derogatory) that mainly irks me. It's cheaper just to buy it than to make it
Rasayana
Nah man. He did not use chemicals derogatory. Arguably you could say that when he say "unnaturally gooey" that it was derogatory. If you played it up to Adam Ragusea however, I think that he would agree that it was probably not the best choice of words. If anything, Adam has done a lot to moderate extreme opinions regarding chemicals in food. When appropriate he cites relevant papers and interviews real scientists.
Babomonkey
He never even uses the word chemicals? Ragusa has never struck me as a chemophobe.
UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA
15 seconds
BarryTheCyborg
"-without sodium citrate"
*proceeds to make sodium citrate*
wadatahmydamie
I appreciate you https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlZDN0b3Zta3g1eXd6NzM2OXJ2NmdwOTBtNjNyMXV0c2N5N2xnbnp6cCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l1KVb2dUcmuGG4tby/giphy.mp4
TheGrubermeister
Without BUYING sodium citrate, he said. He made it himself
CyberHexx
"Without BUYING SODIUM CITRATE ON THE INTERNET." If you're going to quote them, do it right.
Rasayana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law
RunanD
He's preying on the "no chemicals", "it's not real cheese" crowd. They have a lot of money, but not much sense.
One of my coworkers is like that, and I found their "organic" hand sanitizer that sanitizes using witch hazel.
....by distilling alcohol from witch hazel.
What, are the organic alcohol molecules cleaner than regular ones, Kevin? Did you check? Did you *sanitize them* to be sure?
glassgiant
I don't think that is his MO. He is appealing to the "don't want to plan my mac and cheese a week in advance or store an extra specialty pantry item" crowd. Though I see how the result would also appeal to the chemophobes.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
The actual part that bugs me.... you could just get some American cheese, white or yellow, and a couple of slices will do the job.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Someone doesn't believe me? Try it. Put cheese in the pan, put American cheese slice in, heat slow and stir. Done.
rbudrick
Bruh.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Bruh what? It will. It is just Cheddar cheese and sodium citrate. A slice or two with you cheese of choice will make a remarkable stable cheese sauce without risking it tasting like vomit from unreacted acid and without needing to order the pure citrate online. Its not going to add that much flavor unless you are using a very flavorless cheese. In which case why make a sauce out of that? Ya'll can downvote but I am a trained chef and I am right. Look it up, try it yourself, I am 100% confident.
rbudrick
Lmao, because people like other kinds of cheese, dumbass. You think american is the only thing people want melted? Have some fucking culture, dumbass.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
You don't melt PURE American cheese. You add a COUPLE OF SLICES into ANY OTHER CHEESE. And it does not need to be the Kraft prepacked stuff. The citrate turns even a very sharp cheddar very mild. And overall it will not affect the flavor unless you are adding in a fuckton of it. Read motherfucker it doesn't hurt. "with you(r) (typo) CHEESE OF CHOICE"
BreakablePotato
That's because American cheese already has sodium citrate in it. It's not intended to be a good cheese, it's meant to be good at melting. But sodium citrate lets you use whatever cheese you want, like a good aged cheddar. And it's cheap and shelf stable. Or you can produce it on demand like in the video here.
KoalaPanties
No "american cheese" has sodium citrate, it can't be even named a cheese if it contains anything order than a regular cheese.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
And... it changes the flavor to be a lot more like American cheese. Cause American cheese is most typically.... cheddar. Sometimes some colby or something might be added. But that is it. And producing it on demand it is unlikely you will get a 100% reaction so probably gonna add a citric acidy flavor in... which makes dairy taste spoiled and vomity... You do you. I am gonna just stick with the American cheese.
BreakablePotato
You really don't see a difference between an aged cheddar and whatever is in an individually wrapped slice? Why are you complaining about taste if you don't have any?
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Aged cheddar good. Adding sodium citrate to it... why did you use aged cheddar? Its gonna taste like American cheese cause that is basically all American cheese is. Cheddar + Sodium citrate. You are making American cheese at home.
minant
But he didn't say without sodium citrate, he said without buying sodium citrate on the internet.
[deleted]
[deleted]
QueenOfTheFey
So you dont cook at all then?
TanithRosenbaum
mikeatike
Now I wanna know what they said.
hyptosis
CuteLukePatoot
Yes, but people are more likely to have baking soda and lemon juice in their kitchen than they will sodium citrate itself.
astrangehop
I currently have sodium citrate and no baking soda
Lontri
Yeah I almost always have lemons and baking soda in the house, and I definitely don't have sodium citrate nor do I know where to buy it.
yaddiex3
On the Internet, you buy it on the Internet
armagetz
To an extent…..but it’s really only useful if you are cooking away from home. Sodium citrate is cheap, shelf stable, and stores well. If you want to make those cheeses, have it. I’d argue it’s just as cumbersome to have lemon juice accessible always to simply have sodium citrate in the pantry.
kazeshi
i keep no lemons around but i do have a small bag of sodium citrate. much easier to store.
CyberHexx
I have a big bottle of lemon juice and a box of Arm & Hammer in the fridge. Lemon Juice is great for lemonade. Also for making farm cheese.
BlastFX
And I have lemons and sodium citrate but no baking soda. Now we just need three guys who only have one of them, a guy who has all three, and a guy who has none and we'll be complete.
madeejit
I have lemons; I have sodium citrate, but I am uncertain where it is; and I have a tub with baking soda written on it, but I don't know what's inside and I'm not going to look after what happened to the cat. My name is Albert Schroedinger.
SithElephant
I recommend bags of citric acid, and also malic acid. Malic acid adds more of a berry acid flavour than citric
armagetz
The cooking “chemicals” I personally stock are sodium citrate, malic acid, citric acid, xanthan gum, and sodium alginate/calcium chloride (to make little boba beads of whatever flavor)
TheThunderbirdRising
Adam Ragusea!
SorryThatUserIsUnavailable
He's my absolute favorite Food Youtuber and I watch quite a few
BlastFX
Hey, it's the Mariah Carey Christmas song guy!
CrabbyBlueberry
Hey, he did some music for The Greatest Generation Star Trek podcast. I'm not Picard I'm not Picard I'm not Picard.
Profanityridden
For sure one of the badasses of YouTube cooking.
KingCooler
one of the goats of simple home cooking.
thedill2000
Um.... Kinda? Goes so into nerd know how to explain how complex things make a process simple... So, kinda?
yuscha
I need to know WHY. The in-depth explanations are why I understand how to make simple recipes on the fly without measuring everything.
DarkwingDuc
He goes hard into the science so you understand what's going on behind the scenes, but the actual recipes are usually quite simple - things most folks can through together on a weeknight.
onlyhalfghost
his actual recipe videos are absolutely one of the goats of cooking normal food for normal people in normal kitchens.
Gingercatsarerockstars
Chef John would like a word. hahaha
onlyhalfghost
should have looked at the second half of my comment, he's in that word.
thedill2000
I mostly agree. I do think AmericasTestKitchen is better for at home simple fancy. However, that is a huge team and Regusua is a one man show... So maybe goat?
onlyhalfghost
(I'd pair him with Life of Boris's cooking and Food Wishes for a culinary crash course.)
DrMoneybeard
I love chef john so much. Any recipe of his I've tried has turned out great.