Best Nacho Cheese Cups (Ricos Review – Worth It?)

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ricos nacho cheese cups

What are Rico’s Nacho Cheese Cups

They’re just small, individual cups of nacho cheese, usually sold in packs of four. No prep, no heating, just peel it open and start dipping.

Ricos calls it “theater-style” nacho cheese, which honestly feels pretty accurate. It’s that classic, slightly spicy, super smooth cheese you’d expect at a stadium.

Here’s what we’re talking about, available on Amazon:
Ricos nacho cheese cups

How Do They Taste?

Pretty much exactly how you’d expect.

  • Smooth and creamy
  • Slight kick, but nothing crazy
  • Very much that “processed nacho cheese” flavor

This isn’t fancy cheese—and it’s not trying to be. It’s the same kind of flavor you’d get dumped over chips at a concession stand.

The Good and the Bad

Good

  • Super convenient
  • No prep at all
  • Consistent flavor every time
  • Tastes very “movie theater”

Bad

  • Small portions
  • Definitely processed
  • Not going to impress anyone looking for “real” cheese

Are Ricos the Best Nacho Cheese Cups?

If your goal is to recreate that movie theater or ballpark nacho experience at home, these are honestly one of the best options out there.

They’re not gourmet, but that’s kind of the point.

Final take

If you want something quick, easy, and very close to that classic concession stand flavor, they’re hard to beat.

So, I recommend you pick up a pack, try it out and let us know what you think…
Rico’s Individual Cheese Cups (4-pack)

 

 

Beavis and Butthead Were Nacho Lovers

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beavis and butthead tshirtIf you were at least 14 years old between the years 1993 and 1997 then you definitely remember Beavis and Butthead.  These two high school students loved to watch music videos, hang out at the mall, try to “score with chicks”, and most importantly eat nachos.

Nachos were actually eaten by Beavis and Butthead so much that a t-shirt was made and sold to fans all over.  But wait…

You can actually still purchase this t-shirt from Amazon.  Enjoy this gem of a find!

The Official ILoveNachoCheese.com Recipe

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Official ILoveNachoCheese SauceWe’ve posted various recipes.  We’ve conducted taste tests. We’ve delivered the very best nacho cheese related news anywhere on the Internet. Now, we’re going to contribute something truly original to the nacho cheese community – An official recipe. A couple weekends were spent in the kitchen creating literally dozens of different nacho cheese sauce variations. We experimented with ingredients and tweaked quantities until we came up with something we were proud to share. In the end, we settled on this original recipe below and hope you like it as much as we do. After all, we created it for you! So give it a try and let us know what you think.  Read more to see the recipe:

The Official ILoveNachoCheese.com Recipe

Official Nacho Cheese Goodness

Serving Size: Enough for one bowl of nachos (1-2 persons)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. corn starch
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 oz. cream cheese
  • cubed 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • shredded 1/8 cup monterey jack
  • shredded 1/2 tsp. Busha Browne’s Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce. (Any habanero/scotch bonnet pepper sauce will do. We recommend anything with a “use with discretion” warning on the bottle.)
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika

Directions:

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt butter and stir in corn starch. Pour in the milk, add cream cheese, and continue to stir until mixture is fully incorporated.

While stirring mix in cheddar and jack cheeses, chili powder, paprika, and hot pepper sauce. Continue to stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended. Pour over tortilla chips.

About Us

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The vast majority of the content on this site was created by three guys working together in Silicon Valley. We spent a lot of lunches in the corporate cafeteria—but something was always missing: nachos. More specifically, nacho cheese.

Why? Because nacho cheese is simply the best. It’s one of the most versatile and ridiculously delicious sauces out there.

Long story short, our shared love of nacho cheese brought us together—and eventually led us to share that obsession with the world. We knew we couldn’t be the only ones.

If you love nacho cheese, you’re in the right place. And if you don’t… you might still get a laugh out of it.

Nacho Sighting at GDC2007

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KotakuGDC2007 has come and gone. Overall, it was a decent show…albeit, one without nachos conveniently available in the convention center. However, in response to this post, Michael Fahey over at the gaming mega-blog Kotaku generously wrote us with this report.

According to Fahey, Telltale Games held a small party to promote their upcoming Sam and Max game. The shindig was held at a little speakeasy in a Union Square alleyway and was home to many drunk members of the press as well as Steve Purcell, the creator of Sam and Max.

But the big news of the night was that they were serving up nachos. Fahey described them as being “slightly thicker than your normal variety, with some of them bordering on the chewy side for some odd reason.” He added that, “while the other finger foods were down at the other end of the darkened bar, the nachos sat alone upon a pedestal, piled high…piled proudly.” He admitted to spending a fair amount of time standing next to the pedestal, scooping up copious amounts of goodness onto the slightly sweet chips before eventually breaking down, grabbing a plate, and shoveling a large chunk out of the diminishing pile and carrying them over to a table where his Kotaku cohorts and friends waited.

We salute you, Michael Fahey, for keepin’ it real and being a proud nacho cheese lover!

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This Nacho Cheese Lover Needs Our Help!

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FYI, as I read this article today, I must say it made me want to fly out to Florida to meet this guy, help him, and then eat some nachos….

A nacho business on wheels, called “Nacho Bizness”, apparently has had mechanical problems with their nacho truck, preventing them from delivering much needed nachos to their customers.

Read the details here:

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2011/08/hobbled_by_van_troubles_nacho.php

Like I said…I’m hungry enough to want to fly out to Florida and try this truck out.  Anyone eaten at this truck?

Taste Test: Cheese vs. Cheese

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Tostitos_vs_fritos

About a week ago I took it upon myself to conduct a head-to-head comparison of two popular grocery store nacho cheese varieties – Tostitos Con Queso & Fritos Chili Cheese. Both were microwaved in their containers for three minutes, mixing well at one minute intervals. Both were delicious and while each definitely had a unique offerings, the Tostitos brand Con Queso rose up as the winner in my opinion. In the end, I felt that the Tostitos Con Queso had a better consistancy and wasn’t as runny as the Fritos Chili Cheese.

Fact or Fiction: Is Nacho Cheese Bad for You?

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shredded cheese

The public perception is that all nacho cheese is bad for you.  Determined to uncover the truth in the matter, I felt inclined to investigate the nutritional data for three readily available nacho cheese products found at my local Safeway grocery store.

Specifically, I wanted to directly compare the sauce-type nacho cheese with grated cheese that comes from a bag (as seen in the picture).

Here’s the three products I compared:

  • Frito Lay (sauce cheese in a jar)
  • Tostitos (sauce cheese in a jar)
  • Shredded “Mexican” Cheese (regular grated style cheese in a bag)

The results of my nutritional analysis may surprise you…

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Should Fondue be Considered Nacho Cheese?

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FondueI’m going to pose a question that has come up during some casual conversations with friends of mine.

Can fondue be considered nacho cheese? 

I argue no and here’s why…

To me, nacho cheese in its simplest form is not an elegant food that the "aristocrats" of society would proclaim to enjoy.  Fondue is the opposite.  Going further, the history of nachos dates back to 1943.  You can read the full story here, but to make a long story short, it wasn’t until 1977 when nachos were brought to Arlington Stadium in Texas that the popularity of nacho cheese exploded.  Can you see people eating fondue at a ball-game?  Heck no!

My point is this…Fondue is not nacho cheese, it’s melted "wannabe" nacho cheese at best.

Post your comments, do you agree with me or disagree?

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What Do Pregnant Women Crave?

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Story suggestion by: Jen T. Email us a story.

Pregnant_nachos
What is the #1 food item is that women crave while pregnant?

You guessed it, nachos!  According to these 40 Interesting Facts, it’s true, women crave nachos more than anything else.

But are Nachos safe to eat when you’re pregnant?  Before all you pregnant women decide to raid your local 7-11 and pack your minivan full of pounds of chips and gallons of nacho cheese, you may want to read this warning.

“Women may want to think twice about ordering those nachos the next time they’re out. A new study from Harvard University has found that eating a lot of corn tortillas during pregnancy could be linked to an increased risk of birth defects.”

Source: http://www.pregnancy-info.net/in_the_news111.html

BBQ Nachos Grill Plate

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I received this BBQ grill plate as a gift late last year, and I finally got around to using it.  This grill plate works best on the BBQ and it can be used for anything you want to keep hot (ie fajitas, nachos, etc).

Nacho BBQ Grill PlateLong story short, the nachos turned out great.  Unfortunately I didn’t snap any photos, we ate the nachos too fast.  Added bonus…this is a multi purpose BBQ tool, you can cook a of different foods on the bbq using this.

Just load up your chips, then apply your favorite cheese and put on the grill high heat.  It’s best to keep the lid closed but take a peek at it to ensure the chips don’t brown up too much.  Once the cheese is nice and melted, pull the nachos using some grill gloves and load up the rest of any toppings like sour cream and guacamole.

Enjoy!  This grill plate is available now on Amazon.

Note:  Originally I got a Williams Sonoma version that’s not available anymore, but this is the next best thing, and even better because it’s more versitile and not single use.

Thieves Steal Truck…But they Left the Nacho Cheese…?

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Nacho-cheese-theft It seems crazy to me, with the economy so far down in the tank, that modern day thieves would steal a tractor trailer but leave the invaluable nacho cheese stowed inside.

That's exactly what happened in San Antonio.

Read the full news story here: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/07/31/Semis-carrying-turkey-and-cheese-stolen/UPI-20551312153196/?spt=hs&or=on

I know, how could they take electronics but leave the nacho cheese?  Didn't they realize that they'd probably want all that cheese to enjoy while watching the brand new TV's they'd just stolen?

Dumb criminals.

 

Emo: Life is Painful, Go Eat Nachos

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Emo_nachos2

The word Emo is short for “emotional”. It represents a type of music, personality, and fashion. Typically Emos are very sad and angry. They like to have their hair in front of their face (to hide their tears?). Emos like to wear old and beat up clothes (to conform to non-conformity?). Usually they are very shy and introverted (ashamed of their stupid hair?). Emos also listen to music with themes of confusion, depression, and loneliness (ashamed of their stupid hair?).

So what do Emos do to help hold back the tears and avoid their dark eyeliner from running? No, they don’t use waterproof eyeliner. They EAT NACHOS!

There are two pieces of evidence that help us make this conclusion:

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Fight Over Nachos: Reloaded

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GirlsumoWe recently wrote a post about a fight that broke out between two girls at Revere High School over nachos. While police never elaborated on the circumstances, only to disclose that they were both arrested for assault and battery, there have been a few stories written about the scuffle.

One in particular, written by Susie of “Everyone loves a Boston girl,” was particularly interesting since it was from the female perspective. Susie’s post titled, “I too would fight for nachos,” suggests:

“We should create a list of rules from now on? Everyone must agree on the toppings on nachos before entering the restaurant. Always order the larger size. Only take one spoonful of salsa, one spoonful of guacamole, and one spoonful of sour cream. Don’t eat all of the nachos that are smothered and cheese and leave the bare ones.”

Brilliant, Susie. We couldn’t agree with you more. If you think about it, your instruction should really be nacho common sense… but then again, so should mindful one-for-one car merging during traffic. But it only takes one halfwit to stir up roadrage, or in this case, a nacho brawl.

[SOURCE: Everyone loves a Boston girl]

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Inside the Mind of a Nacho Cheese Hero

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DaneEarlier this month, Dane Boedigheimer of Gagfilms.com sent us a custom commercial titled “The Nacho Newsreel” that he produced specifically for us. But before The Nacho Newsreel, he created “Nacho Blasters,” a hilarious breakfast cereal commerciall spoof.

We wanted to find out more about this nacho cheese champion and find out what makes him tick and the inspiration behind these notable nacho cheese flicks.

To read the interview, click here.

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We Heart Taco Licking

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TacosSarah and No Name from Alice @ 97.3 generously invited us to their Cinco de Mayo (Thizzo de Mayo) broadcast to judge their “Battle of the Bay Taco Licking Contest.” And although nacho cheese wasn’t involved, we graciously accepted the challenge.

The contest consisted of two teams of three: The North Bay vs. The East Bay. It was a hardfought battle, but after all the tongues were tired and all the tacos were licked, the North Bay team was crowned the victors.

Overall, the entire event was great to be part of. Hooman was sporting an ILoveNachoCheese.com shirt, we got to hang out with the morning crew again, and we were able to meet some interesting loyal listeners. Even recently engaged Andrew “The Bachelor” Firestone showed up to drink and be merry!

Click here to see pictures from the event.

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Nachos Please… Hold the Cheese

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Review written by: Eric L. Email us a story.

BobbyEric is proving to be a true ILoveNachoCheese.com Superfan. First he sends us “It’s Nacho Love (That I Need)” – an original song he wrote just for the site – now he’s written a review of some nachos he ate during a recent business trip! It’s honest, humorous, informative, and well written. He even took a picture.

Nice work, Eric. Nice work, indeed.

Click here to read the entire review.

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Nachos no Good in Nashville

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InspectorSports fans in Nashville may want to think twice before purchasing nachos at the Nashville Arena concession stand. After four years of health inspections, unsafe food and a rodent problems were revealed that the Health Department called “critical violations.” In addition to 22 cases of mouse droppings in concession stands, since 2003, inspectors found out that 15 pounds of nacho cheese had to be thrown out because they were stored at the wrong temperature.

“Lack of good time-temperature controls is the leading cause of food-borne illnesses in this country,” said Jerry Rowland of the Metro Health Department.

There were also 21 cases of mold found growing inside ice machines and four sightings of fruit flies. Twice in four years, the Health Department suspended permits for two vendors and told them to cease operations immediately. Arena General Manager Hugh Lombardi said the violations shouldn’t keep fans from eating there.

“I don’t think that’s alarming,” he said.

We say, “Really, Hugh? … really?”

In Hugh’s defense, the Health Department returned to the arena on March 29 to reinspect nine vendors and some of those vendors had prior violations of rodents. Health inspectors said they found no signs of mice in those nine reinspections.

[SOURCE: Channel 4 WSMV Nashville]

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Frenchos? I’ll take the Zero

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If there’s any nacho out there that could be classified as doltish, this is it. Just as it was declared earlier that fondue is not nacho cheese, this little recipe is in no way, shape, or form nachos. Lest anyone think that by melting a dab o’ fromage on a tortilla chip automatically constitutes a nacho, they are sadly mistaken. Nachos should never have to be “plated” or “presented.” Nachos are to be prepared by grabbing a handful of chips, thowing them into a bowl, and smothering it with molten hot nacho cheese. 

This recipe is a disgrace and an insult to all nacho lovers. Now excuse me while I slice a cube of Reblochon and pair it elegantly with a bold glass of 2003 Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne.

Only a True Nacho Cheese Lover Would Go This Far

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You may be surprised to learn that I’m not the owner of this license plate, nor are any of the other authors here at ILoveNachoCheese.com.

In fact, no one in California has snatched up this gem of a plate!  When I visited the Department of Motor Vehicles site in California, I was shocked to find that to this date, no nacho lover out there has purchased this personalized license plate.

Now that you all know, will someone grab it up before I do?  Whether I get it or not, this is possibly the BEST personalized plate I’ve ever seen (if you’ve seen one cooler

Update: This plate is now been taken and secured by one lucky Nacho fan.

Dogs Love Nachos Too

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Story suggestion by: Mitch S.  Email us a story.

Dogs Love Nachos Too

You know those times when you are in the kitchen making nachos, and your dog is staring back at you with this "can I hump your leg" "feed me some of those cheesy morsels" look on his face?

Well now you can!

Nachews are made from all natural rawhide ingredients and are good for your dog’s gums and teeth.  They taste great too!