[Flaming Conservative]

Homemade cheddar cheese soup is easy and delicious. I use 8 oz. regular, not sharp cheddar, shredded, a few slices of American cheese (helps make it smooth and silky), a teaspoon of grated parmesan or romano, 2 12 oz cans evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons each, butter and flour, and a little minced green pepper and minced onion, black pepper, and the tiniest bit of nutmeg. Most people would probably like it with sharp cheddar. I cook the green pepper and onion til it’s soft, not browned, add some flour to make a roux, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes,add the black pepper and nutmeg, whisk in the milk, cook til comes to gentle boil, taste to make sure the raw flour taste is gone, turn off the heat, and stir in the grated and sliced cheeses. You can cheat and add a drop of yellow food color if you must have yellow cheese soup. Taste for salt, adjust accordingly.

[Aliska]

I'm going to try the soup since I got some but I had been making my "bechamel", "roux", "White sauce", whatever you want to call it, and I do prefer the sharp but also something smooth. Have been using American deli slices broken up for silkiness. And the other stuff I put in with the main ingredients if I feel like it. The nutmeg doesn't do much for me, especially since I don't have a fresh nut of it, do have a microplane though. I put some in once because that's what Chef John does. I would NEVER put food coloring in it though. Some recipes for cheesy potatoes call for a little chicken broth which I like, too. Evaporated milk sounds like overkill but I often use one can and the rest whole milk which makes it richer tasting and helps with the thickness.

I also like Gruyere in my sauce, a little or a lot. I wanted the soup for something fast since they screwed up the Velveeta and I won't buy it any more.