Pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend has become a kitchen staple for many, offering convenience and a familiar flavor for dishes like tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. For those who appreciate a quick and easy meal, or a simple snack, this blend is often the go-to choice. But with various options available, including low-fat and organic versions, it’s worth asking: are we settling for less by sticking to the standard blend? This exploration delves into three popular brands – Sargento, Organic Valley, and Weight Watchers – to determine which offers the best combination of taste, texture, and meltability for your Mexican-inspired cooking.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/optaboutcomcoeusresourcescontent_migration__serious_eatsseriouseats.comimages201211DSC_0151-001-f165c9e1efe64503b1ed52a633c11434.JPG)
From left to right: Sargento, Weight Watchers, Organic Valley.
Defining the Ideal Mexican Cheese Blend
What truly defines a great Mexican cheese blend? It boils down to a balance of several key factors. Flavor is paramount – while “authentic Mexican” might not be the primary goal for pre-shredded blends, the taste should evoke the Tex-Mex spirit, offering a salty and subtly tangy profile reminiscent of classic quesadilla cheeses, rather than simply tasting like plain cheddar. Texture is equally important; the cheese should be finely shredded enough to integrate seamlessly into taco toppings or chili, yet not so fine that it becomes grainy or powdery. Conversely, thicker shreds that solidify into a hard, plastic-like layer are undesirable. Above all, exceptional meltability is crucial. The blend should melt smoothly into a creamy, gooey consistency, avoiding a greasy or separated texture.
Brand Breakdown: Taste and Texture
To evaluate these blends, we conducted taste tests both straight from the package and melted in a microwave. First, let’s examine the initial impressions of each brand in their raw, shredded form.
Sargento
Sargento’s Mexican cheese blend stands out with its higher proportion of white cheese and finer shred size compared to the others. The ingredient list reveals a mix of monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero cheese. The latter two are intended to contribute to the “Mexican” flavor profile. Queso quesadilla, known for its excellent melting properties, originates from Northern Mexico and is named after the popular cheese-filled tortilla dish. Queso asadero, another melting cheese, is a semi-soft white cheese widely used in Mexican cooking. Sargento’s blend presents a predominantly salty taste with a noticeable Monterey Jack flavor. However, when tasted directly from the bag, it exhibits a slightly dusty texture that can be somewhat off-putting. This dusty coating is a common feature in pre-shredded cheeses, designed to absorb moisture and prevent clumping. It’s generally recommended to melt these cheeses to properly gelatinize the starchy coating.
Weight Watchers
The Weight Watchers Mexican cheese blend takes a different approach, focusing on reduced fat content. Its ingredient list includes reduced-fat cheddar, monterey jack, asadero cheese, and queso quesadilla. Visually, it has a coarser, thicker cut and a notably harder, almost plastic-like texture. In terms of flavor, it is quite bland when tasted plain, which is perhaps expected given its reduced-fat nature and calorie count, approximately half that of Sargento.
Organic Valley
Organic Valley’s Mexican cheese blend deviates significantly from the expected cheese types. It’s composed of sharp cheddar, colby, and monterey jack cheeses. Notably absent are traditional Mexican cheeses like asadero or queso quesadilla. Colby, a mild, cheddar-like cheese invented in Wisconsin, further emphasizes the American cheese focus. Unsurprisingly, the taste profile is distinctly cheddar-forward, lacking the nuanced flavors associated with Mexican cheese blends. Similar to Sargento, Organic Valley also has a dusty texture when tasted directly from the package.
Meltability Test: The 20-Second Microwave Challenge
The ultimate test for a Mexican cheese blend is its melting performance. Ideal meltability means melting uniformly and easily, transforming into a smooth, creamy texture without separating into grease or solidifying into a hard mass. The cheese should also melt quickly, ideally within the time it takes to heat tortillas or chips. A 20-second microwave test was chosen as a representative timeframe for melting cheese on nachos or a quick quesadilla – any longer and chips risk becoming soggy, any shorter and many cheeses might not melt sufficiently.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/optaboutcomcoeusresourcescontent_migration__serious_eatsseriouseats.comimages201211DSC_0153-001-6ed248ffb22f447b9cfdd4c2cc06abdb.JPG)
From left to right: Sargento, Weight Watchers, Organic Valley.
After 20 seconds in the microwave, Sargento demonstrated commendable melting behavior. While a few shreds remained intact, the majority melted just to the point of becoming soft and gooey, achieving a desirable texture. Conversely, the Weight Watchers cheese blend showed minimal melting. Its low fat content significantly hindered its ability to melt, resulting in a largely unmelted mass.
Organic Valley presented a different melting issue. At just 19 seconds, it began bubbling rapidly, indicating a risk of burning. Even with careful timing to stop the microwave at 20 seconds, the Organic Valley blend exhibited “cheese craters” – a phenomenon where the cheese over-melts and becomes hardened and pocked.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/optaboutcomcoeusresourcescontent_migration__serious_eatsseriouseats.comimages201211DSC_0160-001-1a251f5341774e1c91e2ad819f660456.JPG)
Organic craters.
The flavor of the over-melted Organic Valley cheese also degraded, transforming into a generic, processed nacho cheese sauce taste, which might appeal to some seeking that specific flavor profile, but not necessarily a classic Mexican cheese experience.
Final Verdict: Choosing Your Blend
The Weight Watchers low-Fat Mexican cheese blend falls short in terms of meltability and flavor, making it a less appealing option despite its health-focused positioning. Attempting to reduce calories in dishes like nachos or quesadillas by using this cheese seems counterproductive when it compromises the fundamental enjoyment of these foods. It’s generally preferable to use a regular cheese blend in moderation with a slightly smaller portion size.
Organic Valley, while offering an organic option, also doesn’t make the cut for a recommended Mexican cheese blend. If you desire pre-shredded cheddar, there are likely better-tasting and better-melting cheddar-specific options available. Its flavor profile and melting behavior don’t align with the expectations of a Mexican cheese blend.
Sargento emerges as the clear winner in this comparison. While its dusty texture when eaten raw isn’t ideal, its melting performance is excellent, achieving a desirable gooeyness and creamy texture. It reaffirms why Sargento remains a popular choice for pre-shredded Mexican cheese blends – it delivers on the key function of melting beautifully and provides a recognizable Tex-Mex flavor. For melting purposes, Sargento provides everything you need for your nachos, quesadillas, and other cheesy Mexican-inspired dishes.
Ultimately, the best Mexican cheese blend depends on individual preferences. What’s your go-to choice for adding cheesy goodness to your Mexican meals?
