I want to have a Chili Bar Party. From one very large pot of chili, we want to offer guests the option of building a plate of Chili Mac or Chili Cheese Fries (as well as a bowl of chili or chili hot dogs). How would I keep the spaghetti in hot and in good form once cooked as people may not all be eating at the same time?
Also, what cheese sauce could be used for the chili cheese fries that I could keep in the crockpot and not need the oven/broiler? Thank you for your help.
Sheila
A large crockpot on low will keep your chili warm with no problem and a smaller crockpot would be fine for the cheese sauce.
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or smoky flavor Cheddar cheese
Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended.
I made a simple cheese sauce for mac and cheese -
1/2 c. butter - melt in pan
add 1/2 c. flour - stir well and let cook a few minutes
add about 1/2 c milk (I eyeball it all) - stir well
about 1 lb. diced Velveeta - stirring constantly until melted
I made this just a few days ago for mac and cheese with broccoli in it - everyone loved it and it was a last minute thing
You could toss the pasta with some oil after cooking it. I would avoid something like spaghetti though, and maybe go for something sturdier that won’t stick together so much. If it’s going to be sitting out for a really long time, I would probably toss it with some of the chili, then people can just ladle more over it along with whatever other toppings.
Cheese sauces can be tricky because good cheeses tend to seize up and become oily/grainy when melted. I usually skip the flour/butter roux and just melt the cheese in a double boiler along with some heavy cream and a pinch of mustard powder. Also, use freshly grated cheese, since the pre-grated stuff has additives to prevent it from sticking together.