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)

 

 

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.

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!

As Heard on Alice @ 97.3

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NonameYesterday, we received an email from a reader tipping us off that the local morning DJs “Sarah & No Name” of Alice @ 97.3FM were talking about our site over the air. I called in and arranged a phone interview for this morning at 5:40am.

For the uninitiated, The Sarah & No Name program is the number one morning show in the San Francisco Bay Area. So to get an opportunity to speak with them was pretty exciting. And although I didn’t have my two nacho loving compadres at my side, the interview went well. Best of all, they invited us ALL to come in tomorrow morning at 7:50am to serve up our Official ILoveNachoCheese.com Recipe!

So tune in, or log onto their Live Stream tomorrow to listen. Hey…what the heck, try calling in to say “hi.” The number is: 1-800-400-3697. In the meantime, we’ve uploaded a clip of this morning’s interview for your listening pleasure.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjVYfhDA5uQ]

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Bottomless Nachos

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AllyoucaneatNacho loving Dodger fans have reason to celebrate. Dodger Stadium has converted their right-field pavilion into “All-You-Can-Eat” seats. For $35 in advance or $40 on game day, fans will have access to as many hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, soft drinks, and best of all NACHOS as they want.

But before you go out any buy a ticket to the next game hoping to stockpile some cheesy goodness into your napsack, be aware that there are limitations. The food booths open 90 minutes before games and close two hours after it begins. And if you try ordering 100 bowls of nachos you’ll be denied. But, “if a person goes up there and asks for four for his family, he won’t be told no,” said Camille Johnston, the Dodgers senior vice president of communications.

Hats off to the entire Dodger organization for providing such a great fan amenity. We salute you!

[SOURCE: LA Dodgers Official Site]

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Nachos. Faster.

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PaypassWhat can be more American than fast food? When we crave calories and cholesterol, the last thing we want standing in our way is having to wait more than 30 seconds to get it. Fortunately for all of us attention deficit snackers our there, MasterCard and Taco Bell have…

Oh look! A birdy just landed on my windowsill. Aaaaand, there it goes.

What was I talking about again?

Oh yeah. MasterCard and Taco Bell have made the process of getting our nachos even faster! They’re currently testing the MasterCard PayPass Touch & Go payment solution at approximately 100 Taco Bell stores. This means that the next time you want to order enough nachos to get your daily allowance of Vitamin C, you’ll be able to shave precious seconds off your total wait time. Priceless!

[SOURCE: AMonline]

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As Heard on KGO-AM 810 Radio

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KgologoYesterday, ABC owned KGO-AM 810 Radio invited us to their Downtown San Jose, California office to participate in a quick interview with reporter Rob Artigo. Excited, the three of us hopped into a car and drove over wondering what to expect.

When we arrived, Rob greeted us, brought us into his studio, and flipped open the mic. We chatted, laughed, and had a great time for about 20 minutes. A few hours later, our segment was broadcast over the San Francisco Bay Area airwaves for all to listen to. We couldn’t be any happier with the way it turned out!

We were able to obtain a copy of the clip for your listening pleasure.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ZaQebBxDY]

 

As Seen in The Mercury News

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MercSan Jose Mercury Newspaper Selects ILoveNachoCheese.com as the Subject of a Feature Story

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SANTA CLARA, CA — MARCH 4, 2007 — The worldwide leader in nacho cheese related news and entertainment, I Love Nacho Cheese, today announced that their website, www.ILoveNachoCheese.com, is the subject of a feature story in today’s issue of The San Jose Mercury Newspaper. The article, written by staff columnist Linda Goldston, appears on page B1 of the Local Section and includes an interview with the site’s three co-founders.

To continue reading the entire press release, click here.

To read the San Jose Mercury Newspaper article, click here.

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Not Your Nacho Record Holder

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Story suggestion by: Shara M. Email us a story.

WoolleyIf you recently searched for Sgt. Cam Woolley in Wikipedia, you may have been excited to learn that he presently holds the British Commonwealth title for most nachos eaten by a law enforcement officer. As a nacho lover, this would be an achievement worth praise. Unfortunately, Sgt. Woolley’s Wiki was the target of vandalism. In fact, when asked about this non-fact, Woolley replied, “I don’t even like nachos.”

Could’ve fooled me. No offense, but one look at Woolley would lead one to believe otherwise. Regardless of whether or not the good Sergeant (if he really IS a sergeant) is being truthful about his snacking habits, one must wonder: If he doesn’t hold that record, who does?

[SOURCE: cnews]

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Can Nacho Cheese Hold a Picture Frame? Test Lab #1

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If you’re like us, you’ve spent countless nights laying awake thinking about if there are other applications nacho cheese is suitable for aside from consumption. It was that singular introspection that innitiated us to create a test lab specifically focused on answering these questions.

The Nacho Cheese Test Lab will be an ongoing feature that will report on our nacho cheese experiments. Needless to say, if you have an idea for a study you’d like us to conduct, write us. We do the tests so you don’t have to!

Our first test explores the question: Can nacho cheese be used to hold a picture frame?

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_HmhI5T1o

Magic Bullet for Nanosecond Nachos

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Can’t sleep? Find yourself watching television at 1 o’clock in the morning? Then you’ve probably seen the commercial for Magic Bullet. This product claims that it’s the “personal, versatile, countertop magician that does any job in 10 seconds…or less.®” Strong claim. But can this “magician” make nachos? As a matter of fact, it can! The Magic Bullet comes with a plethora of attachments and also includes the “10 Second Recipe Book.” One recipe is called Nanosecond Nachos.

Obviously this recipe is only good if you actually own the Magic Bullet. But if you were thinking about picking one up and was on the fence, perhaps knowing that there’s a quick-and-easy 10 second recipe included with purchase will tip the scale.

If you’re interested in checking out the recipe, read on…

 

Read more

A Chip in Nachos Clothing

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Nacho clothingTake a nice long look at the image to the left. It’s a picture of Chili’s Restaurant starter called “Classic Nachos.” Now riddle me this? Does it look appetizing? See how the cheese is dripping off the chip while the single jalapeno clings on for dear life? If you said, “yes” I would have to agree with you. In fact, I can tell you first hand that these are delicious. Unfortunately, delicious or not, I question the validity of these nachos. Yes, they have all the correct ingredients of a solid nacho, but presentation is key. And last I checked, Iron Chef believes presentation is worth 5 out of a total 20 points.

These nachos are meticulously arranged in a circular shape around
the outer edge of the plate. Then each chip has one pepper slice placed
on top of the melted cheese in the center. Taking presentation one step
further, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream is dolloped in the center of
the plate.

To call this appetizer “Classic Nachos” is plain wrong. These are
far from “classic.” Instead, if they were renamed “Chili’s Ringadinger
Nacho Platter” I wouldn’t have any complaints.

The vote is in, and my
score is as follows:

Taste: 5/10
Presentation: 4/5
Total: 9/15

Nachos Now With 100% More Botulism!

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Nachostogo_2We’d like to think we would try any nacho out there at least once for the sake of review. But after careful discussion, we decided against Mexican Express’ Nachos to Go product. Call us crazy, but we’re not really “down” with botulism. Simply put: Contaminated nachos just aren’t cool.

Last month the Nachos to Go product was linked to the botulism infection of a 26-year-old Melbourne man. The company immediately recalled the product with a best before date of April 19, and since then decided to withdraw all remaining batches from sale and stop production. Mexican Express managing director Ian Young defended his company by saying, “All of our systems are impeccable – we’ve done nothing wrong but that’s not the point. My kids actually ate this batch – that’s how good our records are.” He went on to express that his first priority was the health and welfare of consumers by stating, “We are putting the public first.”

[SOURCE: Austalia Herald Sun]

Classic Nacho Scenes: Saving Silverman

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Today’s classic nacho scene comes from the movie Saving Silverman (2001). Although this scene may be short, Jack Black’s character, J.D. McNugent, reminds us of one of the most important rules when eating nachos with other people.

Wayne: Hey! What are you doing?

J.D.: Dude, if you get the nachos stuck together, that’s one nacho.

It’s settled.  If you grab a nacho and there are multiple chips stuck together, that counts as ONE nacho!  Just one point of clarification.  If a chip stuck together happened to lose a chip (i.e. one falls off) while in-transit to your mouth, then the fallen chip becomes a new chip.

Just remember, if someone you are sharing nachos with doesn’t understand the rules, just point them to this site for a little education on nacho etiquette.

Classic Nacho Scenes: Napoleon Dynamite

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Story suggestion by: Shara M. 

napolean dynamite nacho scene

This classic nacho scene in Napoleon Dynamite is monumental. Just as the Karate Kid inspired kids around the world to ask their mothers to sign them up for Karate lessons, this pivotal scene demonstrated that nachos are more than just a local pub appetizer or sporting event snack. Nachos could be consumed at home. And making nachos is as easy as grating some cheddar on chips. Let’s just hope Kip remembered to nuke those bad boys a bit before feasting.

The kitchen is retro with formica countertops and dark stained cabinets. KIP (Napoleon’s brother) is seen making nachos. Gripping a large block of cheddar cheese and grating it over a plate of tortilla chips, it is quiet until the phone rings. KIP answers.

KIP Hi.

NAPOLEON Is Grandma there?

KIP No, she’s getting her hair done.

NAPOLEON [SIGHS]

KIP What do you need?

NAPOLEON Can you just go get her for me?

KIP I’m really busy right now.

From the Archives — Could Ice Cream with Nacho Cheese Taste Good?

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nacho cheese ice cream

Recently a situation arose where I was put in a position to try nacho cheese with vanilla and chocolate ice cream.  Some of the friends I was with appeared disgusted at the thought of the mix and others were intrigued to watch me tempt my taste buds with two seemingly opposite flavors.

I used an inexpensive nacho cheese from a local Safeway grocery store.  Rather than pour hot nacho cheese all over my ice cream, instead I took a clean spoon and dipped it in the nacho cheese bowl.  Then I filled the rest of the spoon with a mix of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

I ate it.

It did not taste good.  It could have been the worst thing I’ve tasted in a while.  This mix of nacho cheese with ice cream just does not work.  In fact, I drew a blank when I began thinking about other flavors of ice cream that might taste better with nacho cheese than the vanilla and chocolate did.

Eva Loves Nachos…or Does She?

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eva longoria eating nachos

like Desperate Housewives just as much as the next guy. Okay, so maybe “the next guy” doesn’t like DH. I swear… I’m not teh ghey! In any event, Eva Longoria is hawt. Couple that with the possibility that she’s also a nacho lover and you’ve nearly got yourself the perfect woman.

But this picture brings into question whether or not she truly is a nacho lover. Look at that sour puss. It looks like she just took a bite of nastos. So is she or isn’t she a nacho lover? I need answers.

Let the debate begin…

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…

Read more

Nachos = Win for Florida?

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Story suggestion by: Dan R.

The 2007 NCAA Basketball Championship game between Florida and Ohio State is all but a distant memory. But four friends feel that their love of nachos helped propel Florida to their 84 to 75 win over Ohio State. Dan recalls the preparation leading up to the game:

“I supplied the BIG screen television – in HD of course; Scott supplied the beer and the hot dogs; Matt, the chips and a few gallons of Nikko’s Nacho Cheese Sauce; and Gary, he was in charge of the Nacho Cheese Fountain!”

At halftime, the guys grilled hot dogs and drizzled hot nacho cheese sauce on them directly from the fountain.

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.