CrockPot® cheese dip is a type of cheese dipping sauce made in a slow cooker. A number of cheeses can be used to make this type of dip, but cheeses that melt well are typically recommended. Other ingredients, such as meats or spices, can be added as well. Once all of the ingredients have been added to the CrockPot®, the mixture should be warmed on low heat for a few hours until it is completely melted and smooth.
A CrockPot® is simply a popular brand of slow cooker, which is a kitchen appliance that can be used to cook food very slowly at low heat. The name of this slow cooker brand has basically become synonymous with slow cookers in general. Slow cookers often come in medium or large sizes, but very small ones are also available. These small CrockPots® are excellent for making small batches of CrockPot® cheese dip.
When making CrockPot® cheese dip, several types of cheeses can be used. For the best cheese dip, however, one should choose cheeses that melt well. Once it is melted, the dip should be smooth and creamy, not stringy or grainy. American cheese, cheddar cheese, and muenster cheese are smooth and creamy when melted.
Before it is cooked, cheese should first be chopped or shredded. Soft cheese, such as American cheese, will usually be easier to chop or shred if it is very cold. This can be accomplished by placing the cheese in the a freezer for several minutes. Instead of shredding the cheese, however, some cooks prefer to use canned cheddar cheese soup to make CrockPot® cheese dip.
Besides cheese, most cooks also prefer to add a few other ingredients to their CrockPot® cheese dip. Milk and butter can be added to make the dip thinner and smoother, for example. White wine can also be added to help prevent the dip from becoming stringy.
Ground beef and shredded chicken can be added to CrockPot® cheese dip also. Spices are also usually added. Chunky vegetarian cheese dip can be made by adding salsa or chopped vegetables. Most cheese dip can also be made spicy by adding chopped jalepeños or cayenne pepper.
Since it can burn easily, CrockPot® cheese dip should be cooked on the lowest possible heat setting. It should also only be cooked until it is completely melted and all of the flavors have mixed together. This will usually only take a few hours.