Beer cheese soup help

[yobofofas]

Ok; this should be the easiest soup in the world to make right? So why is my cheese not melting into a nice smooth soup but clumping up in melted strings? Am I just adding it too fast and not stirring enough?

[slewfoot]

Try reducing the heat again.

[yamalam]

I've found pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt well- whatever they add to the shreds so they don't stick together also seems to prevent thorough melting. Try shredding your own

[bushwickgirl]

What cheese are you using? If it's cheddar (cheddar + beer soup, a pretty common combo) it should be full-fat and of very good quality. Low fat cheese will separate in the stock and doesn't work in soup. You can toss the shredded cheese with a bit of flour or cornstarch, which will make a more stable emulsion. Actually, other cheese types will benefit from the flour/cornstarch treatment as well, espcially hard cheeses. You can also stabilize your stock (are you using cream and beer?) with a bit of roux before adding the cheese. The beer should be added to your soup stock of choice after you whisk in the cheese.
If you don't want to try roux or other starch, add the cheese to the cream slowly, by handfuls, whisking all the while, over LOW heat, but adding a bit of roux will stabilize the soup, holding it together for a longer period of time.

Roux=equal parts butter + flour, whisked and cooked together briefly.

[yobofofas]

You're a badass slewfoot. Thanks for the info. You were right on all counts. I was using a smoked gouda as one of the cheeses and I don' think it melted well initially. After tossing the shredded gouda w/ cornstarch and stabilizing my stock the emulsion was perfect. Thanks again.

[slewfoot]

Try reducing the heat.