Up until then, the 2011 Super Bowl was the most watched television program of all time. The Nielsen Company said about 111 million people watched some team that doesn’t need to be named beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But how many of these so-called people were actually watching the game? Plenty of TVs were likely tuned to the action, but how many eyeballs were actually paying attention?

Some might argue people watch for the commercials, but now we see them all ahead of time anyway.

So that leaves friends and food.

We’re not about to be so presumptuous to tell you how to make friends, so let’s stick with snacks.

Here’s a simple recipe for an incredibly tasty, versatile and crowd pleasing snack that can instantly kick up French fries, nachos, burgers and anything else that goes with molten cheese. Imagine Cheese Wiz or Velveeta, but homemade, without all the weird chemicals.

All-Real Ingredient Cheese Sauce

Major props to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the mad scientist behind many of the best recipes on acclaimed food site Serious Eats for this impressive feat of problem solving.

He set out to make cheese sauce that had the glossy consistency of the bright orange accompaniment we all know and love from our favorite Chicago-style burger and dog joints, but one that actually tastes like real cheese.

He succeeded, and you can too.

I’ve made a minor tweak I’ve found works nicely.*

Ingredients

• 1 12oz. can of unsweetened evaporated milk
• 12 oz. freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (as sharp as you can find)*
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• Cayenne-based hot sauce
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Salt

Directions

1. Using a box grater, use the bigger holes to grate up the cheese.
2. Toss the cheese with cornstarch so it’s all evenly coated. It’s OK to use a little more cornstarch for the coating.
3. Start heating the evaporated milk over medium high heat.
4. Put all of the cheese in (yes, you read that right).
5. Stir with a whisk until the cheese melts and incorporates.
6. Add hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Move to an easily sealable and microwavable container and serve immediately (it reheats real nicely too. Just stop and stir every 30 seconds).
8. Try to avoid disbelief that something so awesome is so easy, and enjoy.

Got awesome snack recipes? Share them in the comments below.