The Science of Melting Cheese

I remember the first time I attempted to make homemade macaroni and cheese. I cooked the macaroni and put it in the baking dish. I looked in the fridge and decided that I would try to elevate this first mac and cheese and use cheddar for the cheese.

So I covered the top of the pasta with thick slices of cheese (I knew that thicker slices would melt to cover all the pasta) and put it into the oven. A number of minutes later, I pulled the dish from the oven and found nice little oily squares of orange on top of the pasta. It never melted like I thought it would. What was my problem? Wrong cheese.

The science of cheese melting is a complex one. For those science geeks like me, check out this article that explains it all. Click here.

Baked Pork Chops I

Look at that glorious melted cheese.

A nice couple of chops to start with.

Searing the chops.

I think I found the right cheese!

On the plate.

And ready to go into my mouth!

Baked Pork Chops I

Prep Time: 30 M | Cook Time: 1 H 30 M | Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 pork chops
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup white wine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.

PREP 30 mins

COOK 1 hr 30 mins

READY IN 2 hrs

Nutritional Info: Calories 457 kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 36 g 12%
Cholesterol 137 mg 46%
Fat 19.9 g 31%
Fiber 1.5 g 6%
Protein 29.9 g 60%
Sodium 1142 mg 46%

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Pork-Chops-I/Detail.aspx?evt19=1