How Rachael Ray Elevates Her Nachos

A plate of nachos combines the best things in the world: melted cheese and a bunch of stuff under said cheese. Though this classic dish seems like it has been around for ages, the truth is that nachos have only been gracing our tables since World War II. That means, prior to the 1930s, the world's population lived hollow lives, eating their cheese and chips separately like monsters. Luckily, this travesty is over, and these days anyone can throw down some chips and slather them with all the cheese they desire. Though, there are some rules to follow if you are dead set on creating the perfect nachos.

Rachael Ray has put forth some strict guidelines, having grown weary of others making soggy chip piles that were more at home in a paper container while at a baseball game than on a proper dinner plate. Giving new hope to the folks who want to load up their nachos with chili, jalapeños, onion, avocado, beans, and tomatoes, Ray found a way to take your nacho game to the next level. It seems wise to pay attention before you find that your Tex-Mex treat has become an example of everything not to do.

Taking to Instagram with a reel on the matter, Rachael Ray laid out her "several nacho rules." Where does she begin? "I pre-toast my giant chips in the oven," she says. Though she does not provide any further details, Simply Recipes suggests toasting the chips in the oven for about five minutes at 350 degrees F. When you start to smell them, they are done.

The next phase in Ray's process is to dump cheese atop the chips. "I put two cheeses on them: cheddar and pepper jack," she reveals. "I close the oven again, turn the oven off, and let the cheeses gently melt."

Though extremely simple, anyone who has ever dealt with burnt chips or scorched cheese will likely find her advice should save their snack from disaster. Instagrammers immediately began praising her method, with one implying that they had already given it a try. "I just made el pastor nachos for game day; they were soooooo good," said the commenter. It seems her rules are pretty effective.

Though Rachael Ray often catches flak for maligning Mexican cuisine – let's not forget the time she made pozole – another Instagram follower threw some high praise her way: "Rach, you are the Nacho Queen, even for us Mexicans."