The Store-Bought Queso From This Huge Chain Was 'Unsettlingly Jiggly' And Lacked Any Flavor

A good queso dip is a terrific addition to any get-together (Super Bowl party, anyone?), but sometimes it's just way easier to reach for the stuff in the jar than it is to make some yourself. That's why we once ranked 12 popular store-bought brands of queso dip, to see if any one of them was worth spending your hard-earned money on. There's good news, and then there's bad news — we came across the realization that one ubiquitous brand does quite a respectable version, but the bad news is, one extremely popular grocery store's house brand came up short in nearly every way.

That one would be the White Queso from 365, which is Whole Foods' in-house brand of goods. Our taste tester found there were no redeeming qualities about it, saying, "This queso was bad. I mean, really bad. The consistency was loose, gelatinous, and had an unsettling jiggly quality. The white, milky substrate didn't really cling to the chip when I dipped it, it just sort of slid off." But it wasn't just the consistency that was an issue; our tester noted that it was also flavorless, negating the entire point of the dip altogether. While some products inevitably aren't going to land on top, the White Queso from Whole Foods ended up being a total disappointment.

If you've already purchased the 365 White Queso and it's been sitting in your pantry, there is a slight modification you can use to try to improve its flavor. One tweak we suggest is adding smoked paprika, which is made of chile peppers that were dried over smoke before being ground into powder. What's good is that smoked paprika generally isn't spicy (though it occasionally can be), so you can use that to your advantage without altering heat levels too much. Unfortunately, the smoked paprika isn't going to rescue the texture of the dip, but at least you've boosted the flavor.

Then, of course, you can add things like roasted chiles (either homemade or canned), or simply stir the queso into other things like Velveeta, which might help too. Hey, anything is better than the disappointing original queso, so beggars can't be choosers. At least you've got options. But next time, we highly recommend you purchase our number one pick: Tostitos. It is an easy one to pick up — even at convenience stores.