The Best Sheet Pan Technique For Perfectly Crispy Nachos Every Time

Sheet-pan nachos are a staple crowd pleaser if you're entertaining, and a fabulous snack for two any time of day. What's not to love about crispy corn chips loaded with savory toppings like cheese, sour cream, homemade pico de gallo, peppers, and beans? Nothing — unless you're making them all wrong. Rick Martinez, chef and cookbook author of "Salsa Daddy: A Cookbook: Dip Your Way Into Mexican Cooking," told Mashed that adding too many layers when assembling is a common mistake many make with nachos.

"The broiler is only going to heat the top [layer]. If there are five layers below, they are going to cool off and get soggy," Martinez explained. Sure makes a lot of sense. As an alternative to stacking ingredients on ingredients, the Salsa Daddy recommends using more than one pan to make multiple batches of two-layer nachos. When you take the less is more approach instead of piling on layers of toppings, you'll avoid a big, gloopy mess. Martinez said, "[It's] better to prep multiple pans of two-layer nachos than to make a nacho lasagna that you have to eat with a fork."

Rick Martinez says to make satisfying nachos, you want to spread your layer of chips out evenly so there aren't a bunch on top of each other. When you crowd them, some are bound to end up barren, without any toppings, and we can't have that. Once your chips are in place, apply a single layer of toppings without overdoing it (not too clumpy). Then, just repeat the process to add one more layer of chips and another blanket of toppings. 

Another way to avoid a soggy plate of nachos is to leave your cold nacho toppings like sour cream and salsa or guacamole until the last moment. Add the aforementioned only after your cheese and other toppings like chicken, beans, and jalapeños have already received the broiler treatment. Another good tip for making fool-proof nachos is to use shredded cheese instead of cheese sauce as the latter can also result in an overly wet mess.

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