Cheese sauce
I hope this isn’t a dumb question but for some reason when I’m making Mac and cheese , my cheese sauce always seems to “break” or taste kind of gritty. I’m using fresh cheese (not pre grated) and I remove from heat when adding. What am I doing wrong? I generally use sharp cheddar. Thanks!
Comments
Hi Kimberly - A mornay sauce can be tricky but you've got the right idea by using freshly grated cheese and adding it off the heat. It's likely the type of cheese you are using. Aged cheeses don't melt well. For this reason when I make macaroni and cheese I use a combination of cheeses - sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. Sharp cheddar has a ton of flavor, but doesn't melt well (you can tell that it won't because it sort of crumbles when you cut it). Monterey Jack is a creamy cheese that melts really well, but lacks a ton of flavor. The two together create the perfect balance of flavor and texture. This flavor profile creates a pretty classic Mac and cheese, but yny good melting cheese can be used in place of the Monterey Jack - gruyere, fontina, muenster, taleggio. Feel free to experiment with a flavor combination you like best and good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Buy some sodium citrate and add that to your cooking liquid as you heat it. Then add your grated cheese - your cheese sauce will melt but remain emulsified - it won’t break! Life changing!
Both tips above are great.
I'll add that the sodium citrate in J.R.'s response will allow you to use some funkier aged cheeses that don't melt well on their own.
Also, if you have some American cheese already, then that can be an alternative to buying some sodium citrate. The emulsifiers in it will do the same job.