re: I've given up on making mac and cheese

quote:

---

Best improvement to bechamel Mac n cheese is one I cribbed from Cochon Butcher....saute onions, garlic, bell pepper in some bacon grease until caramelized.....purée it and add to the cheese sauce. Delicious!

---

...yeah, I'm doing this next time. Dang. Great tip, thanks.

Use Alton Brown's recipe. I'd post it but can't copy and paste on this device.

Make your bechamel and add enough milk to make it thinner and cook for 5-7 or so minutes to make it smooth and cook the flour a bit, take off heat and let it sit a couple minutes while stirring then add shredded cheese and stir, add more milk if necessary until smooth.

Do not wash pasta because you need the starch for stabilizing. Do not use pre shredded cheese as it is covered in corn starch and you don't need this starch.

Cook the bechamel on medium low and take your time so as not to allow the milk to curdle. Use whole milk for the fat which helps it stabilize as well.

And yes you can add a bit of processed cheese for the same reason. Just use it sparingly. I like Gruyere and sprinkle Pecorino Romano with bread crumbs tossed in melted butter on top. This keeps them from burning.

Now the best way to keep it from being grainy just mix it and serve, don't bake. But I like that crispy cooked flavor.

Yep. My point being they are coated.

So I just tried making mac and cheese from scratch for the first time today. Everything was going lovely, until it came time to eat. The cheese sauce on top still looked nice and creamy but inside it was grainy.

Researching it a bit, it looks like a number of things can cause this. For me, it remained creamy until I baked it, at 400 degrees. High heat can cause the cheese to curdle, and I wonder if it was that the baking temperature was too high. If that's the case, though, I'm confused as to why the top still looked nice and smooth.

The sodium citrate that has been mentioned can apparently help to keep it from becoming grainy by keeping the cheese in emulsion. Velveeta apparently has some sodium citrate in it, which is why adding some Velveeta can keep it smooth.

If anybody is familiar with Craftsy, James Peterson has a class called A Modern Take on the Mother Sauces and talks about modern bechamel, which basically uses cream instead of roux and milk. Cream is a very stable emulsion and can be used to make a very smooth cheese sauce, as in alfredo sauces. So, either using some cream in your bechamel before adding the cheese, or just using cream as the base of your mornay, should probably help keep it from getting grainy. I'm not sure when I'm gonna try mac and cheese again, but hopefully this will help.

Warm the milk before you add it to the flour and melted butter mixture and make sure you cook and stir the béchamel long enough to remove the flour taste. Add salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Remove from heat and add the cheese. It's very simple.

This is the best mac and cheese recipe I've come across. You should have no problems if your process looks like this.

6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni



1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.



2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.



3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.



4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.



5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

No

quote:

---

I love mac and cheese and see so much bad info in this thread that i feel obligated to comment.

1: rinse cooked noodles thoroughly to reduce starch
2: do NOT make a béchamel sauce, because it contains flour which adds more starch, INSTEAD use sour cream.
3. Do NOT use any smoked or fancy cheese, use cheap cheddar and swiss only.
4. add TWICE as much coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms and parsley that you think is necessary.
5. Bake the crap out of it until it is almost burnt in a buttered pyrex dish.
6. serve any type of gravy over this and you will forget about rice.

---

OP, if you learn anything from this thread, learn that this is poppycock.