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/ck/ - Food & Cooking

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19589887 No.19589887 [Reply] [Original]

Why is my mac and cheese grainy and solid? I want creamy and a bit liquidy, but a bit sharp too.
Last time I used 1 lb pasta, pre-boiled 2/3 of the way, and 3 8 oz bricks of sharp cheddar grated for the sauce. I blended the sauce till smooth, baked it in the oven for less time than last time (26 min total) and it is grainy and not as soupy as I would like.
Do I just have to bite the bullet and buy velveeta? I have my own emulsifying agents, the sauce didn't break, just was grainy, perhaps from the sharp cheddar?
What am I doing wrong? I know I need to use lower oven heat (used 400f last time, too much).
Maybe some of the cheese needs to be sprinkled on top, not mixed into the sauce?

>> No.19589892

What was your pasta to cheese ratio?

>> No.19589901

>>19589887
you could try cream cheese in your sauce instead of velveeta

>> No.19589912

>>19589887
Stop baking your mac and cheese. Baked mac and cheese sucks. Why the fuck would you bake it? Why not just put hot cheese sauce on hot pasta? Oh, you want crumbs and toasted cheese? Make some crumbs and use a torch. STOP BAKING THE MAC AND CHEESE! It always, always, always sucks.

>> No.19589915

>>19589901
No, Velveeta is correct

>> No.19589917

>>19589887
It was grainy because you used a bechamel

>> No.19589922

>>19589887
>Last time I used 1 lb pasta, pre-boiled 2/3 of the way,
The pasta keeps absorbing liquid from the sauce while it's baking. You have to cook the pasta until it's fully saturated, or make the sauce thinner than you want it to be at the end.

>> No.19589936

> grainy sauce
I had this problem too. First time everything turned out smooth and creamy was, when I boiled the pasta directly in milk and steered in the cheese right at the end, with the heat off.

I used cheddar and grana padano.

>> No.19589938

>>19589912
yeah, if you want crisp, broil or torch it. don't bake the whole thing

>> No.19589942

>>19589887
Did you not use milk in your sauce? I'm pretty sure milk and possibly butter are used to keep the cheese creamy.

>> No.19589955

>>19589915
>Velveeta is correct
This

>> No.19589956

>>19589922
>The pasta keeps absorbing liquid from the sauce while it's bakingYou have to cook the pasta until it's fully saturated

Oh dear. Here's a quick test:

Question 1: Am I overcooking the pasta? If yes continue to question two.

Question 2: Am I making Hawaiian pasta salad? If no, kys.

>> No.19589978

>>19589956
That's why I also gave the option of adding more liquid to the sauce. You have to get more liquid somewhere. Or stop baking it.

>> No.19590055

>>19589892
1 lb pasta
1.5 lb cheese
>>19589901
I omitted cream cheese this time, used it last time, last time it wasn't this grainy, but I way overbaked it, I guess you have to bake it for only 20 min at 350
>>19589912
I feel like somehow it won't taste good if I don't.

>>19589942
milk, no butter

>> No.19590246

:(

>> No.19590294

My parents used the (in)famous fannie farmer recipe growing up and it was disgusting slop because of how the cheese congealed and separated from the oil. If you want a velveeta alternative, add some sliced american cheese from the deli to your mornay... cooper sharp is great for this. I do a 1:2 ratio processed cheese and sharp cheddar/parm. Evaporated milk also helps in a pinch. You are always going to have some degree of graininess with baking but using these helps with stability. Oh, another tip, rinse the pasta well with cold water when draining. I don't do this with typical pasta dishes but eliminating the pasta starch here seems to help if I have to bake it. I prefer a stovetop method though.

>> No.19590389

Sodium Citrate is the secret ingredient you need. It's what Velveeta and American cheese contain that make it melt smoothly. Use about a teaspoon.

>> No.19590417

>>19590389
This. If you insist on baking and using something like cheddar this is the way to go.

If you're willing to change, just make stovetop mac which is really always better.

>> No.19590455

>>19590389
no, they use calcium phosphate, sodium citrate has a weird aftertaste (I've tried it)
I have emulsifying agents, that's not the issue, I added a very small amount of flour, I know using too high heat in the oven was a problem
I just feel like stovetop mac won't taste as good, maybe I'm crazy

>> No.19590896

Nobody has fucking mentioned it. YOU NEED TO MAKE A ROUX!!!!!

>> No.19590902

>>19590896
the roux ruins the sauce
pure cheese gunk is the way to go

>> No.19590906

>>19590902
Oy vey schlemiel shegetz!!!!!

>> No.19591696

>>19589917
that doesn't even make sense. bechamel isn't grainy. also that's how you fuckin make mac n cheese, how else would you even do it?

>> No.19591718

Use condensed milk and a small portion of velveeta or another emulsifying by agent. Roux is not heat resistant enough to withstand baking. this combo won’t separate as easily and doesn’t get soaked up by the pasta as easily either.

>> No.19591724

>>19590902
He says he wants it creamier though, that's literally the point of a roux.

OP your shit is grainy and shit because that's what fatty cheese does when you yolo melt it. I don't know what shitty youtuber or whatever told you it was ok, but a roux will help to smooth out the cheeses you're using.

>> No.19591734

>>19589887
That looks pretty good to me.

>> No.19591751

>>19590389
This is nonsense, OP just needs to make a Mornay sauce.

>> No.19591752

>>19591696
The mornay is outdated.
There are better methods to making a cheese sauce.

>> No.19591762

>>19589887
Pretty sure Babish and Josh have done like 5 or 6 Mac and Cheese videos between them. Go watch one.

>> No.19591763

>>19589887
>3 8oz cheese blocks
JFC anon that’s a lot of cheese for that amount of pasta.

Make a Mornay sauce, 1/4 cup of butter melted and 1/4 cup of flour. Add 2 cups of milk slowly until you get a bechamel. Add 8 to 12 oz of grated cheese. Salt pepper and any other seasonings you might want, I’ve seen mustard powder and a dash of Cayan in recipes.

That’s enough cheese sauce for 1/2 pound of noodles, stays creamy as well and reheats nicely.

>> No.19591776

>>19589887
You want as much fat as possible if you're doing a bechamel base
I add ~200ml cream per lb of pasta and never had any problems with gritty cheddar desu (although I usually add some leftover gouda/gruyere to my mac so maybe that's it, too)

>> No.19592113

>>19591763
You said 24 oz of cheese is a lot for one pound of pasta. Then said to use 12 oz of cheese for a half pound of pasta.

>> No.19592132

>>19591752
name one

>> No.19592192
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19592192

>>19589887
I'm gonna make mac n cheese on my smoker in the next day or two, I will document for this thread.

>Several examples of dishes from simple, easy/hacks, complex and robust to experimental and unexpected. The Jay Kenji Lopez version with Evaporated Milk is my fav.
https://youtu.be/FUeyrEN14Rk

{SOUND WARNING}
Smoked MnC mostly of cheddar and cream cheese, she uses half-and-half as her béchamel base. Crust comes out great, parmesan optional.
https://youtu.be/YHhO76obA7c

American cheese can help with texture if added in 1/4th ratio to your main stuff.

>> No.19592204

>>19589887
what the fuck are you eating mac and cheese beyond the age of 12

>> No.19592206

>>19589887
mac and cheese is disgusting kiddie food, why are you even making it? are you 10?

>> No.19592255

>>19592204
>>19592206
Beyond the need for posting twice to seem like there's more of you, eating macaroni and cheese is an American patriotic duty, and anyone who knows their history knows it's not children's food