Making a cheese sauce

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  • Rookie

    Grandmaster
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    Sep 22, 2008
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    Kokomo
    Every time I make a cheese sauce for Mac and cheese, my sauce ends up "grainy". I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's not smooth like Velveeta.

    So, how do you make a cheese sauce?
     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
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    Sep 22, 2008
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    Kokomo
    Sharp and mild cheddar. I'm making the sauce on the stove (flour, butter, 2% milk, cheese) and finishing in the oven. The sauce is grainy on the stove.
     

    Vigilant

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    Jul 12, 2008
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    Plainfield
    Are you totally sure your roux (butter and flour)is smooth, and are you using a double boiler? I’ve had better luck with half and half or heavy cream, just have to stir slower to avoid whipping.
     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
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    14   0   0
    Sep 22, 2008
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    Kokomo
    Yes, my roux was smooth. I'm not using a double boiler. I add the milk to the roux, bring it to a simmer while stirring constantly, lower the heat and add the cheese and continue to stir.
     

    thunderchicken

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    Feb 26, 2010
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    Indianapolis
    You could try using mild cheddar with a bit of velveeta and cream cheese melted with some milk as needed.

    Sometimes my wife uses some Campbell's cheddar cheese soup mixed with a small amount of sour cream and 1-2 cups of mild cheddar
     

    chezuki

    Human
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    48   0   0
    Mar 18, 2009
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    Behind Bars
    If you want it smooth, don’t use a roux base. Even before Keto, I didn’t use a roux for cheese sauce. Reduce heavy cream and whisk in quality shredded cheddar. Add enough cheese to get the thickness you want. If you get it too thick, thin out with a LITTLE more cream (non-reduced goes a long way).
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
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    Btown Rural
    Chez has it right. Replace that worthless 2% milk with heavy cream. No flour needed. Cream cheese if you want to get experimental.
     

    MRockwell

    Just Me
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    5   0   0
    Oct 4, 2010
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    Noblesfield
    Look up Modern Baked Mac-n-Cheese.

    Here's the link: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/11/sodium-citrate-baked-mac-and-cheese.html

    I quit making m-n-c with a bechamel when discovered this recipe. There are also recipes that use sodium citrate to make other cheese sauces-I have done a pepper-jack nacho sauce that was great. I did discover a couple weekends ago that you can "break" the cheese if you bring it to a boil using this recipe, but it still tastes great.

    Sodium citrate can be found on Amazon.
     

    eldirector

    Grandmaster
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    10   0   0
    Apr 29, 2009
    14,677
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    Brownsburg, IN
    Ok, got it.

    Shredded Sargentos sharp cheddar. 2/3 cup sour cream. 2/3 cup small curd cottage cheese. Mix, and poor over the cooked pasta. 20 minutes in the oven. Done.

    She also adds Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked, and crumbled.

    Most awesome, and super easy.
     
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