These instructions and the technique was SPOT ON! I've tried so many times unsuccessfully to make a proper cheese sauce until I saw this video, My guests could not stop eating my mac and cheese. In fact, even I don't normally like mac and cheese and cleaned my plate with this technique. The sauce was sooo incredibly silky and smooth - almost like velvet! Kudos to the chef for sharing this knowledge. I've seen tons of videos on youtube but this one is by FAR the best as it relates to explaining WHY this method should be used when making a proper sauce. Oh yeah, I added a dash of nutmeg as suggested by a few other readers :)
You wouldn't think that if you wasted food, time and money on making cheese sauce that was oily and separated. Some people like their mac and cheese to taste good. Most people are cooking for family and friends, and if you are on the receiving end of a mac and cheese served to you with a greasy, oily, separating cheese sauce, that doesn't taste good --- you would wish the cook watched this video. The man is grateful for this instruction and is kind enough to let others know this is good. Many people will benefit from this information. (Personally I have never liked mac and cheese) I found out as an adult, that it was because of the cheese sauce - of course!
Does this sauce make the macaroni clump up and stick together if it cools down? The recipe says to serve immediately. I'll need to transport it to the family gathering, which means it may be an hour or more between I finish cooking, and when it will be eaten. I'm looking for a sauce that will stay creamy for a long period of time.
@@TheOriginalPaulGilpin This method or the sodium citrate method both result in a creamy when served but hardening when cooled sauce. Commercial cheese sauces have stabilizers and emulsifiers and they whip air into them to keep them from setting. You can add milk or water and reheat until creamy when time to serve. Top with cheese and broil if you want that lousy crusty look common at barbecues and potlucks. Have fun! Try it and see, takes about 20 minutes start to finish.
Sharp cheedar doesnt make the sauce gritty. The heat of the béchamel, if too high causes cheese to become gritty. Let the sauce cool a bit before adding cheese.
I had to scroll way too far to find this! It's the temp & how long you cook the cheese for that gives the grittiness - not the strength of the cheese - I have a recipe that calls for majority parmesan and cheddar, and it's not gritty at all
Thank you so much! I guess I did this accidentally once, and it was great. But when I tried to make it again, I cooked the cheese and it was grainy and disgusting. I made it again (minus cooking the cheese) and it was great. Thanks for the tip.
Well he said 8 times the liquid in weight, and you say 10 times. If you're putting it in the oven then your measure may be perfect. There's also the amount of cheese to consider, as it thickens the sauce too, basically allowing for more cheese the thinner your sauce is.
@@JuvoII Exactly, 1 litre of milk weighs 1.03kg so the ratio is off. If you wanna go with the same ratio as in the video you'd need 800g/ about 776.7ml of milk. 1 litre/1.03kg should be fine if you wanna bake it in the oven.
The best thing about the video is that it is very informative!! He just does't simply add the measured quantity of ingredients like most youtubers do. Thank You so much
I’ve watched tons of “How to make Mac ‘N’ Cheese” Recipes and this was, by far, the clearest and most precise one ever! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ♥️ I will be making this!
Regarding warm vs cold milk: America's Test Kitchen should do an hour of tests on all these tips and rules that TV and YT chefs give us. Leave nothing sacred. Julia, Martha, Jacques, Lydia, Bon Apetit, ATK ... all of them. Any of their "do it this way" tips should be tested scientifically to see if they really make a difference. I've seen lots of very good cooks say "warm liquid + cold roux" or "cold liquid + warm roux".... opposite temps needed to prevent lumps. And other very good cooks say "warm liquid + warm roux." They can't both be right. What they all say is 1) get the proportions on the roux right. 2) add the liquid gradually, keep mixing. Those last 2 things are the real issue. The temp of the liquid is not important.
I made something like this tonight and warmed the milk, but only because I was in a hurry and didn't want to chill my pan down. I haven't seen it make ANY difference at all. The moisture content determines the runnyness or thickness, full stop.
This is why I come back here all the time. When you want facts based on actual knowledge and competency, and not someone's grandma's recipe, you go to the professionals. Again sir, I admire your vast knowledge and ability to explain what is happening effortlessly. Once again, I came back, and I learned. Thank you.
Oh my gosh! I tried this recipe and it is amazingly flavorful. I think the gruyere really gives it that perfect flavor. And yes, keep the cheddar at 1/2 cup, as otherwise it gets grainy.
Something unique about my spaghetti sauce is that I add a little bit of nutmeg, only just enough to give a hint of it. Make sure not to use too much as nutmeg is strong. I add a little bit to all the seasonings in my chili, as well.
I was always taught that warm roux + cold milk = no lumps, and it's worked for me so far. But also people swear that warm milk never creates lumps, so maybe both work?
+The Aura Tree Also there's no mention in this clip of taking the bechamel from the stove and only then add cheese. I was taught that was required to prevend splitting of the cheese.
"Everything tastes better with *a little bit* of melted cheese." A little bit? A LITTLE BIT?! EXCUUUUUSE ME, YOUNG SIR, EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER WITH LOTS OF MELTED CHEESE! Seriously, though. I love melted cheese. Pushing that aside, thanks for the tips! I really want to make cheese sauce now...
I've made beschemel out of both hot and cold milk. if you're on top of it, and you stir it until it comes to a boil, you won't have to worry about lumps. Temperature of the milk doesn't matter. If you use Hot milk, you don't have to wait as long for it to come to a boil, but if you use cold milk, you don't have to dirty another dish to heat it up. I use cold, because i can't be bothered to heat up my milk separately.
will the taste become different if I only use one type of cheese? Because besides cheddar cheese, It's hard to find the other types of cheese in my country.
It should still work more or less. In principle if all you have is cheddar you should seek out a mild cheddar since the sharper ones don't melt as smoothly.
Finally, someone who says that white and black pepper taste different. I never use white pepper for western cooking because it tastes way too sharp for me.
Black pepper and white pepper are very similar. Think of cherries; black pepper are whole cherries pit and all and white pepper is just the pits. The black pepper is white pepper with that thin layer of fruit flesh still sticking to it.
I've been learning and practicing more cooking techniques, and every time I am looking to find out why certain techniques work, you always have the best answer. Thank you, Thomas!
Instead of using the traditional French habit of using flour; use cornstarch instead. You will have a lighter sauce than the traditional flour based one. ONE CAVEAT; cornstarch is a more powerful thickener than flour. You will have to use less. One added advantage with cornstarch is that it is more stable than flour, which minimizes milk separating from it. One point to remember is to take the pan off the heat before adding the cornstarch, and quickly whisking it before returning it to low heat. Second point is to use warm to hot milk added in slow batches while stirring. The milk being hot will make sauce cook faster. Adding slowly minimizes lumps; whether hot or cold, always add liquids slowly in batches. White pepper is just the center of the peppercorn. Slightly spicier for some palates, but creates a more professional looking sauce. If you still want BLACK PEPPER!, and no specks, you can add the black pepper to the milk while stirring it to get it hot; thereby infusing the taste into the milk. Then filter the milk through a fine filter to separate the black pepper from the milk, before combining it with the roux. And remember...remember...regular black pepper has the white pepper mixed into it already!
AHHHHH !!!!!! thank you thank you. i always wondered why i get a gritty cheese sauce, people think im crazy. i thought it was all due to the starch on pre-shredded cheese or too much flour but then i did it by hand and still gritty. i never knew it was due to my beloved sharp cheddar and parm. thanks this is the first video that has actually explained this other people tell me im just making it up or its because i scorched my sauce.
Thank you very much. This is the creamiest my Mac has ever been, haha. I just can't do well following online recipes, and this video was a godsend because it explains the things that are usually glossed over in normal cooking videos. Again, thank you! :D
Lmao when he said he didn't really like the flavor of white pepper... I remembered the video clip of Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart... "Can we get some black pepper please?"!!!
No, that’s not it. Black pepper is the whole fruit, it still contains the white pepper, which is the pit. Imagine a dried cherry, a pit with a thin black layer of dried feuit flesh over; that’s black pepper; now imagine a cherry pit; that’s white pepper. If white pepper was so spicy, black pepper would also be very spicy; it’s not, just a little bit spicier than black(i.e. not very spicy).
@mrcynthiag mrcynthiag Apparently yes. Black pepper is about 80% white pepper by weight. I just took some whole pepper grains out of my grinder that were about the same diameter and there is very little difference in pungency. Black pepper has a different aromatic flavour from the fruit flesh. If you want stronger pepper, get dried green peppercorns (less ripened). If you want more aromatic flavour and not so much spice, get red peppercorns (different species of plant entirely).
@@soylentgreenb I did Not know that about white pepper, I didn't really give pepper much thought. I just thought some were blk and some where wht. ?¿ 🐾
I needed this. Last year I literally started to cry when the expensive cheese I bought came out like plastic. Had to throw everything away. That being said. Are certain cheeses off limits when attempting to get this consistency? I.e. pepper Jack or herb cheeses?
Should the stove be turned off before adding in the cheese and the condiments, or be set on a medium flame? What about the stove temp. throughout the cooking time of the sauce. Does it start out on a low flame while the roux is getting ready, and then has to be cooked on medium flame after the addition of milk? Temperature is so important a thing and I saw no mention made of it.
Well, if you mix milk powder or any powder with warm liquid, less lumps would form since the heat helps in distributing the stuff easier. So I'm not really surprised with using warm liquid here.
Eureka! That was my problem all along! I would have super grainy sauce but that was because I was using ALL aged extra -sharp cheddar. So use a mix of cheeses that are softer and use harder cheeses in moderation! Awesome! Thanks so much for this! 🍝
Mornay sauce only gets gritty when the béchamel gets too hot and you add the cheese in. Also when adding in the flour make sure the pan/pot is cooled so the flour can fully absorb the fat.
+Tranquil789 He usually doesn't go deep enough (IMO). That's more of a show and doesn't teach you a lot of what happens under the hood. The videos/blog content I like the best are from: foodsciencetv, chefsteps, Stella Culinary and the Harvard Cooking and Science public lectures.
I've heard from a few chefs that when making a white sauce to add COLD milk to your rue so it doesn't get any lumps. can you use either hot or cold milk?
Actually both are right. He mentions SLIGHTLY warming both substances, which keeps them both at the same temperature. You only want icy cold milk if you have a proportionally hot roux. Keeping them both at the same temperature therefore avoids extremes, and is a legitimate method for adding the milk.
Could you do an episode on watery apple pies? For some reason I always have this problem when creating my filling. It starts out fine and dry but after it cools down from baking, the syrup comes out too thin or watery. Thanks! Love the show!
Shelly Vana drain the apples on a collander over a bigger bowl once you toss the apples with sugar, then mix the juices with cornstarch and cook until thickened. Learned this from jky of baking
I wish I could meet you and shake your hand! I’ve had issues with my Mac and cheese for years and I learned the two mistakes I’ve been making. Too much cheddar cheese and not enough milk when I bake it in the oven!!! I’m going to make two this thanksgiving one regular and one baked and see which one comes out as the winner. Please accept my virtual hand shake until the day I get to meet you lol. Thank you for this video!
I made the mistake of adding too much extra sharp cheddar. Best results for me is a quarter of extra sharp mix with 3x the amount of mild. Its smooth but with a hint of sharp.
I will add some fresh veggies such as green onion, green pepper and some fine herbs to that I think it will be perfect for a side potato and a steak! :D Yummy!
I see a lot of cheese recipes that use just plain milk to melt the cheese in. Seems way more simplar, convenient and less susceptible to a mistake. What are the disadvantages beside a less thick sauce?
I've never been confident about meat; especially beef. Best cuts? How to properly freeze and thaw it? How to get the result you want (e.g., rare, medium rare, medium well, well)?
Thanks for the tip about aged, stronger cheeses! I only ever put old cheddar and parmesan into my sauces because they're the only kinds of cheese I ever cook with, so I kept thinking I wasn't cooking the roux enough at the start when it turned out grainy in the past. Also, I add smoked paprika, chili powder, and pre-ground nutmeg at the start with my flour in the roux to get rid of that raw powdery taste along with the flour. Is that the best method, or should I add them in after the milk?
I like the break down of the science behind the cooking/ baking! keep it up please! Also if you could address the changes needed for baking in different altitudes and how to adjust different recipes!
Thanks for posting this video Thomas!!! Always looking for a great and easy to make Mac & Cheese. I really appreciate your time in sharing all the information in this video. Take care and love the kitchen! Can't wait to try your recipe.....
Hey, just wanted to know, is there a way to make the Roux gluten free? maybe using corn flour/starch? also, what other cheeses that are more common can I use? I am pretty sure sharp cheddar is the only cheese that you showed that is available in my super market. idk how that works so help would be nice (:
In my opinion, two teaspoons of salt is way too much. At first I thought I read the recipe incorrectly, (the two tablespoons of salt and pepper confused me. Two teaspoon of each? Or one teaspoon?) but when I rewatched the video, I realized I was right. I normally don't add much salt so this really overwhelmed me.
When he's doing the comparisons of the cheese sauces at the beginning, don't forget -- You can also stir the failed one up real good like he did the 2nd one and make it look just as presentable for the cam :)
I wrote to you a hundred times ( my conundrum is that how do i bake cakes whats the ratios if i want a samll cake or a medime or larg or I don't want to make one out of a box I need to make my own) thanks
So I pretty much did all of these steps but I used heavy cream by accident and now my sauce tastes extremely bitter. How to I counter this effect? I've tried seasoning to taste but it still has a very bitter aftertaste
Do you mean an oily roux, or oily sauce? I can't say I have had an oily roux before, but the sauce can separate or break as they say for a few reasons. Sauce was heated too high, fat added too quickly, kept on the heat too long, or reheating it too quickly after it has cooled. I can say most sauces I have made eventually separated, but there are tricks to bring it back. Its best to just make the sauce when you need it and serve it once its done.
Roux = 3 tbsp butter + 4-1/2 flour
3 cups warmed milk (24 oz)
2-1/2 cups grated cheese, extra if needed for consistency
4-1/2 tbsp flour*
You could have just diluted it with more milk.
Thank u i was lost
Lifesaver
Hello can you say in gram how many flour you included?
These instructions and the technique was SPOT ON! I've tried so many times unsuccessfully to make a proper cheese sauce until I saw this video, My guests could not stop eating my mac and cheese. In fact, even I don't normally like mac and cheese and cleaned my plate with this technique. The sauce was sooo incredibly silky and smooth - almost like velvet! Kudos to the chef for sharing this knowledge. I've seen tons of videos on youtube but this one is by FAR the best as it relates to explaining WHY this method should be used when making a proper sauce. Oh yeah, I added a dash of nutmeg as suggested by a few other readers :)
Give me a break. Yeah it works. Your hyperbole is noxious, like you are hot wired to brown nose.
This IS spot on. Killer Mac and cheese
You wouldn't think that if you wasted food, time and money on making cheese sauce that was oily and separated.
Some people like their mac and cheese to taste good. Most people are cooking for family and friends, and if you are on the receiving end of a mac and cheese served to you with a greasy, oily, separating cheese sauce, that doesn't taste good ---
you would wish the cook watched this video.
The man is grateful for this instruction and is kind enough to let others know this is good. Many people will benefit from this information.
(Personally I have never liked mac and cheese)
I found out as an adult, that it was because of the cheese sauce - of course!
Does this sauce make the macaroni clump up and stick together if it cools down? The recipe says to serve immediately. I'll need to transport it to the family gathering, which means it may be an hour or more between I finish cooking, and when it will be eaten. I'm looking for a sauce that will stay creamy for a long period of time.
@@TheOriginalPaulGilpin This method or the sodium citrate method both result in a creamy when served but hardening when cooled sauce. Commercial cheese sauces have stabilizers and emulsifiers and they whip air into them to keep them from setting. You can add milk or water and reheat until creamy when time to serve. Top with cheese and broil if you want that lousy crusty look common at barbecues and potlucks. Have fun! Try it and see, takes about 20 minutes start to finish.
Sharp cheedar doesnt make the sauce gritty. The heat of the béchamel, if too high causes cheese to become gritty. Let the sauce cool a bit before adding cheese.
I had to scroll way too far to find this! It's the temp & how long you cook the cheese for that gives the grittiness - not the strength of the cheese - I have a recipe that calls for majority parmesan and cheddar, and it's not gritty at all
Thank you so much! I guess I did this accidentally once, and it was great. But when I tried to make it again, I cooked the cheese and it was grainy and disgusting. I made it again (minus cooking the cheese) and it was great. Thanks for the tip.
What happens if you mix the milk and cheese without a roux?
@@ValenciaRose. it will be really liquidy, the roux acts like a glue for the food
Found this out the hard way
Metric - 50g butter, 50g flour - 1 litre liquid. Much easier to remember.
Now a man with quality here finally. 🤝
Well he said 8 times the liquid in weight, and you say 10 times. If you're putting it in the oven then your measure may be perfect. There's also the amount of cheese to consider, as it thickens the sauce too, basically allowing for more cheese the thinner your sauce is.
@@JuvoII Exactly, 1 litre of milk weighs 1.03kg so the ratio is off. If you wanna go with the same ratio as in the video you'd need 800g/ about 776.7ml of milk. 1 litre/1.03kg should be fine if you wanna bake it in the oven.
For who
50/50/800
I'm eternally thankful for people who share these recipes, this helps a lot of people online who want to learn to cook. Thank you for sharing!
The best thing about the video is that it is very informative!!
He just does't simply add the measured quantity of ingredients like most youtubers do.
Thank You so much
I’ve watched tons of “How to make Mac ‘N’ Cheese” Recipes and this was, by far, the clearest and most precise one ever! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ♥️ I will be making this!
Regarding warm vs cold milk: America's Test Kitchen should do an hour of tests on all these tips and rules that TV and YT chefs give us. Leave nothing sacred. Julia, Martha, Jacques, Lydia, Bon Apetit, ATK ... all of them. Any of their "do it this way" tips should be tested scientifically to see if they really make a difference.
I've seen lots of very good cooks say "warm liquid + cold roux" or "cold liquid + warm roux".... opposite temps needed to prevent lumps. And other very good cooks say "warm liquid + warm roux." They can't both be right. What they all say is 1) get the proportions on the roux right. 2) add the liquid gradually, keep mixing. Those last 2 things are the real issue. The temp of the liquid is not important.
I made something like this tonight and warmed the milk, but only because I was in a hurry and didn't want to chill my pan down. I haven't seen it make ANY difference at all. The moisture content determines the runnyness or thickness, full stop.
I've also seen many warm to take the sauce pan off of the heat when adding warmed milk. I don't really see how that would make much difference.
I was wondering why using only cheddar always gave me a very grainy sauce, I always thought it had something to do with the flour. Very helpful video!
PixelFlickr Nope, your sauce was too hot that’s what made it grainy, maybe use cold milk or cool it down a bit before adding the cheeses
applebee's mushroom soup
-roux
-warm milk
-diced celery
-diced white onion
-minced garlic
-button mushroom
-butter
-salt
-and freshly ground pepper
i just came here to watch cheese.
Bruh
MrGhostranger we like cheese
Gangsta Loaded Eret lool yůr face lllloolooppllllloooooooookkoookoopmokokoooopoooooooooooooplllopooooooooooooooooo
If this were on a tee shirt, I'd buy it.
I do be replying 4 years later doe 😳
This is why I come back here all the time. When you want facts based on actual knowledge and competency, and not someone's grandma's recipe, you go to the professionals. Again sir, I admire your vast knowledge and ability to explain what is happening effortlessly. Once again, I came back, and I learned. Thank you.
Why do i always watch these food videos when i'm hungry?
Glad to know I ain't the only one
My people, where have you been
Science indeed...that warm milk changed everything. Now I know why my husband’s roux has been lumpy -warm the milk!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Thank you Chef!!!
I use corn starch in a little cold water and pour it in while it is boiling. It thickens it quickly.
Oh my gosh! I tried this recipe and it is amazingly flavorful. I think the gruyere really gives it that perfect flavor. And yes, keep the cheddar at 1/2 cup, as otherwise it gets grainy.
I sometimes add a little nutmeg to my sauce, comes out like heaven. Thank you THOMAS 😺
Don’t mind me... just casually liking my comment, in case nobody does
it's true...I once messed up a cheese sauce though I put slightly too much so now I'm a shy guy with my nutmeg!
Something unique about my spaghetti sauce is that I add a little bit of nutmeg, only just enough to give a hint of it. Make sure not to use too much as nutmeg is strong.
I add a little bit to all the seasonings in my chili, as well.
I was always taught that warm roux + cold milk = no lumps, and it's worked for me so far. But also people swear that warm milk never creates lumps, so maybe both work?
+HeyLookItsAmy Hot roux, cold milk = no lumps. Chef John, 30 years a chef (not me, FoodWishes on youtube) lives by it.
+The Aura Tree Also there's no mention in this clip of taking the bechamel from the stove and only then add cheese. I was taught that was required to prevend splitting of the cheese.
RuudJH I think you are right, because not only that, but over cooking cheese CAN make it gritty.
The Aura Tree I know that trick too, I thought it was common knowledge and thus would be put in this sort of video.
+The Aura Tree Yep, I've never had any problems since I have used this method.
"Everything tastes better with *a little bit* of melted cheese."
A little bit?
A LITTLE BIT?!
EXCUUUUUSE ME, YOUNG SIR, EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER WITH LOTS OF MELTED CHEESE!
Seriously, though. I love melted cheese.
Pushing that aside, thanks for the tips! I really want to make cheese sauce now...
it doesn't taste like a cheese sauce at all lmao
I love melted cheese so much that I usually dream that I swim in stretchy melted cheese
Same brother! Cheese is the best thing!!
Am I the only one who thought that you would end with EXCUUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS?
I love The Legend Of Zelda
COME BACKKK
I've made beschemel out of both hot and cold milk. if you're on top of it, and you stir it until it comes to a boil, you won't have to worry about lumps. Temperature of the milk doesn't matter. If you use Hot milk, you don't have to wait as long for it to come to a boil, but if you use cold milk, you don't have to dirty another dish to heat it up. I use cold, because i can't be bothered to heat up my milk separately.
"You can never over-stir a roux, you can under-stir and burn the roux"
Justin White Issac Toupes :)
@@statelessmars Yes!!!@
I think I under stirred mine because it was stuck to the skillet. I need a wisk
Gruyere is one of my favorites, if you mix cheeses you can create another flavor that no one has ever tried before. TheReaper!
I get goosebumps when a metal rubs another metal
SAME
Worst is metal on teeth
I hate the fork on plate scrape.
SAMMEEE
Pxoxoxst123 omg same!
I'm Brazilian and your fan. I love your explanations, especially this one. Tks
My very first try to make this cheese sauce for mac and cheese and it came out absolutely perfect. Measurements were spot on. Thank you man!
will the taste become different if I only use one type of cheese? Because besides cheddar cheese, It's hard to find the other types of cheese in my country.
It should still work more or less. In principle if all you have is cheddar you should seek out a mild cheddar since the sharper ones don't melt as smoothly.
Nah dude just add a half teaspoon of nutmeg and a tea spoon of English mustard n you got a tasty bad boy
It will taste different but like cheddar is amazing. I just make a simple on with just cheddar and its amazing!!
@@frasershaw1 Bruh.. you just took my cheese sauce to another lvl.
Same here my friend
This guy is saving my life lately. I don't know how to cook but these recipes are so easy and helpful.
I love Thomas ! he explains everything so well and his recipes look A W E S O M E
My kitchen conundrum is not having Thomas Joseph in my kitchen
I second that!
joelbellz lol
Are you thirsty or do you just suck at cooking
You mean bedroom
Breeders can be so mean.
Finally, someone who says that white and black pepper taste different. I never use white pepper for western cooking because it tastes way too sharp for me.
Black pepper and white pepper are very similar. Think of cherries; black pepper are whole cherries pit and all and white pepper is just the pits. The black pepper is white pepper with that thin layer of fruit flesh still sticking to it.
I made this and it came out amazing. I didn’t really measure I just winged it. I’m gonna make it again tomorrow.
You can add a mild cheese too. It melts smoothly in the sauce like velveta and Gouda
the key to avoid lumps is adding milk slowly and using a whisk instead of a wooden spoon. milk temperature makes little difference.
I've been learning and practicing more cooking techniques, and every time I am looking to find out why certain techniques work, you always have the best answer. Thank you, Thomas!
Me too! It's so nice that he addresses the common problems instead of just giving out his recipes.
First time a man has ever impressed me in a cooking tutorial well done sir !
everyday food is all about thomas...the way he expains is the best....i learn it so well n easy
Thanks for sharing. I've prepared this n it came out nicely. would like to know amount of pasta goes with this. thanx
Try a spoonful of English mustard to that mix, really brings out the flavour of the cheese 👍
FINALLY!!! AN EXPLANATION!!! thank heavens! this was such a HUGE HELP!
Instead of using the traditional French habit of using flour; use cornstarch instead. You will have a lighter sauce than the traditional flour based one. ONE CAVEAT; cornstarch is a more powerful thickener than flour. You will have to use less. One added advantage with cornstarch is that it is more stable than flour, which minimizes milk separating from it.
One point to remember is to take the pan off the heat before adding the cornstarch, and quickly whisking it before returning it to low heat.
Second point is to use warm to hot milk added in slow batches while stirring. The milk being hot will make sauce cook faster. Adding slowly minimizes lumps; whether hot or cold, always add liquids slowly in batches.
White pepper is just the center of the peppercorn. Slightly spicier for some palates, but creates a more professional looking sauce. If you still want BLACK PEPPER!, and no specks, you can add the black pepper to the milk while stirring it to get it hot; thereby infusing the taste into the milk. Then filter the milk through a fine filter to separate the black pepper from the milk, before combining it with the roux. And remember...remember...regular black pepper has the white pepper mixed into it already!
AHHHHH !!!!!! thank you thank you. i always wondered why i get a gritty cheese sauce, people think im crazy. i thought it was all due to the starch on pre-shredded cheese or too much flour but then i did it by hand and still gritty. i never knew it was due to my beloved sharp cheddar and parm. thanks this is the first video that has actually explained this other people tell me im just making it up or its because i scorched my sauce.
I do this sauce since allways.. family recipie. .. but i add.. powdered mustard and some grains of mustard.. its really really good for artichokes.
Thank you very much. This is the creamiest my Mac has ever been, haha.
I just can't do well following online recipes, and this video was a godsend because it explains the things that are usually glossed over in normal cooking videos.
Again, thank you! :D
I really appreciate how to do this correctly. I just made cheese sauce and when re-heating, the oil separation was a real issue. What causes this?
Lmao when he said he didn't really like the flavor of white pepper... I remembered the video clip of Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart... "Can we get some black pepper please?"!!!
Haha. was thinking that same thing.
No, that’s not it. Black pepper is the whole fruit, it still contains the white pepper, which is the pit. Imagine a dried cherry, a pit with a thin black layer of dried feuit flesh over; that’s black pepper; now imagine a cherry pit; that’s white pepper. If white pepper was so spicy, black pepper would also be very spicy; it’s not, just a little bit spicier than black(i.e. not very spicy).
@mrcynthiag mrcynthiag Apparently yes. Black pepper is about 80% white pepper by weight. I just took some whole pepper grains out of my grinder that were about the same diameter and there is very little difference in pungency. Black pepper has a different aromatic flavour from the fruit flesh.
If you want stronger pepper, get dried green peppercorns (less ripened). If you want more aromatic flavour and not so much spice, get red peppercorns (different species of plant entirely).
@@soylentgreenb I did Not know that about white pepper, I didn't really give pepper much thought. I just thought some were blk and some where wht. ?¿ 🐾
@Ashleigh Arcucci mind blowing. I would love to see the pink one
I needed this. Last year I literally started to cry when the expensive cheese I bought came out like plastic. Had to throw everything away. That being said. Are certain cheeses off limits when attempting to get this consistency? I.e. pepper Jack or herb cheeses?
Should the stove be turned off before adding in the cheese and the condiments, or be set on a medium flame? What about the stove temp. throughout the cooking time of the sauce. Does it start out on a low flame while the roux is getting ready, and then has to be cooked on medium flame after the addition of milk? Temperature is so important a thing and I saw no mention made of it.
Amazing.... I just did this recipe, it came out perfectly. Thx a lot
Nobody ever mentions the application of heat, it is very important, what kind of heat do you apply?
Well, if you mix milk powder or any powder with warm liquid, less lumps would form since the heat helps in distributing the stuff easier. So I'm not really surprised with using warm liquid here.
Eureka! That was my problem all along! I would have super grainy sauce but that was because I was using ALL aged extra -sharp cheddar. So use a mix of cheeses that are softer and use harder cheeses in moderation! Awesome! Thanks so much for this! 🍝
i use cold milk - takes longer but stirring is therapeutic and the sauce is always lovely. What would the ratio of milk be to bake that mac 'n cheese?
Mornay sauce only gets gritty when the béchamel gets too hot and you add the cheese in. Also when adding in the flour make sure the pan/pot is cooled so the flour can fully absorb the fat.
I didn't get the "Science" part of it, which is what I was really looking forward for. Just another recipe of cheese sauce... ok.
+Gustavo Royer Chaurais dude
+Gustavo Royer Chaurais Alton Browns videos tend to give the science behind food. He probably has one for cheese sauce to.
+Tranquil789 He usually doesn't go deep enough (IMO). That's more of a show and doesn't teach you a lot of what happens under the hood. The videos/blog content I like the best are from: foodsciencetv, chefsteps, Stella Culinary and the Harvard Cooking and Science public lectures.
+Tranquil789 Thanks for sharing though!
+Tranquil789 Thanks for sharing though!
Great explanations! I ended up with grainy textures all the time. I'll be more mindful about the cheese I choose next time.
Key is to add little milk at a time and add cheese when mixtures is thick and not in liquid mixture
Greuerre (can't spell it as I'm an uncouth Englishman) with Red Leicester and mature cheddar makes a damn nice cheese sauce for Mac n cheese.
I've heard from a few chefs that when making a white sauce to add COLD milk to your rue so it doesn't get any lumps. can you use either hot or cold milk?
why would you use slightly warmed milk when you can use cold milk to get a lump free sauce. learned this from foodwishes
Actually both are right. He mentions SLIGHTLY warming both substances, which keeps them both at the same temperature. You only want icy cold milk if you have a proportionally hot roux. Keeping them both at the same temperature therefore avoids extremes, and is a legitimate method for adding the milk.
Bro every good Chef such as Gordon Ramsey says that you have to use cold milk
Could you do an episode on watery apple pies? For some reason I always have this problem when creating my filling. It starts out fine and dry but after it cools down from baking, the syrup comes out too thin or watery. Thanks! Love the show!
Try adding cornstarch to the filling, this thickens the juices and makes it less watery.
Shelly Vana drain the apples on a collander over a bigger bowl once you toss the apples with sugar, then mix the juices with cornstarch and cook until thickened. Learned this from jky of baking
Try tasty’s recipe. You take the juice from the apples, boil it down and thicken it.
I wish I could meet you and shake your hand! I’ve had issues with my Mac and cheese for years and I learned the two mistakes I’ve been making. Too much cheddar cheese and not enough milk when I bake it in the oven!!! I’m going to make two this thanksgiving one regular and one baked and see which one comes out as the winner. Please accept my virtual hand shake until the day I get to meet you lol. Thank you for this video!
I made the mistake of adding too much extra sharp cheddar. Best results for me is a quarter of extra sharp mix with 3x the amount of mild. Its smooth but with a hint of sharp.
Boil a little bit of water add a teaspoon of sodium citrate then put in the cheese of your choice mix it. Much easier and tastes loads better
Thomas you are the best.. Your explanation is so explicit.. Love you man
The art direction on this video is stunning.
Sodium citrate is used in american cheese to allow cheddar and other cheeses to emulsify with milk, if you're a fan of Velveeta.
I will add some fresh veggies such as green onion, green pepper and some fine herbs to that I think it will be perfect for a side potato and a steak! :D Yummy!
Mac and cheese if made right doesn't need anything added..y'all need to stop butchering Mac and cheese lol
This sauce is perfect! I have made this many times, a good go to! Thank you!
I see a lot of cheese recipes that use just plain milk to melt the cheese in. Seems way more simplar, convenient and less susceptible to a mistake. What are the disadvantages beside a less thick sauce?
I've never been confident about meat; especially beef. Best cuts? How to properly freeze and thaw it? How to get the result you want (e.g., rare, medium rare, medium well, well)?
Thanks for the tip about aged, stronger cheeses! I only ever put old cheddar and parmesan into my sauces because they're the only kinds of cheese I ever cook with, so I kept thinking I wasn't cooking the roux enough at the start when it turned out grainy in the past.
Also, I add smoked paprika, chili powder, and pre-ground nutmeg at the start with my flour in the roux to get rid of that raw powdery taste along with the flour. Is that the best method, or should I add them in after the milk?
add them after the milk, they could burn while you're cooking the roux.
Thanks!
Can we use corn flour. Thanks for the great video
My store doesn't have comte cheese. What would I substitute it with? Another alpine cheese?
Great recipe. It makes a lot so can the leftover be refrigerated and warmed again?
Thanks I come here everytime I need to make a roux to make sure I'm doing it right
Thank you I took my time and made this and it came out amazing!
I like the break down of the science behind the cooking/ baking! keep it up please! Also if you could address the changes needed for baking in different altitudes and how to adjust different recipes!
I'm making this today. Comte was not available locally so I substituted fontina for it.
Hi
Can I use mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese?!
And if yes.... what is the ratio
Can I use it as cheese fondue
Thanks
Thanks for posting this video Thomas!!! Always looking for a great and easy to make Mac & Cheese. I really appreciate your time in sharing all the information in this video. Take care and love the kitchen! Can't wait to try your recipe.....
Hey, just wanted to know, is there a way to make the Roux gluten free? maybe using corn flour/starch? also, what other cheeses that are more common can I use? I am pretty sure sharp cheddar is the only cheese that you showed that is available in my super market. idk how that works so help would be nice (:
Addresses one of my problems in the kitchen! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge, Thomas!
it tastes like soup and macaroni instead of the mac n cheese I was hoping for lol
same lol
Perfect; knowing the functions behind the recipe is just what I needed. Thank you!
In my opinion, two teaspoons of salt is way too much. At first I thought I read the recipe incorrectly, (the two tablespoons of salt and pepper confused me. Two teaspoon of each? Or one teaspoon?) but when I rewatched the video, I realized I was right. I normally don't add much salt so this really overwhelmed me.
It just depends on the person. When I make this much mornay 2 teaspoons of salt don't come close to cutting it for me.
8:1 (Cold liquid to Roux) if you missed that.
Why are weights not used in your measurements? How much does a 1/2 C of cheese weigh? Or are you shredding it after weighing it?
When making a rue.Do you put the fire Low/Medium or High? Thanks
can you store this in the fridge with no loss of texture?
When he's doing the comparisons of the cheese sauces at the beginning, don't forget -- You can also stir the failed one up real good like he did the 2nd one and make it look just as presentable for the cam :)
Is it ok to use self raising flour or corn flour instead of all purpose to make the white bechamel sauce?
he did a killer job explaining this!
Planning on making a peppery cheese sauce for some fries. I have sharp cheddar and pepper jack on mind but what else should I use?
Hi! If you have a big block of cheddar cheese and it has mold can you cut it off and still cook with it?
I was wondering what I was doing wrong, the texture was always off... I was only used aged cheddar! 😱😱
Thanks very much for all the detailed explanation! You are the best!
I wrote to you a hundred times ( my conundrum is that how do i bake cakes whats the ratios if i want a samll cake or a medime or larg or I don't want to make one out of a box I need to make my own) thanks
So I pretty much did all of these steps but I used heavy cream by accident and now my sauce tastes extremely bitter. How to I counter this effect? I've tried seasoning to taste but it still has a very bitter aftertaste
I think what really matters is that you add milk in small portions and keep stirring. There will not be any lumps.
Can anyone explain how you could get the oily roux? It kind of confuses me how that would happen. other than adding too much butter.
undercooking most likely
Do you mean an oily roux, or oily sauce?
I can't say I have had an oily roux before, but the sauce can separate or break as they say for a few reasons. Sauce was heated too high, fat added too quickly, kept on the heat too long, or reheating it too quickly after it has cooled. I can say most sauces I have made eventually separated, but there are tricks to bring it back. Its best to just make the sauce when you need it and serve it once its done.
Overcooking the sauce would cause that, already had that happening when i went waaaay to overboard with it.
You said it. Too much oil. The equal parts by weight is the way to go.