What did I do wrong????

[nutterbutter2010]

I tried to make mac and cheese last night - from scratch. I heated up the milk in a sauce pan. In a frying pan I melted the butter, and added the flour and cooked it for a few minutes like the recipe called for. Then I added the flour to the milk. It never thickened up the milk! Plus when I added all the cheese, it just glumped up, rather than melting in there.


WHAT DID I DO WRONG????

 

[kacaju]

I always add the milk to the flour in a sauce pan... not a frying pan. I think that was your mistake

 

[happygirl]

I wonder if you had the burners on to high

 

[nutterbutter2010]

I always add the milk to the flour in a sauce pan... not a frying pan. I think that was your mistake

I think this was it too. It said to do it your way, but I don't have that many big pans! Plus, I know Ive seen Paula Dean add the rou (sp?) to her soup to thicken it up, and that worked, so I figured this would work too. Oh well, guess were not having mac and cheese this thanksgiving.....

 

[DMickey28]

I never use flour to thicken it up, just use enough cheese!! I do it all in one pan too.

The cheese needs to go into the milk when the milk is just shy of boiling. You need to put a little in at a time, whisking the whole time to get it to melt and distribute evenly.

I use a few cut up chunks of velvetta in my Mac and Cheese to get the smoothness and get the it started.

Usually I throw some butter in a saucepan on low/med, as that melts I add a few pieces of Veletta. As those soften I add the milk and let the velvetta melt into the milk, stirring consistantly. Once that is all melted I start adding little handfulls of my shredded cheese at a time, stirring until it's all incoporated. Fresh shredded melts a lot better than the bags of pre-shredded does. It just takes time. I season with onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.

 

[nutterbutter2010]

Can I fix it????

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I tried to make mac and cheese last night - from scratch. I heated up the milk in a sauce pan. In a frying pan I melted the butter, and added the flour and cooked it for a few minutes like the recipe called for. Then I added the flour to the milk. It never thickened up the milk! Plus when I added all the cheese, it just glumped up, rather than melting in there.


WHAT DID I DO WRONG????

You melt the butter in the saucepan and then add the flour to that. You need to use a whisk for this.

It will thicken up (which is called a roux) and then you slowly add the milk a bit at a time, (which you do not heat up, not sure why they said that). Mix with a whisk continuously until all milk is added & smooth.

Once it is smooth you slowly add grated cheese till it is melted. You need to be whisking gently as you add the cheese.

I will have to be fair and say when I do make this I add a can of Cheddar Cheese soup when I am making sauce for mac & cheese. Probably a little extra butter and milk too.

ETA....if I was making it now, I would try out the Queso Blanco. I have not used it yet however I got a sample at Costco and it is the perfect white cheese to melt for those that do not care for Velveeta like me. Cheddar can be grainy and I try and mix white cheeses for my cheese sauce.

 

[clgwli]

Honestly our ages old recipe does not call for adding cheese into the milk in the saucepan. We make our roux and then pour it over the noodles in a buttered dish. We mix the cheese on top of all this and then bake for about 10 minutes. Over baking makes it not as creamy but this is how generations of my family have made it.

 

[suejai]

You melt the butter in the saucepan and then add the flour to that. You need to use a whisk for this.

It will thicken up (which is called a roux) and then you slowly add the milk a bit at a time, (which you do not heat up, not sure why they said that). Mix with a whisk continuously until all milk is added & smooth.

Once it is smooth you slowly add grated cheese till it is melted. You need to be whisking gently as you add the cheese.

Cheddar can be grainy and I try and mix white cheeses for my cheese sauce.

I was going to write this all out as well - but you saved me the effort.

As for the grainy cheese I used to have the same problem but on an episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown suggested taking the pan off the heat and then adding the cheese. I think it has something to do with the cheese heating too fast and being shocked.

 

[NMAmy]

You melt the butter in the saucepan and then add the flour to that. You need to use a whisk for this.

It will thicken up (which is called a roux) and then you slowly add the milk a bit at a time, (which you do not heat up, not sure why they said that). Mix with a whisk continuously until all milk is added & smooth.

Once it is smooth you slowly add grated cheese till it is melted. You need to be whisking gently as you add the cheese.

This is how I've always made it, as well. It does take awhile to thicken up. I'm not sure how to fix it--if it were me, I'd start over.

 

[jrsmom]

I think this was it too. It said to do it your way, but I don't have that many big pans! Plus, I know Ive seen Paula Dean add the rou (sp?) to her soup to thicken it up, and that worked, so I figured this would work too. Oh well, guess were not having mac and cheese this thanksgiving.....

I just use a 2 quart sauce pan to make my cheese sauce. I find cooking it on low helps and adding the cheese a little bit at a time. I also have had better luck with using the finer shredded cheese.