Why Did My Macaroni Cheese Look Scrambled? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

Why does my mac and cheese look like scrambled eggs? ›

Our answer

The sauce is a combination of evaporated milk and cheese, with eggs that act as a thickener for the sauce. The pasta and sauce are cooked for 15 minutes in a hot oven, just to make the top golden. Eggs are quite heat sensitive and it is possible that they became overcooked and a little scrambled.

Simply combine the eggs with the cold liquid and any other ingredients, then set the mixture over the heat and cook, whisking, until the eggs have properly thickened things up. The early dilution and gradual application of heat minimize the risk of curdling and ensure a smooth and silky final product.

To fix a grainy cheese sauce, you can remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly, then whisk it vigorously. Adding a small amount of cold milk or cream can help restore its smooth texture.

Sauce too thick? Stir in a splash of milk and mix until the sauce has loosened up. (This is also a great trick for reheating mac and cheese - if you're microwaving leftovers and the sauce seems to have dried up, stir a splash of milk or half-and-half into the pasta to bring the sauce back to life!)

I'll spare you any more science-y talk, but the main culprits in curdled or split mac and cheese are too much heat and what kind of cheese you use. When you toss a bunch of cheese all at once into a béchamel mixture (milk-cream-roux) that's too hot (I like to keep the temp between 140 and 180°F) the sauce will split.

To try this, boil milk for your sauce's roux, then take the milk off the heat and let it cool before stirring in the cheese. Another way to avoid curdled sauce, per Sara Moulton, is by finely grating your cheese before adding it to the other hot ingredients, so that you don't require as much heat to melt it.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.

Starting the pasta in cold water works just as well as adding it to already-boiling water but cooks faster and with less energy. A combination of multiple thickeners and emulsifying agents—cornstarch, evaporated milk, eggs, and American cheese—ensures an extra-gooey texture with real cheese flavor.

By paying attention to the quality of ingredients, heat control, and technique, you can often achieve a smoother and creamier mac and cheese. Make sure you are using a good melting cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gruyère. Cheeses that are aged or overly processed can result in a grainy texture.

What cheese to avoid for mac and cheese? ›

Feta has a high moisture level and doesn't melt properly, so it would clump rather than give you a smooth sauce. This also goes for cheeses like queso fresco and paneer.

Can you put too much cheese in mac and cheese? Yes, adding more cheese than a recipe calls for will not improve the dish. Too much cheese will result in a dish that is heavy and greasy.

Key #2: Use Evaporated Milk

The second big key was to use evaporated milk as the base liquid. Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

You could start by adding double the butter called for on the box and adjusting as needed -- it may require some trial and error the first time around, but it will be worth it. The result will be a bowl of mac and cheese that is so rich and creamy that you may even forget that it came from a box.

By paying attention to the quality of ingredients, heat control, and technique, you can often achieve a smoother and creamier mac and cheese. Make sure you are using a good melting cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gruyère. Cheeses that are aged or overly processed can result in a grainy texture.

Pasta cooked perfectly tends to be tender on the inside and a bit firm on the outside. This is also known as “al dente,” which means “firm to the bite.” The best way to tell if pasta is cooked correctly is to pull one piece out, let it cool enough so you won't burn your mouth, and taste it.

Most macaroni and cheese recipes rely on a roux to thicken the sauce. You want equal amounts of butter and flour by weight. This is key. Throw in too much flour, and sure the sauce might get thick, but it also might taste floury and be lumpy.