Tips & Tricks and how to prevent Grainy Sauce

• Use quality cheese & shred yourself.  Cheese is the star of this recipe and with so few ingredients- it needs to be top notch!  Quality cheeses will melt better and produce silkier sauces.  NEVER use pre-bagged cheeses for sauces or your destined for grainy/gritty sauce failure.
• Use multiple cheeses.  The BEST Mac and Cheese recipes use a mix of cheeses:  cheddar plus one fully-flavored cheese and one melty cheese. This creates a complex flavor profile and luscious creaminess. I highly suggest my favorite combo of sharp cheddar, Gruyere and Gouda - SO flavorful and SO luxuriously creamy.  Don’t use all cheddar as cheddar has a tendency to become grainy if used on its own.  See Post for alternative cheese choices. 
• Don’t use reduced fat cheeses.  If your cheddar or other cheeses are reduced fat, then they will melt into a grainy mess.
• Don’t use oil.   Mac and Cheese requires the high fat content of high-quality butter – more fat is the key to success. Don’t use ANY kind of oil or you’re setting yourself up for disaster.   
• Cook the roux REALLY WELL.  This is where a lot of people go wrong.  The roux should be cooked for a full three minutes – or longer- until it becomes nice and smooth and then cook longer still. 
• Don’t burn roux.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t burn the roux.  Burning the roux will cause the sauce to be grainy. If the roux is browning too quickly before it is smooth, then reduce the heat.   If it does happen to burn then throw it out, wipe the pan clean and start over.
• Don’t use low-fat milk.   The higher the fat content, the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate.  It's best to use evaporated milk but you can also get by with whole milk – even 2% milk can result in grainy/gritty Mac and Cheese.
• Use warm milk.  Warm evaporated milk in the microwave before adding to the roux.  Adding cold milk to the hot roux can cause grittiness as the cold shocks the melted butter.
• Stir constantly.  Whisk the milk/roux constantly while pouring in the milk so less lumps have time to form.  Whisking over low heat also slows the formation of lumps.
• Remove lumps before increasing heat. Whisk constantly until the lumps are gone before increasing the heat. If you increase the heat while lumps remain, they are much harder to dissolve.
• Remove from heat.  If the béchamel is too hot when you add the cheese, then the emulsifiers and coagulants will break down and the proteins in the cheeses will clump resulting in grainy sauce.  So, make sure your bechamel is cool enough by removing the pan from the heat completely before adding the cheeses.
• Use warm temperature cheese. Leave your cheese out for an hour or so if you think of it. Warm cheese melts much easier than cold cheese.
• Add the cheese slowly. Add your cheeses in multiple batches – a handful at a time, stirring until completely melted, before adding some more.
• Stir, stir, stir.  Stir until the cheese is completely melted.  If your cheese isn’t melting, then your sauce may not be warm enough.  Return the pan to LOW but don’t let the sauce simmer then continue to stir until completely melted.
• Cook pasta in salted the water.  You should always salt your pasta water – it is the one chance you have for the flavor to penetrate the pasta and enhance the subtle pasta flavor – you can taste the difference.  Use 1 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts of water.
• Don’t overcook pasta!  I recommend testing your pasta about 2 or 3 minutes before the box recommends – pasta should be al dente– meaning it should still be a little firm in the center/ have a “bite” to it.  

HOW TO REHEAT 

• Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
• Microwave:   Microwave small portions for one minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30 second intervals until warmed through.
• Stove:  For larger portions, reheat pasta gently on the stove.  You may need to add a splash of milk to thin the sauce as it will have thickened in the refrigerator. 

HOW TO FREEZE 

• Let Mac and Cheese cool to room temperature.
• Transfer Mac and Cheese to a freezer safe container.
• Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Allow to thaw completely in the refrigerator, up to 48 hours.
• Reheat per instructions.