Why Your Mac And Cheese Is Grainy And How You Can Fix It

Macaroni and cheese seems to have been crowned king of all comfort foods, but there are a bunch of not-so-comforting mistakes you can make that will ruin your recipe. One such mistake will give the sauce a weird grainy texture. Russell Kook, a chef employed by The Bellevue restaurant's Chicago location, explains that this unfortunate outcome most likely has to do with the temperature: "Usually it's because the cheese was added to a sauce that was too hot."

In Kook's experience, "High heat is the enemy of smooth cheese sauce." The reason for this, he told us, is that "Cheese is delicate. If it overheats, the proteins seize and separate, and you end up with a gritty mess." In order to prevent the problem, he advises turning the burner down to low or removing the pot from the heat altogether before mixing the cheese into the milk or cream. The cheese should be stirred in very slowly with a rubber spatula or a whisk so it can melt into a homogeneous (and non-grainy) sauce.

If you've misjudged the temperature of the sauce and it does wind up grainy, Russell Kook says, "You're not totally out of luck." His recommendation: "A little splash of starchy pasta water or even a touch of cream can help re-emulsify it if things get dicey." (Milk will work, too, if you're not using cream.) You can also add some lemon juice or a little white vinegar, as the acid will help free those seized-up proteins Kook spoke of. An immersion blender might also be able to save the day, as long as you haven't already added the pasta to the sauce.

Once you do add the pasta, you still have a few options left for camouflaging the grainy sauce. One of these involves adding other ingredients to jazz up the dish — if you throw in enough bacon, pulled pork, or kimchi, they'll serve to disguise any defects. Kook also suggests using a different cooking method: "If it's too far gone, treat it like a baked dish." In fact, if you're not already baking your mac and cheese, you're seriously missing out. (Even if the sauce isn't grainy, throw on a crumb topping and some extra cheese, then finish it under the broiler.) Yet another Kook recommendation for messed-up mac and cheese is to turn it into a waffle or fritters. As he phrased it, "When in doubt, get crispy with it!"