Hey Dan - just wondering why you would use water and citrate for the cheese sauce and not cream? I would assume cream would be more flavourful and always seems to create a stable sauce for me no matter what cheese I use, but I only use a few varieties. Is the citrate bombproof in ways that other methods of making a cheese sauce (like using starchy water or a roux) aren’t?
Good call on your sweater, Dan. My favorite weird fact about sodium citrate is that it's used in phlebotomy and other medical contexts as a useful anticoagulant. Any time I donate blood products I'm excited to get my nacho water.
@@fabe61 Yes, sodium citrate much more powerful. And that cheese sauce is super intense and cheesy and rich in a way that you won't be asking for cream. There is not starch, etc. to get in the way of the cheese flavor.
If you can't easily get sodium citrate, you can make it by dissolving baking soda (sodium bicarbonate/bi-carb soda; not baking powder) and citric acid (in my experience both are easier to find in shops, though this will depend on where you live) in the water (and waiting for the bubbling to finish; this is CO2 being released as a by-product of the reaction). The 12g sodium citrate in the recipe can be made by combining 11.72g bicarb soda, and 8.93g citric acid.
Since Citric Acid can also be difficult to find you can also use lemon or lime juice. Based on the recipe from Adam Ragusea you'd want 200ml of juice for 12g baking soda.
@@tsawy6The other problem with using fresh citrus is that you no longer know exactly how much citric acid you're getting. You COULD use bottled juice... but honestly citric acid is easy enough to order online.
@MMuraseofSandvich would you believe i was gonna go back and edit my comment to add exactly this note, but the comment wouldnt load for me? Def would be impacts of having unreacted products!
I discovered the sodium citrate method back when 'Breaking Bad' was all the rage. I was explaining my newfound chemical mastery to my daughter, but couldn't convince her to try it. I guess I was coming on a bit strong when I said "When it comes to Mac&Cheese- I AM the one who knocks!", because she yelled, "HEISENBERG!!" at me. 😂🤣😁
This is a really good video with good recipe ideas. I like it a lot. But as with almost all ATK videos, it's just an add to subscribe to the website. The links above are NOT links to recipes as stated in the video. They are links to the subscription page. You have to sign up to get the recipes shown in the video. That's too deceitful and disappointing.
american cheese is like a pantry staple you keep in the fridge. it stays good for many months and has so many uses. i like using it and evaporated milk for a rich, creamy yet very stable sauce. a thin hollandaise or gravy can even benefit from half a slice of american cheese.
Absolutely! Do be wary yields may be...interesting, as were looking for citric acid to combine with the Sodium Bicarbonate and both the fruit and soda product will usually vary (sometimes significantly in the fruit). EOD all "should" be natural so why not
I'm gonna have to make that mac n cheese and get one of those NACHO sweaters! One of my favorite ingredients to add to Mac n Cheese is crispy bacon bits (or really crisped up carnitas.) So delicious!
When I do mac and cheese, I use the Béchamel method: I sauté shallots, celery and garlic in butter, add milk, and I hand grate some cheese, the sharper the better, mixed with flour and mixe everything... when the sauce is done, I had some ham and red and green bell pepper, salt pepper and nut meg. You put the whole thing an oven dish, and top with panko, butter and parmesan mixture, broil for 10 minutes, and voila!!!
I like that version too, but it's more stiff, hence why you can cut it into blocks. But sometimes I (and esp the kids) like the super flowy/creamy version in the video. They are both great.
I also like the bechamel method because that's where I can saute some vegetables that become part of the sauce. I can't imagine mac & cheese without some onions, for example. However, I can see why this other method also has its place. Not every application for melted cheese requires a bechamel.
I've found when using a bechamel base, the thickening power of the flour means I can't add enough cheese to get the flavor as cheesy as I want it. It's either a nice texture and uncheesey, or has a nice strong cheese flavor and has a consistency of concrete. Liquid + cheese + sodium citrate is the way to go, for me.
There is a recipe from ATK long ago in the book Best Lost Suppers that is still my favorite - Martini Mac & Cheese, with olives and cocktail onions. I add a dash of vermouth. :)
Chop up some string cheese and stir it in at the end for big gooey strings of cheese as you eat it. Also, any opportunity to combine cheddar cheese and kimchi is a win.
To the brave and very hungry soul who stumbled upon a forgotten bucket of moldy milk and decided to throw caution into the wind and eat it, I salute you sir. My life is so much better for your bravery (and outright hunger).
A chef in Portland, OR once shared their recipe for Sake Mac & Cheese with me that uses American cheese along with cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan and I have been unable to make any other recipe for mac and cheese since-it is divine.
I'm confused, when do you add the other 1/2 of the water? We'll start by whisking half the water 4:16 and the sodium citrate together in a small sauce pan 4:18 until the sodium citrate dissolves. 4:20 Then, we bring it to a simmer over medium heat. 4:22 While whisking constantly, 4:23 I'm gradually adding the cheese mixture, 4:25 a small handful at a time, 4:27 whisking until fully incorporated before adding the next
You can actually melt cheese in water with this then add spices, herbs or anything else you want. Pour out into a mold and let it come to room temp. As it cools it will harden back to it's original state. Slice it for sandwiches or whatever you desire. Homemade flavored cheese.
If you don't have sodium citrate you can also use little of lemon juice (or citric acid) and mix it with little of baking soda. It would react and you would have sodium citrate.
Not really. The sodium citrate that results from reacting citric acid and sodium bicarbonate is monosodium citrate, and what you really want for emulsifying cheese is trisodium citrate.
YES! I _just_ discovered this myself a few months ago, purely by accident! 😆 I'm a VERY SHARP cheddar fan and sometimes when my (béchamel based) sauce is ready for pasta it's just not as sharp as I'd like. Thinking "What can I add?" to brighten the sauce up I thought "What the heck, let's try a bit of lemon juice." Now it's part of my go-to recipe!
I start with what my mom's old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook calls a "white sauce" and grate in sharp cheddar, baby Swiss, and Cojack. Winner - delicious.
What I don’t understand (and is not explained in this video) is why the “other” way-Ina Garten’s way-which doesn’t use sodium citrate works. She cooks milk and flour, then fold the cheese into that. And it’s very good (albeit a touch more fussy than this recipe).
CAULIFLOWER! Midway through cooking the pasta I love adding a head of shredded cauliflower to let it finish cooking at the same time. All coated in scrumptious cheesy goodness with the same soft texture but with hidden fibrous nutrients, this variation is seriously addictive.
There is a sweet lady on yt that has a cooking channel. She has a recipe for mac that she makes in a crock pot. It looks good but gives me chest pain it is so rich.
I love canned tomatoes in my M&C, baked or stove top. I am more likely to put Rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies) in a stove top version and whole tomatoes that I hand crush in baked. When I make baked M&C, I layer them in. I definitely have a preference for canned tomatoes for M&C, though I don't know why. Most other times fresh is best for me! 😂
@6:10 "classic American cheese features softer noodles" - I assume that should have been "classic American mac & cheese" - I can't believe this MAJOR error made it through the editing. I am happy to help and am in the Boston area. Will work for Mac & Cheese.
I just use 4 oz shredded mild cheddar, 4 oz. heavy cream, and 4 oz. dry pasta. Cook the pasta normally. In a non-stick skillet, heat the cream and cheese over low heat, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce. If you have sodium citrate, use that, too. Don't over heat it, or the cheese sauce will break. You don't want it to boil. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet, and stirr until well combined. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately. Easy peasy.
The thickness of the sauce will depend on the ratio of liquid to cheese. If you weigh the cheese and then add the liquid as a percent of the weight you will get: Cheese plus 0% to 35% liquid - firm, molded cheese, cheese slices Cheese plus 35% to 85% liquid - thick and flowing cheese sauce, good for dips and quesos Cheese plus 85% to 120% liquid - thin cheese sauce, cheese foam, fondues, mac and cheese Cheese plus 120% liquid or more - continues to become thinner and thinner. The final ingredient is the sodium citrate, which causes the cheese to stay together as it melts. It's typically used in a 2.0% to 3.0% ratio of total liquid plus cheese weight.
Similar to what the ATK cookbook calls "Classic Macaroni and Cheese" I use 50% mild cheddar and 50% Pepper Jack. The results are nice and creamy. (No sodium citrate. No American cheese.)
Yeah, that the 'classic' way, (also often with a roux based sauce) but it never comes out like the Blue Box stuff, which is what the American Cheese/sodium citrate adds.
So if I can’t access American cheese (here in the wilds of NW England), can I just sprinkle in some sodium citrate to the second recipe? At what point? Please help this forlorn expat out 🙏🏽
It's actually the 2nd recipe called Cheesier Nacho Cheese Sauce that uses sodium citrate. You can dip chips in it or use it for mac and cheese like I do in the video. And it's laid out with ingredients in the video itself.
Dan, as a fellow Dan, I absolutely love your videos. You're funny, love the recipes and I'm always enthralled by the amount of science you add to the food making process. I would imagine that images and animation are out of your realm, but it sours the whole video experience to see these animatics made with AI art. It is the equivalent of enjoying a delicious meal and finding little chunks of butyric acid in my third spoon full. Not sure if you know, but is a big deal in the art world right now. Dunno how much time you spend in TH-cam, but you can see it happening in videos too. So many gross, inaccurate and derivative AI content/text to speech vids. This channel is too good to use AI slop. In the ATK ads you point out how the illustrations in the book are hand made, which I'm genuinely thankful for. I would really appreciate for you to consider using real artists in your vids. Sorry for the long message. Hope to see you eating more stuff soon!
Hi @@makenziegruenig7535. You can see them in the cheese making history drawings (around the 0:50 area), with the cartoony bodies with the realistic heads section. Kraft's body has a bunch of random lines and inconsistent shadows. The horse and carriage as well, as there are random bits that don't belong in the drawing, inconsistent shapes and hatching, lines that merge incorrectly with other lines or shadows, bad back wheel placement and lack of a fourth wheel. Ultimately the bodies of Gerber and Stettler have similar random elbow fold lines/hatching issues. They also have extra fingers and malformed hands. These are all common telltales of AI art. I know there's some photoshop involved in cutting holes to the carriage jpg to add the cheese drawings, but there are more signs within the illustration. Hope you find this useful.
@makenziegruenig7535 sure! I did answer this a couple of days ago but it seems my comment was deleted. If you look at the caricatures, horse and horse carriage you'll see many inconsistent lines, clothes folds, shading and even badly drawn shapes (in the carriage for example, the placement of the back wheel and the missing fourth wheel, as well as the side panel that implies curvature while is flat). These are all common AI drawing inaccuracies.
That´s what makes american "chesse" so 'murican. Adding cheap chemicals and saltwater to perfectly fine cheese (50% or more by weight) and selling it for a higher price - only if they find a way to add some HFCS they could make it even more American - and awful.
Dear Dan, now back to the nerdy stuff??? The shameless pandering of the cool nacho cheese shirt hit all my nerdy buttons! I love to make Mac and cheese but tend to stay away from American Cheese because I only have seen the plastic yellow stuff in the stores. I simply couldn’t stomach that cheese in my cooking. Now I will go in search of the white block American cheese that you used. Here is my plug for buying citric acid. It also is used to make ATK’s Satiny Posset. Fun times with chemistry in the kitchen!❤
I beg to differ. The "best" mac and cheese is just an opinion, like the "best" flavor of ice cream, so my dad's recipe for mac and cheese is the best for me and my family, namely layers of shredded extra sharp cheddar and undercooked elbows, topped with hot milk so the noodles just barely peek out of the milk's surface. Dot liberally with small gobs of butter, then bake at 300 degrees until browned on the top. Any time I make this for a gathering I get kudos for the best mac and cheese. I don't care for a cheesy sauce mixed with already cooked macaroni. The elbows absorb the cheese flavor better when baked, and the texture IMHO is much superior.
A-. you didn't mention how currently, commerically sold "american cheese" already does have starch as an ingredient. so while your use/description of how to use sodium citrate on it's own was correct, you should be telling people to add in a little starch to their custom cheese slurry, to get it to behave just like the store bought stuff. otherwise, when it cools, it RAPID goes through the phase change from liquid to solid. adding in the starch, and more liquid, extends that phase change transition. which, you got correct by "not draining the pasta water" in your final recipe.
For anyone worried about chemicals in their cheese, you can premix some baking soda and lemon juice for the same effect (which, just makes sodium citrate, it's not a scary mystery chemical) th-cam.com/users/shortsKKG-LznoJJo?si=4UAMLfBmdrs6_-x_
Ham and broccoli I feel sorry for you folks who think blue box mac and cheese is good!, then top with more cheese, and bake until the cheese topping almost burns.
"Deputy" included in the professional hierarchy? Sounds so official. Wish it were easier to find American cheese in the block style you used in the video. And this is coming from someone who lives in Wisconsin.
I really don't understand how anyone can like American cheese. I find it tasteless. I don't like it at all. I grew up eating mac and cheese made by my mother using sharp cheddar, milk and butter melted and stirred together in the pan with the macaroni. Maybe the sauce wasn't as smooth as yours, I don't know. But it tasted great.
The main recipe linked at the very top doesn't include sodium citrate located anywhere in the ingredients or instructions, just mentions it briefly in the note before it.
@@liamharrell thanks, wasn't thinking about that. I was just surprised because in the actual video he's adding it as an ingredient. So I thought it was going to be a one for one, in terms of the video to the recipe!
It's actually the 2nd recipe called Cheesier Nacho Cheese Sauce that uses sodium citrate. You can dip chips in it or use it for mac and cheese like I do in the video.
My mac and cheese lovers! Thanks for watching. Let me know if you try one or both recipes.
Hey Dan - just wondering why you would use water and citrate for the cheese sauce and not cream? I would assume cream would be more flavourful and always seems to create a stable sauce for me no matter what cheese I use, but I only use a few varieties. Is the citrate bombproof in ways that other methods of making a cheese sauce (like using starchy water or a roux) aren’t?
Good call on your sweater, Dan. My favorite weird fact about sodium citrate is that it's used in phlebotomy and other medical contexts as a useful anticoagulant.
Any time I donate blood products I'm excited to get my nacho water.
Preach!
Can't try any of the recipes. They're behind a paywall.
@@fabe61 Yes, sodium citrate much more powerful. And that cheese sauce is super intense and cheesy and rich in a way that you won't be asking for cream. There is not starch, etc. to get in the way of the cheese flavor.
If you can't easily get sodium citrate, you can make it by dissolving baking soda (sodium bicarbonate/bi-carb soda; not baking powder) and citric acid (in my experience both are easier to find in shops, though this will depend on where you live) in the water (and waiting for the bubbling to finish; this is CO2 being released as a by-product of the reaction). The 12g sodium citrate in the recipe can be made by combining 11.72g bicarb soda, and 8.93g citric acid.
ur like a stoichiometric god thank you for this
Since Citric Acid can also be difficult to find you can also use lemon or lime juice. Based on the recipe from Adam Ragusea you'd want 200ml of juice for 12g baking soda.
@OneDollarWilliam thats... a lot. There's a ton of usecases where that much lemon flavour, sugar, and water is gonna be troublesome
@@tsawy6The other problem with using fresh citrus is that you no longer know exactly how much citric acid you're getting.
You COULD use bottled juice... but honestly citric acid is easy enough to order online.
@MMuraseofSandvich would you believe i was gonna go back and edit my comment to add exactly this note, but the comment wouldnt load for me? Def would be impacts of having unreacted products!
Um I don't usually buy apparel from videos I see, but that nacho sweatshirt is friggin awesome lol
Dan: Now, back to the nerdy stuff…
Me: Didn’t know we ever left!
lol
I discovered the sodium citrate method back when 'Breaking Bad' was all the rage. I was explaining my newfound chemical mastery to my daughter, but couldn't convince her to try it. I guess I was coming on a bit strong when I said "When it comes to Mac&Cheese- I AM the one who knocks!", because she yelled, "HEISENBERG!!" at me. 😂🤣😁
Wish the recipes from these episodes would be free to access.
But he mentions the recipe in the video to the gram, just write it down?
th-cam.com/video/FRJ87vRe0oU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=_rZkbgF-PldbN9k7&t=243
Baking soda plus lemon juice equals sodium citrate. It makes that melty cheese so easy without buying some other ingredient
Well that sounds easy! Thanks!
You can also use the much more widely available citric acid, baking soda, and a small amount of water.
This is a really good video with good recipe ideas. I like it a lot. But as with almost all ATK videos, it's just an add to subscribe to the website. The links above are NOT links to recipes as stated in the video. They are links to the subscription page. You have to sign up to get the recipes shown in the video. That's too deceitful and disappointing.
Damn, I love Dan's kitchen takes. I make mac and cheese from scratch twice a year... I add crumbled bacon and top it with seasoned bread crumbs.
You should note after the recipe links that "subscription required". :(
Always with ATK. ;-(
Fun Fact: ‘Nacho’ means ‘Dance’ (the verb) in Bengali and Hindi.
american cheese is like a pantry staple you keep in the fridge. it stays good for many months and has so many uses. i like using it and evaporated milk for a rich, creamy yet very stable sauce. a thin hollandaise or gravy can even benefit from half a slice of american cheese.
How much do I love the modeling segment? So very much! Dan is my favorite on ATK!
add SPAM to mac and cheese
You can add lemon to baking soda until the bubbles stop if you want to make your own citrate.
I thought they'd mention that
Absolutely! Do be wary yields may be...interesting, as were looking for citric acid to combine with the Sodium Bicarbonate and both the fruit and soda product will usually vary (sometimes significantly in the fruit). EOD all "should" be natural so why not
I'm gonna have to make that mac n cheese and get one of those NACHO sweaters!
One of my favorite ingredients to add to Mac n Cheese is crispy bacon bits (or really crisped up carnitas.) So delicious!
I don't know Andrea Geary, but she looks like a woman I'd trust to make a bangin' cheese sauce! 😍
In addition to dry mustard and cayenne, I also add some Worcestershire sauce. Welsh rarebit-y, but so it goes.
Oooh! Yum!
worcestershire sounds great for mac and cheese!
You did not have to get back to the nerdy stuff. The sweatshirt is nerdy too. 😂Going to buy mine now!
When I do mac and cheese, I use the Béchamel method: I sauté shallots, celery and garlic in butter, add milk, and I hand grate some cheese, the sharper the better, mixed with flour and mixe everything... when the sauce is done, I had some ham and red and green bell pepper, salt pepper and nut meg. You put the whole thing an oven dish, and top with panko, butter and parmesan mixture, broil for 10 minutes, and voila!!!
I would punch you if you brought Mac and cheese with shallot, celery, ham, and peppers.
Cheese, noods, maybe a topping. No veggies and meat
I like that version too, but it's more stiff, hence why you can cut it into blocks. But sometimes I (and esp the kids) like the super flowy/creamy version in the video. They are both great.
I also like the bechamel method because that's where I can saute some vegetables that become part of the sauce. I can't imagine mac & cheese without some onions, for example. However, I can see why this other method also has its place. Not every application for melted cheese requires a bechamel.
I've found when using a bechamel base, the thickening power of the flour means I can't add enough cheese to get the flavor as cheesy as I want it. It's either a nice texture and uncheesey, or has a nice strong cheese flavor and has a consistency of concrete. Liquid + cheese + sodium citrate is the way to go, for me.
I’m not gonna hold you that sounds disgusting
I always found adding bread crumbs distracted from the smooth creaminess of Mac and cheese, it adds nothing and ruins the texture.
I've used this recipe several times and I definitely recommend it.
Being Dutch, I always feel a bit sorry for Americans having to live with that processed muck they dare to call cheese....
There is a recipe from ATK long ago in the book Best Lost Suppers that is still my favorite - Martini Mac & Cheese, with olives and cocktail onions. I add a dash of vermouth. :)
Chop up some string cheese and stir it in at the end for big gooey strings of cheese as you eat it. Also, any opportunity to combine cheddar cheese and kimchi is a win.
I always thought someone should brand sodium citrate as cheese salt
What white American cheese in a block are you using?? I have never seen that in a storei I use Sharp Cheddar blocks
For years I added cubed ham and green peas to my ATK bechamel mac & cheese but these days I only want dry mustard, nutmeg & a nice crumb topping
We need a What's Eating Dan on corn meal... Grits, polenta, stone ground etc. What's the difference? When do I want what for when?
To the brave and very hungry soul who stumbled upon a forgotten bucket of moldy milk and decided to throw caution into the wind and eat it, I salute you sir. My life is so much better for your bravery (and outright hunger).
Someone feed me right now!
A chef in Portland, OR once shared their recipe for Sake Mac & Cheese with me that uses American cheese along with cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan and I have been unable to make any other recipe for mac and cheese since-it is divine.
Bacon or spam (crisped up of course) and peas. I know peas are perhaps an odd choice but honestly they're great
I'm confused, when do you add the other 1/2 of the water?
We'll start by whisking half the water
4:16
and the sodium citrate together in a small sauce pan
4:18
until the sodium citrate dissolves.
4:20
Then, we bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
4:22
While whisking constantly,
4:23
I'm gradually adding the cheese mixture,
4:25
a small handful at a time,
4:27
whisking until fully incorporated before adding the next
At the end, to get the consistency you like.
You can actually melt cheese in water with this then add spices, herbs or anything else you want. Pour out into a mold and let it come to room temp. As it cools it will harden back to it's original state. Slice it for sandwiches or whatever you desire. Homemade flavored cheese.
If you don't have sodium citrate you can also use little of lemon juice (or citric acid) and mix it with little of baking soda. It would react and you would have sodium citrate.
Not really. The sodium citrate that results from reacting citric acid and sodium bicarbonate is monosodium citrate, and what you really want for emulsifying cheese is trisodium citrate.
Yep, it works. It kept my cheese smooth and melty.
@@gcvrsastill works as an emulsifier tho!
@@gcvrsa The monosodium works great - I've used it to make blue cheese whiz - great on burgers.
YES! I _just_ discovered this myself a few months ago, purely by accident! 😆 I'm a VERY SHARP cheddar fan and sometimes when my (béchamel based) sauce is ready for pasta it's just not as sharp as I'd like. Thinking "What can I add?" to brighten the sauce up I thought "What the heck, let's try a bit of lemon juice."
Now it's part of my go-to recipe!
Omg that’s so funny I use sodium citrate to make nacho cheese but I never caught that the scientific formula was nacho
When I make my mac and cheese. I use 2/3 American cheese and 1/3 cheddar cheese. This makes my mac and cheese so creamy and good.
I start with what my mom's old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook calls a "white sauce" and grate in sharp cheddar, baby Swiss, and Cojack. Winner - delicious.
Yup---aka the "bechamel method." It's a classic.
I've been using Sodium citrate in my cheese sauces for years and I can vouch for it being a game changer. Highly recommend 👌
There's an even better way. Using evaporated milk as the emulsifier.
What I don’t understand (and is not explained in this video) is why the “other” way-Ina Garten’s way-which doesn’t use sodium citrate works. She cooks milk and flour, then fold the cheese into that. And it’s very good (albeit a touch more fussy than this recipe).
@@jpp7783 Because starches and milk proteins both also act as emulsifiers
As a Canadian, this blasphemy against Kroff Dinner shall not stand, buddy.
Maroon? Showing some love for the University of Chicago (home of the Maroons and nuclear bombs).
CAULIFLOWER! Midway through cooking the pasta I love adding a head of shredded cauliflower to let it finish cooking at the same time. All coated in scrumptious cheesy goodness with the same soft texture but with hidden fibrous nutrients, this variation is seriously addictive.
Brisket, pulled apart with forks
There is a sweet lady on yt that has a cooking channel. She has a recipe for mac that she makes in a crock pot. It looks good but gives me chest pain it is so rich.
🙂👍🥂
Go further and toss in that sodium hexamethophosphate, son.
I love canned tomatoes in my M&C, baked or stove top. I am more likely to put Rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies) in a stove top version and whole tomatoes that I hand crush in baked. When I make baked M&C, I layer them in. I definitely have a preference for canned tomatoes for M&C, though I don't know why. Most other times fresh is best for me! 😂
I add a small can of sweet peas and a packet of tuna to my Mac and Cheese.
yum
@6:10 "classic American cheese features softer noodles" - I assume that should have been "classic American mac & cheese" - I can't believe this MAJOR error made it through the editing. I am happy to help and am in the Boston area. Will work for Mac & Cheese.
I'm usually a purist but when I'm feeling fancy I add smoked salmon. Not lightly smoked/lox but fully smoked chunks of sockey.
Hotdogs...and any other cured pork product 😋
I just use 4 oz shredded mild cheddar, 4 oz. heavy cream, and 4 oz. dry pasta. Cook the pasta normally. In a non-stick skillet, heat the cream and cheese over low heat, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce. If you have sodium citrate, use that, too. Don't over heat it, or the cheese sauce will break. You don't want it to boil. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet, and stirr until well combined. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately. Easy peasy.
The thickness of the sauce will depend on the ratio of liquid to cheese. If you weigh the cheese and then add the liquid as a percent of the weight you will get:
Cheese plus 0% to 35% liquid - firm, molded cheese, cheese slices
Cheese plus 35% to 85% liquid - thick and flowing cheese sauce, good for dips and quesos
Cheese plus 85% to 120% liquid - thin cheese sauce, cheese foam, fondues, mac and cheese
Cheese plus 120% liquid or more - continues to become thinner and thinner.
The final ingredient is the sodium citrate, which causes the cheese to stay together as it melts. It's typically used in a 2.0% to 3.0% ratio of total liquid plus cheese weight.
Homie throwing singles in the merch plug like he at the tiddy bar in Wisconsin 🤣🤣💪💪
Similar to what the ATK cookbook calls "Classic Macaroni and Cheese" I use 50% mild cheddar and 50% Pepper Jack. The results are nice and creamy. (No sodium citrate. No American cheese.)
Yeah, that the 'classic' way, (also often with a roux based sauce) but it never comes out like the Blue Box stuff, which is what the American Cheese/sodium citrate adds.
Quote of the Day: “Okay, back to the nerdy stuff.”
My Swedish great grandmother put some beef broth in her mac n cheese. It tended cut the richness of the cheese a bit.
Kimchi mac & cheese!!
I put a layer of corn flake crumbs and paprika on top and then bake it to be crispy. My kids love the crispy edges of the pasta
I love that
BACON!
So if I can’t access American cheese (here in the wilds of NW England), can I just sprinkle in some sodium citrate to the second recipe? At what point? Please help this forlorn expat out 🙏🏽
It's actually the 2nd recipe called Cheesier Nacho Cheese Sauce that uses sodium citrate. You can dip chips in it or use it for mac and cheese like I do in the video. And it's laid out with ingredients in the video itself.
I love adding smoked ham in my mac and cheese. I don't like most mac and cheese but I love mine. I also bake it. Oh my, so good
annie’s white cheddar and tuna was a go-to growing up, i never ate kraft mac and cheese unless it was at friendlys hahah
I've used American cheese in my mac and cheess for over 30 yrs. It's what my grandmother used as well.
That's so cool!
Do you use American cheese or American "processed" cheese? I am wondering if it even matters.
@@gardenhappy4 American. Can't stand that nasty processed stuff.
Dan, as a fellow Dan, I absolutely love your videos. You're funny, love the recipes and I'm always enthralled by the amount of science you add to the food making process.
I would imagine that images and animation are out of your realm, but it sours the whole video experience to see these animatics made with AI art. It is the equivalent of enjoying a delicious meal and finding little chunks of butyric acid in my third spoon full.
Not sure if you know, but is a big deal in the art world right now. Dunno how much time you spend in TH-cam, but you can see it happening in videos too. So many gross, inaccurate and derivative AI content/text to speech vids. This channel is too good to use AI slop.
In the ATK ads you point out how the illustrations in the book are hand made, which I'm genuinely thankful for. I would really appreciate for you to consider using real artists in your vids.
Sorry for the long message. Hope to see you eating more stuff soon!
Can I ask which part you think is AI generated?
Hi @@makenziegruenig7535. You can see them in the cheese making history drawings (around the 0:50 area), with the cartoony bodies with the realistic heads section.
Kraft's body has a bunch of random lines and inconsistent shadows. The horse and carriage as well, as there are random bits that don't belong in the drawing, inconsistent shapes and hatching, lines that merge incorrectly with other lines or shadows, bad back wheel placement and lack of a fourth wheel. Ultimately the bodies of Gerber and Stettler have similar random elbow fold lines/hatching issues. They also have extra fingers and malformed hands. These are all common telltales of AI art.
I know there's some photoshop involved in cutting holes to the carriage jpg to add the cheese drawings, but there are more signs within the illustration.
Hope you find this useful.
@makenziegruenig7535 sure! I did answer this a couple of days ago but it seems my comment was deleted. If you look at the caricatures, horse and horse carriage you'll see many inconsistent lines, clothes folds, shading and even badly drawn shapes (in the carriage for example, the placement of the back wheel and the missing fourth wheel, as well as the side panel that implies curvature while is flat). These are all common AI drawing inaccuracies.
That´s what makes american "chesse" so 'murican. Adding cheap chemicals and saltwater to perfectly fine cheese (50% or more by weight) and selling it for a higher price - only if they find a way to add some HFCS they could make it even more American - and awful.
YES LETS PUT A BIG CUTOUT OF DAN IN FRONT OF THE LETTERS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO READ. Who the hell is designing these thumbnails?
Dear Dan, now back to the nerdy stuff??? The shameless pandering of the cool nacho cheese shirt hit all my nerdy buttons! I love to make Mac and cheese but tend to stay away from American Cheese because I only have seen the plastic yellow stuff in the stores. I simply couldn’t stomach that cheese in my cooking. Now I will go in search of the white block American cheese that you used. Here is my plug for buying citric acid. It also is used to make ATK’s Satiny Posset. Fun times with chemistry in the kitchen!❤
I beg to differ. The "best" mac and cheese is just an opinion, like the "best" flavor of ice cream, so my dad's recipe for mac and cheese is the best for me and my family, namely layers of shredded extra sharp cheddar and undercooked elbows, topped with hot milk so the noodles just barely peek out of the milk's surface. Dot liberally with small gobs of butter, then bake at 300 degrees until browned on the top. Any time I make this for a gathering I get kudos for the best mac and cheese. I don't care for a cheesy sauce mixed with already cooked macaroni. The elbows absorb the cheese flavor better when baked, and the texture IMHO is much superior.
“Back to the nerdy stuff…”
Yes. The nerdy stuff. As opposed to the sweatshirt with the chemical formula for sodium citrate on it. The non nerdy stuff.
Mac n' Cheeses I've Made: w/Ham (or Tuna) & Peas; Buffalo Chicken; Blue Cheese & Bacon; Shrimp Boil - All winners.
wait wait wait, the compound that added to cheese makes cheese sauce is literally "NaCHO"?? 6.6
A-. you didn't mention how currently, commerically sold "american cheese" already does have starch as an ingredient. so while your use/description of how to use sodium citrate on it's own was correct, you should be telling people to add in a little starch to their custom cheese slurry, to get it to behave just like the store bought stuff.
otherwise, when it cools, it RAPID goes through the phase change from liquid to solid. adding in the starch, and more liquid, extends that phase change transition.
which, you got correct by "not draining the pasta water" in your final recipe.
Can you make a mac and cheese that doesn't use $25 worth of cheese? Gruyere... c'mon Rockefeller...
What is the closest substitute for American cheese among those widely available in Europe?
(my personal favorite is Gouda)
For anyone worried about chemicals in their cheese, you can premix some baking soda and lemon juice for the same effect (which, just makes sodium citrate, it's not a scary mystery chemical)
th-cam.com/users/shortsKKG-LznoJJo?si=4UAMLfBmdrs6_-x_
Ham and broccoli I feel sorry for you folks who think blue box mac and cheese is good!, then top with more cheese, and bake until the cheese topping almost burns.
"Deputy" included in the professional hierarchy? Sounds so official. Wish it were easier to find American cheese in the block style you used in the video. And this is coming from someone who lives in Wisconsin.
I really don't understand how anyone can like American cheese. I find it tasteless. I don't like it at all. I grew up eating mac and cheese made by my mother using sharp cheddar, milk and butter melted and stirred together in the pan with the macaroni. Maybe the sauce wasn't as smooth as yours, I don't know. But it tasted great.
I’m happy & you’re looking good. Yum yum to both 😊
Actually I don’t like American Cheese and I disagree because it’s not real cheese, you want real cheese for Mac and Cheese
But … Doesn’t that mean the recipe is 2/3 cup water since the rest was for adjusting consistency? Confused.
Or you could mix Baking soda with Lemon juice/citric acid to get Sodium Citrate, water and CO2.
James Joyce described cheese as the corpse of milk. America cheese is the corpse of cheese. Oversalted, adulterated.
I would argue that caccio e pepe IS macaroni and cheese. It's not, perhaps my favorite Mac & Cheese but it's pretty much pasta and cheese.
I intended to add a big squeeze of minced garlic but accidentally grabbed the minced ginger. It was OK.
NACHO shirts are out of stock in all but the smallest sizes. Very sad. :(
Bourbon infused cheddar
you're telling me the chemical formula for sodium citrate is nacho????
I’ve been a bechamel sauce and add any cheddar or hard cheese that’s shredded. Not perfect, but makes a good cheese sauce
No mention of Adam Ragusea, the guy who popularized it ?
You can just coat the shredded cheese with a little cornstarch and it will melt without clumping.
Velveeta baby!
Can’t wait to try this!!
Pickles and chocolate but not at the same time.
woah, chocolate?! I think you are in the lead.
Top with gochujang and parmesan.
The main recipe linked at the very top doesn't include sodium citrate located anywhere in the ingredients or instructions, just mentions it briefly in the note before it.
The sodium citrate is in the American Cheese.
@@liamharrell thanks, wasn't thinking about that. I was just surprised because in the actual video he's adding it as an ingredient. So I thought it was going to be a one for one, in terms of the video to the recipe!
It's actually the 2nd recipe called Cheesier Nacho Cheese Sauce that uses sodium citrate. You can dip chips in it or use it for mac and cheese like I do in the video.
@@DanielJSouza thank you! That definitely makes things clearer!
Unsubscribing now... ugh. Really? Disgusting.
I will never eat American cheese, simply because it's not cheese!