Episode 11: Modern Mac and Cheese
So Gretchen was told that this was the best macaroni and cheese recipe to be found, so she bought a large bag of sodium citrate. Then decided she should send some to Becca so they could try this recipe out! This is a world level 2 recipe, but mostly because it requires the sodium citrate, which is not too hard to find, but not going to be at your local grocery store.
Here’s what we wanted to highlight:
If you’re using an immersion blender, use a larger pot so that the foam doesn’t go over the edges.
The sauce may be kind of thin, you can correct this by adding more cheese or just go with it. We didn’t add any extra cheese and it was amazing.
Whisking by hand is no problem what-so-ever and may even be the better method as there is less risk of the sauce breaking.
Panko is way more interesting than we would have guessed!
The recipe says to melt the butter before adding it to the panko. Gretchen actually just softened her butter and mixed it in. It gave the breadcrumbs a bit more structure so when they cooked they were a bit more light and airy.
Other fun ideas we came up with: adding sour cream or butter milk towards the end, starting your mixture with milk or butter milk, topping with truffles.
Cooking on the top rack of the oven can lead to more browning on the top of the dish than is ideal, if you start to see too much browning place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top, but don’t secure the edges down, just leave the aluminum foil flat. This will deflect some of the heat without trapping steam that could lead to a soggy breadcrumb topping.
Overall this recipe is easy and comes together pretty fast, and reheats better than most things!
Enjoy Repisode 9!
Modern Baked Mac and Cheese With Cheddar and Gruyère Recipe
Cooking Bread With Electric Current Video
Other Information Sourced from:
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore Of The Kitchen, By Harold McGee
High GluttonyMacaroni and CheeseCheeseMacaroniPastaDeliciousBaked Macaroni and Cheese