Sodium Citrate Mac & Cheese

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A common food additive allows you to make silky-smooth mac & cheese at home. Ever so slightly modified from Adam Ragusea.

  • 1 lb dried pasta shellbows
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1⁄2 lb sharp Cheddar
  • 1⁄2 lb smoked Gouda
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tsp sodium citrate
  • 1⁄2 tsp mustard powder
  • 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
  • black pepper
  • cayenne pepper
  1. Start the oven preheating to 350℉ (325℉ if using convection fan) and put a pot of water on the boil for the pasta. Grate the cheese.
  2. In another pot¹, warm the milk and wine on medium heat. Put in the sodium citrate, mustard and garlic powders, many grinds of pepper and a pinch of cayenne. When warmed, put in the butter, right from the fridge². Gradually whisk in handfuls of cheese until everything is melted in, then turn off the heat.
  3. Salt the pasta water and par-boil the shells for ~4 minutes less then the package reccomended time fo al dente³.
  4. Optionally, oil or spray a baking dish that holds at least 2.5 quarts. Pour in the drained pasta and then the cheese sauce⁴. Stir to combine. Cover the dish and bake for 45 minutes.
  5. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until brown on top. If you want it more brown, turn on the broiler at the very end. Let rest 30 min before scooping it out.

¹ Preferably a pot with a thick, heavy bottom.

² The butter needs to be cold so it takes longer to melt. The longer it takes to melt, the better the emulsion.

³ We want to under cook the pasta as it will cook more in the oven. If we cooked completely, we'd have Mush & Cheese.

⁴ If doubling the recipe, I find it easier to return the drained pasta to the large pot, and pour the cheese sauce into it. Then using a large ladel, ladel the pasta and cheese sause into two baking dishes.

-1 year of life/bite