Food - Drink
The Perfect Roux Is Crucial To Mac And Cheese
By LAUREN CAHN
Restaurant-quality mac and cheese requires a rich and creamy béchamel, which requires a perfect roux. Roux is a pasty thickener commonly made with equal parts flour and fat that are whisked together, then added to stews, sauces, and casseroles, and for mac and cheese, the consistency of the roux and the right cooking time are essential.
The fat used for mac and cheese roux is typically butter, but you can also use oil. White roux with a light color, minimal cooking, neutral flavor, and great thickening power is best for béchamel, a basic sauce that will form the base of your cheese sauce, so use a timer to make sure you cook the roux on the stove top for five minutes max.
Precisely measuring the ingredients is also critical to make the perfect roux, so invest in a kitchen scale in order to get the most accurate measurements. Too much flour in your roux will give it a floury take, and may also make it difficult to get the sauce to a silky consistency for your perfect mac and cheese.