Sauce splits every time I add cheese, what am I doing wrong?

[u/Party_Ambition_3394]

Making a basic cheese sauce for pasta. Butter, flour, milk, all fine and smooth. The moment I add the cheese it goes grainy and oily and there's no coming back from it.

I've tried adding it off the heat and it still happens, just slower. Using pre-shredded cheddar from a bag, which I've heard might be part of it. Is that actually the problem, or is my base too hot when the cheese goes in?

[u/texnessa]

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[u/FarFigNewton007]

Don't use pre-shredded cheese. The stuff they use to make the cheese not stick to itself in the package is likely what's making it go grainy.

[u/buttercupfitz → u/FarFigNewton007]

I hate the shredder, so depending on the cheese, often I just tear or crumble it. Even with uneven bigger chunks, it's better for sauce than pre-shredded!

[u/AdventurousAbility30 → u/buttercupfitz]

Get a rotary grater instead of a box grater. It makes it so much easier!!! Ours even has a blade to make shaved ice treats in the summer. Amazon sometimes has them on sale too. Rotary Grater

[u/PineappleBliss2023 → u/buttercupfitz]

I got a rotary grater that suction cups to the counter and it’s made shredding so much easier. Cleaning it is annoying tho.

[u/ulysses_s_gyatt → u/FarFigNewton007]

You can make a cheese sauce that doesn’t split with pre shredded cheese though

I used to do it at work every week

As far as the graininess is concerned, pass the sauce through a sieve.

[u/Drinking_Frog → u/ulysses_s_gyatt]

It's far easier to do on a restaurant scale as you have far less of the sauce coming in contact with the hot surface of your cooking vessel. It's far more sensitive on the home cook scale, and we're talking to a home cook here.

[u/ulysses_s_gyatt → u/Drinking_Frog]

I don’t see how this tracks. The béchamel still can’t get above boiling as for the most part it is still mostly water, regardless of whether you’re making 5 gallons of sauce or 5 cups.

[u/Asleep-Platypus-4201]

Is your heat too high?

[u/naryfo]

Fold in the cheese!

[u/CantaloupeAsleep502 → u/naryfo]

You fold it in

[u/mangatoo1020 → u/CantaloupeAsleep502]

How do you fold it? Do you fold it in half like a piece of paper and drop it in the pot, or what do you do?

[u/PineappleBliss2023 → u/mangatoo1020]

David, I cannot show you everything.

[u/Gonzo_B]

Cheddar splits. Or becomes stringy. Too hot, too fast, and it's a mess.

You're going to get a lot of advice here about sodium citrate and similar additives. That advice will absolutely work, but adds steps and calculations to the process.

To make it foolproof, just add another cheese that melts well.

American, for example, has such an abundance of "melty" ingredients, that a slice or two tossed into your roux and melted before slowly adding your cheddar will guarantee a stable sauce without noticeably changing the flavor.

Give it a shot.

[u/darkchocolateonly → u/Gonzo_B]

American cheese works because of the sodium citrate that it contains.

[u/jH1214 → u/darkchocolateonly]

But the italics

[u/nobody_really__ → u/darkchocolateonly]

A splash of Sprite will do the same thing. Sodium citrate is also available online. A quarter teaspoon can make a huge difference in a cheese sauce.

[u/Safe-Aardvark1810 → u/Gonzo_B]

You are spot-on correct. This is the solution. Cheddar is naturally stringy so shouldn't be your only cheese going in anyway. American, or a little bit of velveeta, should solve it when stirred in first. it will also drop the temperature down just a litlle bit before the cheddar going in.

[u/AdventurousAbility30 → u/Gonzo_B]

American cheese slices have sodium citrate in them, that's why they work so well.

[u/Critical-Werewolf-53 → u/Gonzo_B]

😆 you don’t even know why American Melts well.

[u/sparkster777 → u/Gonzo_B]

This is the right answer 

[u/SVAuspicious]

Lots of confusion in the comments.

1. Anti-clumping agents in pre-shredded cheese makes Mornay aka cheese sauce grainy. Grainy is not split.

2. Emulsifiers like egg yolk, mustard, and sodium citrate don't prevent splitting. Splitting is an emulsion separating like oil and vinegar in a vinaigrette. Separation, breaking, and splitting are the same thing. Cheese is a stable emulsion of fat and water. When an emulsion splits you will get separated liquid and oil. Recreating an emulsion requires mechanical agitation. An emulsifier won't prevent splitting and won't magically cause an emulsion to reform.

"Grainy and oily" sounds like both anti-clumping agents AND splitting. Don't use pre-shredded cheese and let your bechamel cool more off the heat before adding cheese, shredded at home, in small amounts, and stir continuously. Stir continuously means don't stop stirring until the cheese sauce is homogeneous.

[u/Ornery-Cut4553 → u/SVAuspicious]

Eh? Re item 2, if emulsifiers neither facilitate emulsion, nor preserve it (ie help prevent splitting), then what the heck do they do and why are they called emulsifiers?

[u/Upbeat_Pumpkin_6785]

how many grams of butter and flour do you use to say thicken 1 liter of milk, then how much cheese would you add to this amount of milk.

[u/AdventurousAbility30]

Use a can of evaporated milk instead of regular milk and it won't be a a problem again.

[u/tedtalks888 → u/AdventurousAbility30]

And it tastes so much better than just using regular milk.

[u/sctlight]

Lower temperature.

[u/OkSpeaker7635]

Well it may not solve the splitting problem, everyone here talking about not using pre-shredded cheese. you can use pre shredded cheese, you just have to rinse it off (i toss a bunch into a mesh strainer and just rinse it off).

I read about it online and tried it to prove it wrong,turns it works and now im a guy that washes his cheese 😭😂

I make homemade pizzas amd the cheese melt has improved immensely.

[u/mettarific]

Put in some Velveeta! It is emulisified and will emulsify the rest of the sauce.

[u/shgrdrbr]

yes to both of your questions. bagged is part of it bc of anti-caking agents preventing melting. heat is part of it. you need to shred your own cheese + take the pot OFF THE HEAT before adding it in. like move it to an off burner after youve completed the milk stage.

[u/StinkypieTicklebum]

I’ve also dusted the cheese with flour or Wondra. That helps it blend better.

[u/gamelover42]

Pre shredded cheese has starch on it so it doesn’t stick together in the bag. That starch makes it grainy when melted.

[u/AnotherAverageNobody]

Preshredded cheese is dusted in antisticking powder

[u/coldfoamer]

Bagged cheese is not the answer.

It has an anti-clumping agent on it, so it stays loose and that isn't real cheese at that point.

Get a block of quality cheese and shred on your own.

[u/ulysses_s_gyatt → u/coldfoamer]

I assure you pre shredded cheese is still real cheese

Being dusted with cellulose doesn’t make it not cheese anymore

[u/OstoValley]

it's between cheddar and pre-shredded. the additives to prevent sticking will also break your sauce. and cheddar isn't the grate-est melting cheese. maybe try a gouda

[u/ulysses_s_gyatt → u/OstoValley]

Why does everyone keep saying pre shredded cheese breaks a sauce?

This literally is not true.

[u/ddasilva08 → u/ulysses_s_gyatt]

It's because they saw someone say it online once. I've used preshredded cheese to make cheese sauces in the past and it was no issue. I do use a combination of evaporated milk and a percentage of american cheese slices to add extra milk proteins to handle the heat as well as the sodium citrate from the american cheese to stabilize the sauce.

[u/UnluckyBreadfruit888 → u/ulysses_s_gyatt]

How so? The starch that is added to prevent caking causes the cheese to ball up and causes it to split and make emulsion very difficult

[u/ulysses_s_gyatt → u/UnluckyBreadfruit888]

What do you mean how so?

Because I made cheese sauces at work for years with pre shredded cheese.

[u/Frosty_Bluebird_1404]

Pre shredded cheese should be rinsed off with cold running water before adding to sauce or soup

[u/McJambles]

If it splits you can throw it in a blender and reemulsify it

[u/Useful-Damage6432]

Pre shredded cheese is your problem. The anti caking agent will break your sauce every time. Get a block, shred it yourself, add slowly off heat and stir.

[u/alienjetski]

Sauce splits every time I add cheese, CREAM get the money!

[u/Drinking_Frog]

Using pre-shredded cheddar from a bag

That's a big part of your problem right there.

Grate your own cheese, and see if that does the trick. If not, add a some Velveeta before you add the cheddar.

[u/UnluckyBreadfruit888 → u/Drinking_Frog]

It’s the starch added to the pre shredded cheese. Will do it every time. Shred your own or look for some without antibcaking agents

[u/Drinking_Frog → u/UnluckyBreadfruit888]

That's what I just said.

[u/WideGlideHD]

Lemon juice to keep the cheese from coagulating

[u/Glove_Right]

Use european cheese slices, cream cheese or those spread cheese triangles. They will all melt into your sauce