floury macaroni cheese

Jen said:

I made some macaroni cheese for tea yesterday, but it tasted a little floury
to me. Any one have any idea why?

I used:
1 oz butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese.

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1 1/2 - 2
mins.

Any help appreciated.

Jen

My rule of thumb for a white sauce is 1-1-1, i.e. equal proportions of
butter, flour and milk.
Nancy T

Jen said:

I made some macaroni cheese for tea yesterday, but it tasted a little floury
to me. Any one have any idea why?

I used:
1 oz butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese.

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1 1/2 - 2
mins.

Floury taste in a white sauce usually means you needed to cook the
flour a little longer. Next time cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, that
should do it. -aem

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1
1/2 - 2
mins.

Floury taste in a white sauce usually means you needed to cook the
flour a little longer. Next time cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, that
should do it. -aem

Thanks. I'll try it next time. I didn't think it would be the quantities,
because I know you can add more flour for a thicker sauce.

Jen

Jen said:

I made some macaroni cheese for tea yesterday, but it tasted a little floury
to me. Any one have any idea why?

I used:
1 oz butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese.

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1 1/2 - 2
mins.

Any help appreciated.

Jen

Try one T flour, but from my humble experience... no matter what you
do, it's still floury tasting.

I've never liked mac & cheese made with a roux... I always remember my
grandmother's mac & cheese which was pasta, cheese and milk. Finally,
I found a recipe (posted here)... I think it was the New York Times
that was just like grandma used to make. At least similar to the way
I remember. LOL

Have you seen this one?

New York Times (I think)
January 4, 2006
Crusty Macaroni and Cheese
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 ounces American cheese or cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound elbow pasta, boiled in salted water until just tender,
drained, and rinsed under cold water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease
a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside two
heaping cups for topping.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using)
and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over
surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter
and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes.

Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty
on top and bottom.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

ntantiques said:

My rule of thumb for a white sauce is 1-1-1, i.e. equal proportions of
butter, flour and milk.

1T flour
1T butter
1 cup milk
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

Jen said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1
1/2 - 2
mins.

Floury taste in a white sauce usually means you needed to cook the
flour a little longer. Next time cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, that
should do it. -aem

Thanks. I'll try it next time. I didn't think it would be the quantities,
because I know you can add more flour for a thicker sauce.

do the 1T-1T-1cup(milk) that nancy told you about... do it in a double
boiler or in a heavy bottomed saucepan, cover and cook it for 20
minutes.... oh, boy - you've got a perfect white sauce. Not something
I'd use for macaroni and cheese, but with creamed tuna for sure.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

Jen,

OK, here's the long answer. The proportions I shared with you were
those I've used successfully for 40 years for a thin Bechamel - one
that will be further thickened by the addition of the cheese and used
to make macaroni and cheese. A dependable, classic, blonde roux has
equal amounts of flour and butter - if you want a thicker white sauce,
add more flour AND more butter. Your recipe's proportion of butter to
flour is seriously out of wack. It doesn't provide the flour the
conditions it needs to cook properly, which is why you are left with
that floury taste.

It's not just a matter of longer cooking - your minute or 2 should be
more than adequate for such a small amount and you don't want it to
brown at all. At the risk of sounding way too Alton Brownish, you need
to give the 2 ingredients time to cook and meld together...the
individual particles of flour need to absorb and become one with the
butter. Not enough butter particles to go around? Then all those
unattached flour particles will just hang around tasting eternally
pasty and give the sauce that "uncooked flour" taste. That's why the 1
to 1 ratio works so well.

Nancy T

"ntantiques" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Jen,

OK, here's the long answer. The proportions I shared with you were
those I've used successfully for 40 years for a thin Bechamel - one
that will be further thickened by the addition of the cheese and used
to make macaroni and cheese. A dependable, classic, blonde roux has
equal amounts of flour and butter - if you want a thicker white sauce,
add more flour AND more butter. Your recipe's proportion of butter to
flour is seriously out of wack. It doesn't provide the flour the
conditions it needs to cook properly, which is why you are left with
that floury taste.

It's not just a matter of longer cooking - your minute or 2 should be
more than adequate for such a small amount and you don't want it to
brown at all. At the risk of sounding way too Alton Brownish, you need
to give the 2 ingredients time to cook and meld together...the
individual particles of flour need to absorb and become one with the
butter. Not enough butter particles to go around? Then all those
unattached flour particles will just hang around tasting eternally
pasty and give the sauce that "uncooked flour" taste. That's why the 1
to 1 ratio works so well.

That makes great sense, thanks so much.

Jen

"Jen" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made some macaroni cheese for tea yesterday, but it tasted a little
floury to me. Any one have any idea why?

I used:
1 oz butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese.

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1
minute. Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it
for 1 1/2 - 2 mins.

Any help appreciated.

Jen

I'd say add more butter. Sounds like you made a roux and then added the
cheese. I don't see any liquid except milk. No broth? I'm only asking
because I use chicken broth in mine.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

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Quoted message said:

ntantiques said:

My rule of thumb for a white sauce is 1-1-1, i.e. equal proportions of
butter, flour and milk.

1T flour
1T butter
1 cup milk

I agree but to add a cheese sauce, one has to add more milk... Or am I
wrong?

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

Jen said:

I made some macaroni cheese for tea yesterday, but it tasted a little floury
to me. Any one have any idea why?

I used:
1 oz butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese.

After melting the butter, I added the flour and cooked it for 1 minute.
Then added the milk, and when it came to the boil, I cooked it for 1 1/2 - 2
mins.

Any help appreciated.

I use equal parts of butter and flour and cook it a bit. I start by melting the
butter and then stirring the flour into the melted butter and stir it around for
a while before adding the milk. I stir constantly as the milk is added and for a
few minutes longer. You really need to cook that flour both to get rid of the
flour taste and to thicken it to the max.

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

sf <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
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Quoted message said:

ntantiques said:

My rule of thumb for a white sauce is 1-1-1, i.e. equal proportions of
butter, flour and milk.

1T flour
1T butter
1 cup milk

I agree but to add a cheese sauce, one has to add more milk... Or am I
wrong?

For me, that's a good white sauce... but I won't like macaroni and
cheese made with it. I prefer milk & cheese, forget about the flour.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.