Try this ... boil pasta first till al dente and put in an oblong buttered baking pan and set aside...then in separate pan, melt the butter in the pan and add the flour and cook it a bit to form a roux do not let it brown for mac and cheese....then begin adding milk slowly and stir with a wire balloon whip to smooth out the lumps. After you add all the milk continue stiring on lowish to medium heat. When you see it getting thick like a white sauce (but not too thick) put in the shredded cheese. I would say use a standard brand like kraft medium cheddar or a cheddar jack cheese mix.) Turn off the heat immediately you do not even need to cook it with the cheese in there as it will melt by itself. I usually do not add all the cheese then I add some as I am assembling the dish... Then pour the cheese sauce on your cooked pasta which is in the pan and mix it so it is evenly distributed in the baking dish, incorparating extra cheese to make it cheesier....put sprinkled cheese on top and panko bread crumbs. I like to add a bit of paprika to the top too (I tend to put paprika on everything I bake). Then bake in the oven until top is brown and crusty...the inside will be creamy cheesey though. I like to use a mix of cheese and include parmesan too my favorite...cheddar of course. I do not see how this can fail. I actually do not even use a recipe anymore for mac and cheese.
In my opinion, you should not have to resort to immersion blenders, powdered cheese or chemicals. I think you might be putting the cheese in too early and that might be the problem. Try it and see.

Other George--

Sodium citrate will work just fine. But don't back off Velveeta just yet. The new version--Queso Blanco--is extremely neutral in flavor, but its melting/dissolving powers are unequalled. Give it a try in Mac 'n Cheese--use about 25% QB, 75% other cheese. Presto chango, and you're set.

Geo

Independent George wrote:Holy smokes! Thank you for this - I am so going to try this. I've already googled, and I can apparently get sodium citrate for around $10/pound (and a pound apparently makes a LOT of mac & cheese).

I should have mentioned that I have done the Velveeta trick, and it works, but that always felt wrong to me. I can't explain why - I've long been an advocate for Velveeta in grilled cheese. I might also have to get an immersion blender, too - just to be safe, of course.

In a post above Rene G's was a post I wrote with a header from a Chef who also had a problem with the getting the right texture.

Subject: Crabby Snacks & Homemades, or, What's Cookin' at the movies

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

For Culinary Historiians in October, I made a mac and cheese to Kevin Gillespies recipe. In his header he discussed how he came to make his version:

When I first started making mac and cheese, I made bechamel with flour and milk, then added cheese. But it never tasted right. The cheese sauce was too grainy. I knew you couldn't just melt the cheese straight because it would separate. The flour stabilized it and keeps it from separating. Then one day, I was rolling down the aisle of a grocery store and saw Velveeta. I did a double take, "Shouldn;t that be refrigerated in the cheese section?" I wondered. I picked up the package and read the ingredient list. It had a stabilizer in it. Perfect! I know Velveeta is not a staple ingredient for professional chefs, but I thought, "I don't give a damn, I'm going to make the same sauce I was making before and use Velveeta instead of flour." It worked like a charm. Velveeta makes the creamiest, cheeiest mac and cheese you've ever tasted. I added sauteed andouille sausage and top the whole thing with crumbled potato chips, because that's just badass.

You cannot get from shredded cheese what Velveeta offers. I made Kevin's mac and cheese for this meeting with some last minute help from Ms. Ingie. People were licking the plates clean and eagerly taking extras home. It was also the most expensive mac and cheese I ever made. The andouille was over $20! Yet, it really was very, very good.

Regards,