What happened to my macaroni cheese?

[Dr Murdoch]

I made a macaroni cheese a few days ago. It seemed fine in the saucepan, I then transferred to an oven dish, and topped it with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

All good so far..

However, I removed it from the oven and let it cool, I then divided it up into portions and popped them in the freezer. I noticed that it had solidified when I was dividing it up, but assumed once reheated the sauce would thin and all would be fine.

Nope!

The sauce is so thick its more cake like than sauce, almost like its congealed?

Main ingredients are full fat milk, double cream, butter, flour, bacon and macaroni.

Is this dish 'unfreezable'?

[prand]

You may find it melts when reheated to a point, but I find that the pasta will have continued to absorb the liquid from the cheese sauce, and it will not be "unfreezable" when warmed up again.

I get around it somewhat by making the cheese sauce with a lot less flour to avoid a doughy cement left behind, more milk and and much more cheese which melts when it reheated (the fat from the cheese doesn't get absorbed into the pasta) , and also overcooking the pasta so it absorbs less water into the pasta. Not ideal but it makes frozen/chilled mac & cheese more appetising, but I can't ever make it as good as fresh.

My wife gets round this by reheating the mac & cheese in a pan with some extra milk but not ideal as you lose the nice crispy topping and makes it a bit lumpy.

[So]

prand said:

Your problem is that the pasta will have continued to absorb the liquid from the cheese sauce, and it will not be "unfreezable" when warmed up again.

I have had this issue, I get around it somewhat by making the cheese sauce with a lot less flour to avoid a doughy cement left behind, more milk and and much more cheese which melts when it reheated (the fat from the cheese doesn't get absorbed into the pasta) , and also overcooking the pasta so it absorbs less water into the pasta. Not ideal but it makes frozen/chilled mac & cheese more appetising, but I can't ever make it as good as fresh.

My wife gets round this by reheating the mac & cheese in a pan with some extra milk but you lose the nice crispy topping and makes it a bit lumpy.

I get round it by buying macaroni cheese from M&S as and when it's required.

[prand]

So said:

I get round it by buying macaroni cheese from M&S as and when it's required.

Macaroni cheese from M&S= £8.00 per kg

Macaroni Cheese made at home= £1.00 per kg

[So]

prand said:

So said:

I get round it by buying macaroni cheese from M&S as and when it's required.

Macaroni cheese from M&S= £8.00 per kg

Macaroni Cheese made at home= £1.00 per kg

I cannot eat a kilogram of macaroni cheese.

[cbmotorsport]

As you reheat it, let the sauce down with some extra milk, a little at a time. It should come back fine, although will never be as good as when made fresh.

Or..thaw it, roll it up into balls/cylinders, pane it (flour/egg/bread crumbs) and deep dry it. Delicious.

[C0ffin D0dger]

[TIGA84]

Dr Murdoch said:

I made a macaroni cheese a few days ago. It seemed fine in the saucepan, I then transferred to an oven dish, and topped it with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

All good so far..

However, I removed it from the oven and let it cool, I then divided it up into portions and popped them in the freezer. I noticed that it had solidified when I was dividing it up, but assumed once reheated the sauce would thin and all would be fine.

Nope!

The sauce is so thick its more cake like than sauce, almost like its congealed?

Main ingredients are full fat milk, double cream, butter, flour, bacon and macaroni.

Is this dish 'unfreezable'?

Lots of starch (from the flour and the pasta) = Solid

Freeze the cheese sauce, make the pasta fresh each time, its longer, but you'll get better results.

[hondafanatic]

Wait! You have leftover macaroni cheese? Seems strange...

[omniflow]

I presume there's also cheese as one of the main ingredients.

What I normally do is slightly undercook the pasta (when boiling it) and make the cheese sauce quite runny - adding around 400ml of dry cider to a standard recipe works quite well - simmer it for a bit to evaporate the alcohol. This means it survives the baking process.

If I was going to freeze it, which I don't normally do, then I'd consider freezing it unbaked.

[Dr Murdoch]

prand said:

You may find it melts when reheated to a point, but I find that the pasta will have continued to absorb the liquid from the cheese sauce, and it will not be "unfreezable" when warmed up again.

I get around it somewhat by making the cheese sauce with a lot less flour to avoid a doughy cement left behind, more milk and and much more cheese which melts when it reheated (the fat from the cheese doesn't get absorbed into the pasta) , and also overcooking the pasta so it absorbs less water into the pasta. Not ideal but it makes frozen/chilled mac & cheese more appetising, but I can't ever make it as good as fresh.

My wife gets round this by reheating the mac & cheese in a pan with some extra milk but not ideal as you lose the nice crispy topping and makes it a bit lumpy.

Cheers Prand

[Dr Murdoch]

C0ffin D0dger said:

I like to cook (albeit to reheat again)

[designforlife]

I usually add a little butter and milk to the pan/bowl when i reheat, seems to get around this issue.

[Dr Murdoch]

hondafanatic said:

Wait! You have leftover macaroni cheese? Seems strange...

I was hoping to batch cook about 8 portions, and then use then over the next month or so when a quick, tasty meal is required.

[Dr Murdoch]

designforlife said:

I usually add a little butter and milk to the pan/bowl when i reheat, seems to get around this issue.

Thanks

[Dr Murdoch]

So said:

I cannot eat a kilogram of macaroni cheese.

The cost difference will be proportionate.

[Mobile Chicane]

Chef's tip to get as much cheese as possible into the sauce without this 'splitting' into an oily mass; a pinch of sodium citrate.

Available on Amazon.

It also works for melting down cheese into a sauce for nachos, or as a topping for anything where you want creamy, runny cheese.

[prand]

Mobile Chicane said:

Chef's tip to get as much cheese as possible into the sauce without this 'splitting' into an oily mass; a pinch of sodium citrate.

Available on Amazon.

It also works for melting down cheese into a sauce for nachos, or as a topping for anything where you want creamy, runny cheese.

I like the sound of this!

[TeeRev]

cbmotorsport said:

As you reheat it, let the sauce down with some extra milk, a little at a time. It should come back fine, although will never be as good as when made fresh.

Or..thaw it, roll it up into balls/cylinders, pane it (flour/egg/bread crumbs) and deep dry it. Delicious.

Mmmmmmmmmm....must try that sometime, it sounds lovely.

[21TonyK]

TeeRev said:

cbmotorsport said:

As you reheat it, let the sauce down with some extra milk, a little at a time. It should come back fine, although will never be as good as when made fresh.

Or..thaw it, roll it up into balls/cylinders, pane it (flour/egg/bread crumbs) and deep dry it. Delicious.

Mmmmmmmmmm....must try that sometime, it sounds lovely.

Be warned. They are addictive especially if started adding bacon, onion, mushrooms etc etc... Not that I have experimented or anything.