how can i keep my milk in mac & cheese from curdling when i bake it?

Question

it is still good to eat just not pretty,

Answer 1

The milk shouldn't curdle--perhaps you could try mixing less milk into the mixture, and mixing the milk, cheese, and butter in a pot before putting it in the casserole. You could also create a white sauce for the mac & cheese by creating a roux--cook butter and flour over medium-low heat until golden--and then SLOWLY adding the milk until you get a smooth thick sauce. You will have to whisk this sauce a lot while you are adding the milk. This should prevent any kinds of lumps in the sauce. Just add the cheese to the white sauce, mix with the pasta, and bake.

Answer 2

It would help to know what recipe you're using. I always use a white sauce as the base for my mac and cheese and I have never had the sauce curdle or break. Here's my recipe:

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 tbsp of butter and one tbsp flour into a paste over medium high heat, then pour in a cup of milk and stir constantly while bringing it up to a simmer - don't let it get lumpy- and keep stirring until thickened. Remove from heat, season with pepper and a little mustard (optional), and stir in as much grated cheese as you want (at least two cups for a super cheesy sauce) a handful at a time, making sure each handful is melted before you add more. I use all kinds, I like straight sharp cheddar, or half cheddar and half stilton, or swiss and gouda, or pepper jack, . Just depends on my mood. Stir in the pasta (I like shells), spread it in a casserole dish, sprinkle a little extra cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Answer 3

That actually happened to me sometime. I realized I was using too much margarine and the oil in it was causing the water in the milk to separate from the other ingredients. So, it isn't actually the milk curdling, although it does look that way, I know.

My recipe called for butter, not margarine, but margarine is what I prefer. I actually cut back on the margarine in my recipe, added some more cheese and always used whole milk and it hasn't happened since.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

well, you gotta wait till the pasta has completely cooked and drained then add in the milk and stuff afterwards. You don't need to have it over the heat when adding the milk either, that is what is probably causing the curdling.

Answer 5

Use less milk, it really should not be curdling.

Answer 6

you can add a little flour, increase the amount of cheese to help out .

Answer 7

half and half