Pre-Shredded Cheese Is A Fatal Mistake For Homemade Mac And Cheese
In terms of ingredients, mac and cheese is a fairly simple dish. After all, its main components are pasta and cheese. But if you simply stick a block of cheese into a pot and hope that it melts into mac and cheese sauce, well, you'll definitely be disappointed by the outcome. To turn the cheese into a smooth, creamy sauce, most recipes call for making a roux with butter and flour, adding cream, and slowly incorporating the cheese. While you could technically add the cheese in cubes or slices, shredded cheese yields the best results.
You might assume that all shredded cheese is basically the same, but as it turns out, the kind that you buy already shredded and bagged is inferior. There's no denying it's much more convenient, but the truth is it can alter the texture and taste of your mac and cheese — and not in a good way. If you want your mac and cheese to have a velvety consistency and maximum cheesy taste, you're much better off shredding your cheese on your own.
What happens when you use pre-shredded cheese in mac and cheese?
If you use pre-shredded cheese in a quesadilla, for example, you probably won't notice a big difference in texture compared to freshly shredded cheese. But if you add it to mac and cheese sauce, two things will happen. The cheese won't melt down as smoothly and you'll end up with a broken sauce. It'll be cheesy, yes, but it won't be saucy and gooey. The taste will be slightly different, too. It will still taste like cheese, but more processed and pasty.
The reason pre-shredded cheese is so different from freshly shredded cheese is due to the fact that it has more ingredients added to it. In order to prevent the cheese shreds from clumping together before customers have the chance to use them, companies coat them in cellulose to absorb the excess moisture that causes it to happen. Some companies also use a standard anti-caking blend consisting of starch, calcium sulfate, and natamycin. When you add pre-shredded cheese to mac and cheese, you're adding these ingredients in too.
When it's acceptable to use pre-shredded cheese
If you have the choice between a bag of shredded cheese or a block of cheese, generally it's best to go with the block. However if that block of cheese happens to be a harder variety like aged parmesan, or a highly acidic one like feta, opt for the pre-shredded bag instead. Cheeses that are aged or highly acidic don't melt as readily, and will be even harder to turn into a sauce than pre-shredded cheese.
The best type of cheeses for mac and cheese, due to how well they melt, are ones that are higher in fat and moisture, such as cheddar, gruyere, and gouda. For the meltiest mac and cheese possible, it's of course always better to shred these cheeses yourself, but if you simply must use pre-shredded cheese, try to make sure that the fat and moisture content of the cheese you use is high enough to potentially offset the effects of the anti-caking ingredients.