Shredded cheese is essential for homemade mac and cheese, but for a velvety consistency and super cheesy taste, ditch pre-shredded cheese and shred your own instead.

Pre-shredded cheese can give your mac and cheese a processed, pasty flavor that won’t melt smoothly and may leave you with broken sauce.

Pre-shredded cheese has extra ingredients like cellulose and an anti-caking blend of starch, calcium sulfate, and natamycin to prevent the cheese shreds from clumping together.

The best type of cheeses for mac and cheese are those higher in fat and moisture that melt really well, such as cheddar, gruyere, and gouda.

However, if the cheese you’re using happens to be a harder variety like aged parmesan, or a highly acidic one like feta, opt for the pre-shredded bag instead.