I forget why the evaporated milk works so well, but it makes it just much better than just regular milk
Protein micelles. They're surfactant molecules that operate on the same principle as soap: they bond with fats on one end of the molecule, and hold everything together. The concentrated starch in the pasta (that you normally dump out when you drain pasta, like a fool) also acts as an emulsifier. The end result is a cheese sauce that's gooey—not quite liquid, and not quite solid. It's really good. You can do it with any "fondue appropriate" cheese, too: cheddar and jack are popular, but once every couple years I'm feeling like a fancy lad and make it with sharp cheddar, Gruyère, and Fontina.
My preferred method of making cheese sauce, though, is to use sodium citrate. You can get a kilogram of it for like $20, and you only need around 20 grams (so, 40¢) to make a litre of cheese sauce. A 50:35:1 ratio of cheese to water to sodium citrate makes a pretty smooth sauce, and there's no sugar or fats added to the cheese. You can also substitute other liquids for the water, too. Beer and white wine both make pretty damn good cheese sauces.
Protein micelles. They're surfactant molecules that operate on the same principle as soap: they bond with fats on one end of the molecule, and hold everything together. The concentrated starch in the pasta (that you normally dump out when you drain pasta, like a fool) also acts as an emulsifier. The end result is a cheese sauce that's gooey—not quite liquid, and not quite solid. It's really good. You can do it with any "fondue appropriate" cheese, too: cheddar and jack are popular, but once every couple years I'm feeling like a fancy lad and make it with sharp cheddar, Gruyère, and Fontina.
My preferred method of making cheese sauce, though, is to use sodium citrate. You can get a kilogram of it for like $20, and you only need around 20 grams (so, 40¢) to make a litre of cheese sauce. A 50:35:1 ratio of cheese to water to sodium citrate makes a pretty smooth sauce, and there's no sugar or fats added to the cheese. You can also substitute other liquids for the water, too. Beer and white wine both make pretty damn good cheese sauces.
Sir, I thank you for the bounty of knowledge you have given me here
Where once I was but a cheese novice, I am now on my way to becoming a cheese wizard
deleted by creator