Simple roux for mac and cheese
![simple roux for mac and cheese simple roux for mac and cheese](https://www.jocooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/baked-mac-and-cheese-1-2.jpg)
![simple roux for mac and cheese simple roux for mac and cheese](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/11/01/dining/kwr-mac-and-cheese/kwr-mac-and-cheese-articleLarge-v2.jpg)
Add a small amount of milk at the beginning and if it thickens up right away it will give you a good idea as to whether you got the roux right. The key is to cook the roux down so most of the liquid is gone and you are left with a paste that looks similar to toothpaste (that’s what I tell the kids). Before that, I would always end up with a watery sauce. In culinary school it took me multiple attempts until I finally got the roux right so that the sauce would thicken properly. The parents are in the kitchen with them but it still requires a bit of technique (and even adults don’t get it right).
#SIMPLE ROUX FOR MAC AND CHEESE HOW TO#
I’ll admit, I was a little nervous leading a group of 7-12 year olds on how to make a roux and bechamel sauce. I call it “restaurant mac and cheese” because it’s the version you find at restaurants. Bechamel sauce, cheese, breadcrumbs, the whole nine yards. In the after school program where I teach virtual cooking classes, I decided we were going to make REAL macaroni and cheese. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for the mac and cheese that comes out of a box (it’s easy and super cheap) but it’s ultra processed the powdered cheese isn’t real cheese. It wasn’t until I was well in my late teens/adult years that I had real macaroni and cheese (made with elbow macaroni, real cheese and a bechamel sauce). Like most kids, I grew up on the macaronic and cheese that you find in a blue box.