Why Cheese Sauce Is Lumpy: A Common Item on Your Stove Is Ruining Your Meals

Imagine making a pasta sauce, but instead of a silky texture, you get lumps that resemble cottage cheese.

In 90% of cases, it is not the cooking technique that is to blame, but your stove.

The secret to a perfect cheese sauce is temperature control. If the heat is too high, the milk will boil and the cheese will curdle. Start by creating a roux, the butter and flour base that sauces are made from.

Melt 50g butter over medium heat, add 50g flour and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. The flour should lose its raw taste, but not turn brown.

Then pour in 500 ml of room temperature milk in a thin stream. Cold milk added to a hot mixture is the main cause of lumps.

Now about the cheese. Never use ready-made grated product - it contains starch, which makes the sauce sticky. Grate the cheese yourself (Gouda or Emmental are best) and add it to the sauce after removing from the stove.

If you throw the cheese into the boiling liquid, the proteins will denature too quickly and the sauce will become grainy. Stir in the cheese in batches until it melts. For thickness, you can add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard - it works as an emulsifier.

Step-by-step cooking algorithm

• Melt the butter in a thick-walled saucepan, add the flour and fry for 2 minutes.
• Pour in warm milk, whisking to avoid lumps.
• Cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Remove from heat, add grated cheese in portions, stirring.
• Season with salt, pepper, and mustard. Serve immediately—the sauce will harden as it cools.

Useful tips

Do not use aluminum cookware. The metal reacts with the acids in the cheese, giving the sauce a gray tint.

If the sauce has curdled, a blender will help save it. Beat the mixture at low speed - the texture will become smooth.

Substitute broth for milk for a richer flavor without the risk of curdling.

Example: Parmesan-based sauce cooked over high heat in a metal pan turned into lumps. Option two: Gouda melted into the sauce after removing from the stove in an enamel bowl - velvety texture.