Help with cheese sauce!

[Ofchris]

I have made lots of cheese sauce but it just didn’t thicken. I don’t want to throw it away as I’ve used lots of ingredients. Can I add cornflour? I’m not an experienced cook as you can probably tell 😳

Yes, you can.
But why didnt it thicken? Did you really simmer it?

I'd mix cornflour and melted butter to a smooth paste and add it

but first - how did you make it?

Make a thick ish cornflour/ water mix (lump free) and keep adding it slowly as you stir and keep sauce on low.

Don't waste cheese sauce. It will be lovely!

I made the roux with flour and butter and then gradually added milk. Spent ages and aged whisking and it just didn’t thicken. All ingredients were as the recipie so not sure what went wrong.

And then the cheese obviously!!

did it come to the boil - it needs to do so to thicken

(cheese goes in right at the end, off the heat)

Thanks for the advice will get some cornflour.

Too much milk, I always do it by eye, two tablespoon of butter and same of plain flour, cook out for a minute or two and then gradually add milk until you get the right consistency, then add cheese a dollop of English mustard.

It was bubbling and started to thicken slightly when I added cheese but never got any thicker

Thanks for the tip *greyhare” will try that next time

Easiest cheese sauce ever is in the microwave.

200 ml of milk.
Heaped tablespoon of cornflour (I sometimes add a second small tablespoon - I like it really thick)
Whisk until you can't feel lumps.

Put in for a minute or two at a time, reducing the time when approaching the end.

Keep stirring each time you get it out. Voila. It will thicken. Add cheese and mustard.

I never bother with the stove anymore.

ah right - next time when it starts to bubble turn the heat down to minimum and let it gloop away for 5 mins. you need to cook the flour.

then add cheese etc.

I do

50g flour
50g butter
500 ml milk

all in pan together. whisk gently over med/high heat till it boils, then cook on low for 5 mins

v easy to remember

Stick it on boil again. I had to do this last week when it wouldn’t thicken. 2 more minutes on a rolling boil sorted it.

Second @Dommina - the best thing I ever learned on MN is that you can make a lovely smooth cheese sauce in the microwave in 8 minutes

50g butter
50g cornflour
700ml milk

Put it all in a jug. Microwave for 2 mins then whisk. Repeat 4 times.

Stir in grated cheese and a tbsp of wholegrain mustard

Don’t boil it with cheese in! It’ll split the cheese and make it go grainy and horrid. Do all the high temp cooking first to thicken, then off the heat and add the cheese in.

English mustard not wholegrain

Yes agree with @Teddyisahe don't boil it with the cheese in, you get the perfect consistency of sauce first, take it off the heat and then add the cheese so it just melts gently into the sauce otherwise you end up with a greasy slick of cheesy grease on top of the sauce where the cheese splits.

Thanks everyone. Definitely trying the microwave method next time!!

I have used chicken gravy granules to thicken cheese sauce in the past.

Totally agree with the microwave cornflour method - you don’t even have to even weigh ingredients I use about 3 desert spoons of cornflour to about 1.5 ltr of milk (to make a big lasagne) a a spoonful of butter. The only thing to remember is mix the cornflour with small amount of the milk until it’s really smooth before adding the rest of milk otherwise you will have lumpy sauce! And just stick it in microwave for about 90 seconds at a time take it out stir it put it back a few repeats of this and it’s done then add the butter and grated cheese and anything else u fancy seasoning wise - not salt though as cheese is salty.