I have made a very useful culinary discovery tonight

[MarionCole]

I can freeze bechamel sauce.

Which means it's no longer a PITA when DS wants macaroni cheese.

you know you can freeze cheese too? best way is to grate it first.

No, I didn't know that either. Although to be honest we get through cheese at such a rate that it never has the chance to go off in the fridge.

Freeze bechamel?

Freeze grated cheese?

Do you really not have the time to grate cheese?

• but you have the time to go on MN?

I buy huge 4 kg bags of grated chereeze it ese & fin ice cream tubs

Yes, I freeze cheese sauce for when dd has macaroni cheese

• because, marsbars, it is a pita to make a small quantity every time, it doesn't affect the taste or texture (or the nutritional values such as they are), and I would much rather spend the time on mn/sitting on my backside with a glass of wine/whatever

And I don't want to go over old ground again, but grated cheese is cheaper to buy than block cheese.

And I know you are ing marsbars but at least I am making said cheese sauce rather than buying a jar! (Not that there is anything wrong with cheese sauce in a jar in case I've just offended anyone, phew.)

how did I not know that grated cheese is cheaper than block? How?

Grated cheese deffo not cheaper than block cheese in my supermarket. I will only buy decent mature stuff though, so maybe that's why.

why not just make more macaroni cheese and freeze it ?

There is everything wrong with cheese sauce from a jar, imho. It is bleugh.

And I am Always Right on matters cheese-related.

So tick tick VG for the non-bleugh cheese sauce stuff.

I have assumed that cooked pasta comes out of the freezer a bit dodgy, does it not?

And like for like cheese is always cheaper grated in my experience. It's because they just grate up all the crap dog ends that are left over. I agree you can pay more for good quality mature cheddar.

Shodan I once made the fatal mistake on MN of suggesting there was something inferior about frozen roast potatoes.

Ooh yuck to cooked and frozen pasta, but like the tip on freezing bechamel, thanks.
I buy mature block of cheese and then cheap grated for putting on pasta, in sarnies for dd's and adding to rarebit type stuff, much easier. I loathe grating cheese and would happily pay more for it though.

aaah, that is why you don't freeze pasta then? I noticed a lot of recipes say suitable for freezing, is it rank then? Lasagne when I've made it survives the process ok.

MarionCole.

I feelin' reckless today!!

Thats handy knowing you can freeze cheese. Bought a pack of Cathedral city £4 couldn't find it anywhere. What a waste of money. Just found it in the freezer, I am definitely going mad.

You can also freeze fresh ginger and grate directly from frozen into whatever you're cooking. Think I may have got that from MN - anyway it's been really handy as I only ever use a tiny amount at a time.

Cheese sauce in a jar? must try that for speed, does it taste nice?

And freeze parmesan - lasts forever can grate straight from the freezer. FIL always brings me back a big block when he goes to Italy!

No it doesn't fruitshoots, don't be tempted.

oh bummer...thought it sounded a bit too good to be true. Be back to my splashy, flicky messy stirring then

Cheese sauce in a jar - shudder. Cheese sauce is really quick and easy to make in a microwave.

You can always make cheaty cheese sauce if you have very little time - heat cream or cream cheese, add grated cheese and stir till combined. serve.

ooh, Janeite how do you make the sauce in the microwave?

I do it by eye, so this may be too random:

• melt some butter
• mix in some plain flour
• whisk in some milk, tiny drop by tiny drop
• cook on medium (because otherwise it explodes and is a mare to clean)
• whisk it like a super-whisky-domestic-Goddess-esque-whisking-creature
• cook a bit more
• add cheese, grain mustard and s&p

Is grated cheese REALLY cheaper than non?

Wow