A closeup of an alfredo sauce.
FOOD NEWS
Fix Grainy Cheese Sauce With Just A Single Acidic Ingredient
By Ashlyn Frassinelli
A closeup of a bowl of queso sauce.
There's nothing like a smooth, rich, velvety cheese sauce, such as Alfredo, queso, or mornay, but getting the perfect consistency can be a struggle.
A bowl of lemon juice beside cut lemons.
To save gritty and clumpy cheese sauces, add an acid like lemon juice or white wine to unwind the clumped-up protein molecules and prevent the sauce from seizing any further.
A closeup of a pasta and alfredo sauce in a pan.
A squirt of lemon comes to the rescue of ruined sauces in a pinch. All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, and whisk vigorously.
Pasta alfredo in a bowl.
This trick works best if you haven't already added acid to the sauce. Balance is the key, as you might get the opposite effect of further breakage if you add too much acidity.