Sodium Citrate Mac and Cheese Revisited: Tastier and Healthier

If you want to make the silkiest mac and cheese you’ve ever tasted in your life, then the key is a special kind of salt called sodium citrate.

I stole this sodium citrate idea from a sodium citrate mac and cheese recipe that Adam Ragusea made a few years ago. However, my version of the sodium citrate mac and cheese recipe is not only quicker and more health-conscious but also minimises dish usage.

So, what is sodium citrate?

Sodium citrate (E331) is a special type of salt that’s extracted from citrus fruits, like lemons and limes.

It is entirely safe for consumption and finds application in numerous everyday food items.

I’m not exactly sure how this stuff works scientifically speaking. Some people say it’s an emulsifier, others say it’s something to do with the pH balance of the cheese. I don’t know. But what I do know is that the difference this salt makes to a cheese sauce is immense.

Look at the difference here: the sauce on the left is without sodium citrate, and the sauce on the right has just a little sodium citrate added. They are otherwise identical.

The sodium citrate is the only difference. It’s insane, isn’t it?

The best part: sodium citrate is so easy to use.

Sodium citrate mac and cheese recipe

Ingredients

Serves: 3-4

• 350g semi-skimmed milk
• 200g cheese, grated¹
• 6g sodium citrate (2-3% the weight of the cheese)
• 100g small-shaped pasta (e.g. fusilli)
• 250-300g frozen broccoli (or other brassicas, such as cauliflower or Brussels sprouts)
• 25g panko breadcrumbs
• 25g butter, melted
• 25g butter, not melted
• 50ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1 tsp whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 lemon/lime juice
• Salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200^oC/400^oF (or 185^oC/375^oF if using convection).
2. Fill a medium-sized oven safe saucepan with the milk².
3. Add the sodium citrate to the pan. Put the pan on medium heat.
4. Whisk until the sodium citrate dissolves (beware: the milk can burn easily).
5. Heat until the milk comes to a gentle boil. Turn the heat down to low, add the pasta and stir until the milk stops bubbling. (The low heat means longer pasta cooking time, but less chance of the milk burning).
6. Put a lid on the pan and leave the pasta to cook until just shy of al dente (for fusilli, about 10-12 minutes. Refer to your pasta instructions).
7. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen veggies under hot tap water, then cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
8. Toss the breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt and the melted butter. Set aside.
9. Once the pasta is ready, turn the heat to medium-low and add the grated cheese a handful at a time. Whisk with a fork until it’s all melted. Repeat until all cheese has melted, and a thick, consistent sauce has formed.
10. Fold in the frozen veggies.
11. Add the non-melted butter, chicken stock, smoked paprika, onion granules, garlic powder, mustard and lemon/lime juice. (These flavourings are personal preference, feel free to add whatever you like).
12. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You will likely need to add salt, though remember the cheese has salt, and sodium citrate is a salt in itself.
13. Top the mac and cheese with the breadcrumbs, then transfer to the oven for between 25-45 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn), or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
14. Once finished, take the sodium citrate mac and cheese from the oven and let it rest 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. You can use almost any cheese in this sodium citrate mac and cheese recipe, though there are exceptions. Harder cheeses, like cheddar, edam, gruyere, etc., are easier to work with just because they’re easier to grate. But there’s nothing stopping you from using other cheeses, like brie, camembert, blue cheese, or even feta cheese. Though, some cheeses, especially those with a high water content, like ricotta or cottage cheese or whatever, or those that don’t really melt, like halloumi, unfortunately don’t work in this recipe. They either lead to a sauce that’s too watery or they just don’t form a sauce at all.
2. It’s a bit weird, but I’m going to boil the pasta directly in the milk. Then, once the pasta’s cooked, instead of draining the milk as you would with pasta water, I’ll instead keep the liquid in the pan and I’ll whisk some grated cheese straight into the milk and pasta mixture to form a sauce. The beauty of this technique is that it makes the pasta creamier, it makes the sauce thicker and, unlike most mac and cheese recipes including Ragusea’s, this is a one-pot dish. Because it’s a one-pot dish, the pan needs to be big enough to hold the milk, pasta and the cheese. The milk should only fill up the pan about halfway.