Grainy alfredo sauce can be disappointing, as this texture is opposed to how alfredo sauce oughts to be. Generally, alfredo sauce is a smooth sauce made with parmesan cheese, butter, and cream. And no one enjoys their alfredo cheese grainy or lumpy for obvious reasons.
When an alfredo sauce is grainy the taste and texture would be unappealing and unpleasant. This is the reason why the sauce must be carefully done to ensure that it has the perfect aroma, taste, and creamy texture desired by everyone.
A person faced with this issue will definitely seek answers as to why the alfredo sauce turned out to be grainy, some might even begin to question their cooking skills. It is best to have it in mind that when it comes to kitchen affairs there will be good and bad days, and mistakes can unintentionally happen sometimes.
Quick answer: The common reason why alfredo sauce will become grainy is because of the parmesan cheese. When you make use of packaged parmesan cheese instead of freshly shredded cheese, you might be faced with this issue.
Although there are other reasons why your alfredo sauce will become grainy and which will be discussed in this article, also stick around to learn ways to avert or rectify this kind of flaw.
4 Reasons Why Your Alfredo Sauce Gets Grainy
As we once mentioned, there are several reasons why alfredo sauce will take an unpleasant and grainy form. Below are the reasons;
1. Use Of Packaged Parmesan Cheese
When it comes to making a perfect-looking and tasting alfredo sauce, the parmesan cheese is a huge determining factor for how successful the sauce would turn out to be. Your first mistake when preparing alfredo sauce is using prepackaged or pre-shredded parmesan cheese.
Pro Tip: Ensure to make use of freshly shredded parmesan cheese. For an even better result, you can use a Microplane shredder to help shred the cheese into smaller pieces.
2. Cooked On High Heat
One other reason why your alfredo sauce is grainy is because of the intensity of the heat.
Cooking your sauce on high heat will not give the sauce an ample amount of time to cook.
Pro Tip: Make sure to slow cook the alfredo sauce on low to medium heat as this helps the cheese to cook evenly.
3. Excess Butter Or Cream
Using the right amount of butter and cream in your alfredo sauce is very important and crucial.
When a higher proportion of this butter or cream is used it can cause this classical Italian dish to become grainy.
4. Not Stirring Frequently
You must continuously stir alfredo sauce while it is cooking, as this goes a long way to prevent the sauce from clumping together or having a grainy texture.
Remedies For Grainy Alfredo Sauce
If you end up having a grainy alfredo sauce, not to worry there are several things to do to get it all fixed, smooth, and creamy.
1. Add Lemon Juice To The Sauce
If you do not mind if your sauce has a different taste from the original taste you are used to, you can add some lemon juice to the sauce. This will help break down the protein molecules that are causing the sauce to get grainy. This remedy can be a little bit tricky and might go south if not done properly. Here is how to add lemon juice to a grainy alfredo sauce;
- Allow the grainy alfredo sauce to cool down
- Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the sauce.
- Stir thoroughly to ensure that it combines well with the sauce.
- Then leave it to sit for 15 minutes.
2. Add More Cheese
If you still have mascarpone or cream cheese available, and your alfredo sauce is grainy, you can add some more cheese to the sauce.
You can do this quickly if you notice that the sauce has become grainy while you are cooking it. Unlike the lemon technique, your alfredo sauce has to be on heat before adding more cheese.
- Preheat the alfredo sauce until it is very warm.
- Add a small amount of the cream or mascarpone cheese into the sauce (add more if needed).
- Stir and simmer on low heat for a while.
3. Prepare Some Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel sauce is typical a classic and traditional sauce prepared with butter, cream, and flour.
And guess what it can come to the rescue if you are battling with a grainy alfredo sauce. This remedy is even easier and simpler when you already have a bechamel sauce at hand. All you need do is
- Put your alfredo sauce on low heat
- While the alfredo sauce is simmering, add a good amount of the bechamel sauce.
- Stir continuously
- Add some more freshly grated parmesan cheese if need be.
Useful Tips For Preventing Grainy Alfredo Sauce
No one would like to put so much effort into preparing alfredo sauce only for it to turn out to be grainy.
And as the saying goes prevention is better than cure, here are a few tips to keep in mind when making alfredo sauce with the perfect, rich, and smooth texture;
- Ensure to avoid using cheese that is more than enough for the sauce. Too much cheese is also associated with grainy alfredo sauce.
- Slow cooking the sauce on very low heat can help the sauce to cook evenly.
- Stay away from prepackaged parmesan cheese if you want a perfect-looking alfredo sauce.
- Stirring your sauce is very important, do not overlook it.
- Add the cheese at the end of the process to prevent it from getting grainy.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why your alfredo sauce is grainy, all the reasons have been highlighted in this article.
Whatever the cause of alfredo sauce getting grainy, the good news is that you do not have to toss it in the trash as it can easily be fixed. We have recommended ways to prevent this from happening or occurring.