The starch particles and milk proteins in béchamel act as emulsifiers, but they aren’t very good at their job and result in poor flavor release. While we have always loved this family staple, there is an inherent problem with traditional preparations: all of the virtues of using good cheese are lost when you make a cheese sauce with flour and milk, as in a traditional béchamel sauce, the standard in nearly all macaroni and cheese recipes.Ĭheese is an emulsion of dairy fat and water, but that emulsion tends to break down when it gets hot. One of the traditional dishes we took on in Modernist Cuisine at Home is classic mac and cheese.
