Advice You Can Chew On: How to Fix a Grainy Sauce & Uses for Honey

Welcome back to Advice You Can Chew On! Where you ask your most trivial culinary related questions and receive accurate descriptive answers. I hope everyone is enjoying the crisp Autumn weather that is beginning to surround us. This week we have a question from a fellow food blogger on how to make a low sodium cheese sauce less grainy, as well as what to do with honey for the end of National Honey Month. Let’s begin!

Cheese Sauc

Dear Free Spirit Eater,

As you know from my blog, I’ve been put on a low salt diet for my BP. The problem is, I love Nachos (spicy cheese sauce, jalapenos, and chopped onions over corn chips). The veggies & low sodium chips aren’t a problem, but the jarred cheese sauces are full of salt. I know a bit about food, so I came up with my own recipe for nacho sauce.

Low Sodium Nacho Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt = 125 mg
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

What To Do:

1. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Mix in 2 tbsp. flour and stir with a wire whisk until well combined with the melted butter.
3. Pour in 1 cup milk and stir continuously until the flour thickens.
4. Add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir continuously until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
5. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes while whisking gently until all ingredients are well combined and the sauce is thick.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the cheese dip into a serving dish.
7. Serve on the side or as a topping on nacho chips while the cheese sauce is still warm.

The flavor’s spot on, but the texture came out grainy. What would you recommend I do differently?

Sincerely,

James K., Portland Oregon (On My Plate)

Dear James,

Not to worry! I have two solutions for your grainy cheese sauce dilemma, but I will first explain the reason behind the texture. The reason that your sauce is grainy is because you are using real cheese. Cheddar is a hard cheese, with less moisture content in it, resulting in this texture. If you would like a smooth consistency you may use processed cheese. It has a higher oil content in it, which makes it easier to break down.  If you are not willing to sacrifice the authentic cheese flavor, you will have to pass it through a chinois, if you choose this method you must work quickly. The reason you want to work quickly is because the sauce is now cooling and beginning to solidify, making it harder to work with. Passing it through a chinois after the sauce is done can also eliminate any lumps left over from the roux.

Dear Free Spirit Eater,

As you may already know, it is National Honey Month and I have yet to find a use for it other than sweetening my tea and eating with apples. I know there are other ways to use honey in the kitchen, but I have yet to discover them, any interesting suggestions?

Sincerely, 

Honey Crazed, Toms River, NJ

Honey pour (Courtesy of FlickrCreativeCommons)

Dear Honey Crazed,

I once had your dilemma, I could not find more than a few uses for honey until I began experimenting in the kitchen with a few honey products. Including mango honey spread as well as blueberry flavored honey. I would suggest you first look through your pantry and refrigerator. Take note of your inventory and decide whether you are going to make a dessert or savory dish. Adding honey to a dish does not necessarily mean it has to over power it. Using pure honey I have made turkey burgers and even marinated different cuts of meat. It adds a touch of sweetness with out taking over the dish. I have also used honey to make cake, frosting, popsicles and much more. Honey can go with just about anything. Drizzle over fruits and cereal, sweeten your morning smoothie with it, mix with olive oil, vinegar, lemon salt and pepper for a sweet salad dressing, or even mix with mustard or horseradish for a dipping sauce or condiment for your sandwich of choice. It is a great alternative to sugar not only in your cup of tea but for baked goods. But keep in mind that honey contains more moisture which cane sugar lacks, adds acidity, is much more dense and can cause your baked goods to brown quicker while baking. PickYourOwn.org has a great section on substituting honey for sugar in baking and even the jarring and canning process.

That’s it for this weeks installment of Advice You Can Chew On. Remember, if you or anyone you know has a culinary related question, please do not hesitate to ask here. You may also e-mail your question along with your name and town to FreeSpiritEater@Bromography.com. If you are having a food dilemma and need answers, this is the place to ask. Come back for more tips, recipes and advice. Until then, remember to never settle for anything less than delicious.

P.S. In the comments let us know what you use honey for. Whether it be for culinary, beauty or health purposes, we want to hear it! =]