# Dry mustard in Mac & Cheese - Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069 "2011-01-01T19:00:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/1 "2011-01-01T19:00:47Z")
I keep seeing dry mustard as an ingredient in mac & cheese. Since it tastes pretty bad directly, what is it that it adds to Mac & cheese or any other dish as an ingredient? Sharp? Spicy? Umami? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/2 "2011-01-01T19:04:17Z")
Besides a bit of flavor, the lecithin helps to emulsify the sauce. That’s also why some salad dressings use a bit of mustard when mixing oil and vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/3 "2011-01-01T19:52:52Z")
We also add a small amount of nutmeg. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/4 "2011-01-01T19:56:23Z")
It adds sharpness. Most commercial cheese is rather dull these days, and the dry mustard helps brings that sharp element back to the dish. I’m not really sure which part of Mac & Cheese would need help emulsifying, though. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/5 "2011-01-01T20:01:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > We also add a small amount of nutmeg. Anybody else? FWIW, I _don’t_ put dry mustard in my mac and cheese, but just about anything that is white-sauce based, including mac and cheese, gets a pinch of nutmeg. Seems to deepen the flavor. My hubby saw me putting nutmeg in the creamed spinach on Thanksgiving, and said “Why in the hell would you put _nutmeg_ in spinach??” He just doesn’t get it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/6 "2011-01-01T20:11:31Z")
FWIW, I don’t use dry mustard in my mac & cheese since the only thing I can find around here is [karashi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karashi) and I’m not sure how that would taste. I’ve never noticed any significant difference in the flavor. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/7 "2011-01-01T20:22:47Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > FWIW, My hubby saw me putting nutmeg in the creamed spinach on Thanksgiving, and said “Why in the hell would you put _nutmeg_ in spinach??” > > He just doesn’t get it. 😉 Why would you want to ruin perfectly good nutmeg? :dubious: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/8 "2011-01-01T20:31:48Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Why would you want to ruin perfectly good nutmeg? :dubious: > > 😃 Hey, no need to tell me, friend! I don’t even _like_ creamed spinach. I was making it because _he_ likes it! When I told him I’ve _always_ put nutmeg in his creamed spinach, he was all like 😕😕 😉 Didn’t keep him from eating all of it, though. A bit of nutmeg is a small price to pay for a happy marriage! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/9 "2011-01-01T20:38:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > We also add a small amount of nutmeg. Anybody else? Yep, and a bit of cayenne - I skip the mustard. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/10 "2011-01-01T22:13:33Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > FWIW, I _don’t_ put dry mustard in my mac and cheese, but just about anything that is white-sauce based, including mac and cheese, gets a pinch of nutmeg. Seems to deepen the flavor. My hubby saw me putting nutmeg in the creamed spinach on Thanksgiving, and said “Why in the hell would you put _nutmeg_ in spinach??” > > He just doesn’t get it. 😉 This is a good thing. We used to make pasta with a smoked salmon white sauce sauce. Just a bit of ground nutmeg made the dish. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/11 "2011-01-01T23:06:33Z")
I just made a casserole today from eggs, sausage, bread, milk and cheese and it called for dry mustard. I thought the same thing as the OP… “mustard?” 🙂 Didn’t taste the mustard one bit, fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-mustard-in-mac-cheese-why/566069/12 "2011-01-01T23:12:35Z")
I put dry mustard in my meatloaf, and while it doesn’t make it taste mustardy, we sure miss it when I forget. And another meatloaf-y type thing I make, which is basically meatloaf inside a loaf or French bread ( and called, amazingly, Burger Loafer) has nutmeg. Definitely not as good without it.