# Mac & cheese from scratch using a veloute sauce instead of bechamel? (Need answer kinda fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 3, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335 "2021-04-03T18:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335/1 "2021-04-03T18:15:47Z")
I posted this question in a long post in the “Mac and cheese hacks” thread and haven’t got a answer there yet with Saturday dinner mere hours away, so I thought I’d make my own question post. Basically I’m making some chicken stock from scratch and I had the idea to make a batch of my Mac & cheese using chicken stock instead of milk and cream in the cheese sauce (which i understand in French cooking terms is a veloute-based sauce instead of a bechemel). But I’m having second thoughts. Anybody ever try this? How’d it turn out? Should I do a half measure with half chicken stock and half milk instead? Or just forget it? > [@Favorite Mac & Cheese hacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-mac-cheese-hacks/939276/34): > > I have a Mac & cheese-based revelation for what to make for dinner tonight. First, I have to explain the m&c recipe I normally use, which is a copycat of a Mac & cheese that’s kind of locally famous, made by the Clarkston Union restaurant group. This m&c was featured on an episode of ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ that Kid Rock guest-hosted on. The copycat version I make is a huge hit with my family. Here’s how to make it: dice up some onion and garlic fine. Cook it with 4 tablespoons of butter… ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335/2 "2021-04-03T19:57:19Z")
I mean, it will basically be pasta with cheesy gravy, right? It sounds pretty good to me. I like cream in my gravy, so I’d probably add cream or sour cream. It would become a bit more like a cheesy stroganoff, perhaps. I think it sounds good enough to be worth a try. For what the opinion of a random person on the internet is worth… ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335/3 "2021-04-03T20:04:17Z")
Thanks, but the die is cast— I already made the cheese sauce so I’m stuck with the stock, for better or worse. I have tasted the cheese sauce and it’s delicious, so I don’t think I’m going to miss the milk and cream any. Cooking the noodles now- will post how the final product turns out. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335/4 "2021-04-03T20:09:24Z")
Yeah, sounds good to me. I’ll be surprised if it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-cheese-from-scratch-using-a-veloute-sauce-instead-of-bechamel-need-answer-kinda-fast/939335/5 "2021-04-03T22:39:13Z")
Yeah, it was a home run. The collagen-rich chicken stock was more than a match for the milk and cream. It gave the Mac & cheese a deeper, more savory flavor, while still being plenty creamy enough with all the butter and cheese I used. In addition to the usual sharp cheddar and Parmesan I add, I grated up some year-old Gouda and added it to the mix. That was a nice addition. I shouldn’t have doubted my instincts!