Tonight was my second attempt at making alfredo sauce. Both attempts seemed to be going well...good consistency, etc. I put it on the pasta and it seemed fine. However once it started to cool a little, it became gritty b/c the cheese didn't seem to have melted enough. Tonight I kept it on the stove a bit longer, hoping to avoid the grit. That didn't work either. What am I doing wrong? The flavor would have been fine, but I just couldn't get past the texture.

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What am I doing wrong?

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You touch yourself at night.

Quit using sand as an ingredient.


Seriously, gritty? You must be the worst cook ever or your name is Pigpen, or have no idea what the term 'gritty' means.

Turn off the heat before you add the cheese. Add the cheese slowly and let it totally melt before you add more.

What type of cheese are you using? Parmesan? If you use Parmesan in Alfredo it's best to use shredded rather than grated as you'll get a smoother sauce. Though it doesn't add much to the flavor, a small amount of shredded Monterey Jack will also contribute to a smoother bodied sauce. Good luck.

I have never made it but my mom makes it perfectly and says the key is whole heavy cream and put the cheese in once you take it off the heat.

Lar - Substitue one clove of garlic crushed for the garlic powder and you might have a pretty good recipe there.

It appears that my downfall was not taking it off the heat before adding the cheese. I've been using finely shredded asiago because it's what I had on-hand (plus, I like the flavor).

Lar, my recipe looks pretty similar to yours, except it doesn't call for nearly as much butter. I use fresh garlic paste instead of powder.

In all seriousness fisk that sounds good.

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Quit using sand as an ingredient.

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when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand.

Buy jar.
Open Jar.
Heat jar.
Pour jar

If your sauce turned gritty, you actually overcooked the cheese.

[This message has been edited by Predmid (edited 6/26/2010 11:06a).]

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20-30 minutes, stirring constantly

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Stir CONSTANTLY for 20-30 minutes? No thanks.

Your parmesean cream sauce sounds delicious Lauren. I may have to give it a try sometime

This thread just screams derivative.

You ate SAND???

Tailgate wins the thread!

Dr. Red Duke used to refer to fettuccine Alfredo as "heart attack on a plate".