Cheddar sauce, cheddar cheese sauce, or cheese sauce is a traditional sauce used in English cooking. The sauce is based upon
white sauce
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, which is known as one of the 'mother sauces', and
cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. Cheddar originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset.
Che ...
. It could be seen as an English equivalent of the French
Mornay sauce
A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, white cheddar or even Parmesan cheese. A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make ...
(itself a variant of Béchamel sauce traditionally mixed with half Gruyère and half Parmesan). The sauce is made by adding an amount of cheddar cheese to white sauce and then spiced using English mustard, Worcestershire sauce and pepper among other ingredients.
It can be purchased both as a ready to use sauce and as a powder in British supermarkets. In the United States, a
mass-produced
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
cheddar sauce is purveyed under the
Ragú brand, and is called "double cheddar sauce".
Uses
Cheddar sauce can be used in a variety of ways including being poured over meats, types of pasta, vegetables and even as a dip. It is used in the preparation of a variety of British dishes, including the following:
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Fish pie
Fish pie, also known as fisherman's pie, is a traditional British dish.
Origins
According to ''Cook's Illustrated'', the dish likely was created as a dish for Lent that made use of fish scraps. John Murrell's 1615 '' A New Booke of Cookerie' ...
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Macaroni and cheese
Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom BBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce.
The ...
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Cauliflower cheese
Cauliflower cheese is a traditional British dish. It can be eaten as a main course, for lunch or dinner, or as a side dish.
Cauliflower cheese consists of pieces of cauliflower lightly boiled and covered with a milk-based cheese sauce, for which ...
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Parmo
Parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and a popular item of take-away food in the Teesside area. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese ...
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Lasagna
Lasagna (, also , also known as lasagne, ) is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can also refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such as ...
See also
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Cheese sauce
Cheese sauce is a sauce made with cheese or processed cheese as a primary ingredient. Sometimes dried cheese or cheese powder is used. Several varieties exist and it has many various culinary uses. Mass-produced commercial cheese sauces are also ...
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List of cheese dishes
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List of sauces
The following is a list of notable culinary and prepared sauces used in cooking and food service.
General
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* (salsa roja)
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* – a velouté sauce flavored ...
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References
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English cuisine
British condiments
Cheese dishes