Add This One Ingredient To Béchamel For Better Mac And Cheese

Proper homemade mac and cheese, with tender noodles swimming in a creamy, cheesy sauce, is already about as good as it gets. The culinarians of the internet, however, have a simple one-ingredient change that will take your next round of baked mac and cheese to the next level: lobster base. This product, like Better Than Bouillon's Premium Lobster Base, is essentially lobster concentrate, used to whip up a quick lobster stock for things like lobster bisque or, in this case, a simple lobster mac and cheese. "At an old job I used to make lobster mac and cheese," one Redditor shared in reference to lobster base, "where I'd mix that into the bechamel."

Just like you can turn béchamel into a cream sauce with one simple substitution, so, too, can this lone addition make you a lobster béchamel sauce. Béchamel is one of the five French mother sauces, consisting of just a roux that is used to thicken milk. Seasonings like salt, pepper, and nutmeg are commonly added, but with the taste of lobster on your side, you likely won't need any of these. Simply adding lobster stock to your béchamel would thin things out too much, so the best bet is to instead replace half of the milk with stock. Alternatively, you can keep the decadence of the all-milk béchamel, and simply stir in some lobster base. Both of these options will keep the sauce at the correct consistency while also infusing it with that lovely shellfish flavor. Once the liquids are added and cooked down, just sprinkle in your preferred cheese, and this new type of béchamel sauce, creamy and infused with loads of lobster flavor, is ready to add silky texture and incredible depth to the tender macaroni.

The beauty of using lobster base directly in the béchamel is that it ensures that every single bite of the mac and cheese tastes like lobster, not just those that feature a morsel of sweet, tender meat. It also provides a few avenues to a sort of "poor man's" lobster mac and cheese that does not require you to shell out for too much of the expensive crustacean meat — or any at all, really. If you are sticking with a more traditional lobster mac and cheese recipe, the kind studded with plenty of lobster meat, adding lobster base to the béchamel can simply be a way to increase the overall seafood flavor throughout the dish. Simmering lobster shells in the béchamel-bound milk, as is done in some recipes, has a similar effect, but the results may not be as potent as a spoonful of the base.

For a dish that boasts a similarly rich and decadent flavor without the expense, consider building the béchamel with lobster base and substituting another seafood for the protein. Frozen langostino tails can be found for much cheaper than Maine lobster, and the smaller size is no problem, as the meat in lobster mac and cheese is typically chopped into bite-sized portions anyway. Alternatively, monkfish is a popular choice for more affordable lobster rolls, and the similar taste and texture would work great with lobster base in a mac and cheese. Or you can skip the protein entirely, saving yourself a lot of money while still enjoying a delicious lobster-flavored mac and cheese. Whichever path your mac and cheese takes, lobster base is certainly an ingredient you will want in your arsenal.