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14 June 2007

HELP I'm making a baked mac n' cheese and I just realized I don't have the required 2 eggs→[More:]What should I do- leave them out completely or try to fashion some sort of substitute? And if so, what? I don't have cornstarch or any egg substitute products.

post by: ThePinkSuperhero at: 13:07 | 31 comments

Lecithin granules will do in a pinch. Not that everyone has some on hand all the time. . .

posted by danf 14 June | 13:14

Nope, don't got none of those...

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 13:16

You can leave them out. The mac & cheese won't be as custardy, but it'll be perfectly edible.

Did you make a cheese sauce using a bechamel? If so, you're fine.

posted by mudpuppie 14 June | 13:16

Also, check out the Cook's Thesaurus on the eggs page for a few ideas (look under the "baking" part). I love the Cook's Thesaurus.

posted by taz 14 June | 13:18

Hmmm, my usual baked mac & cheese doesn't require eggs, so I'd be tempted just to skip them.

But they do add fat and emulsifiers, so the texture might suffer. To balance this out, you might add an extra splash of milk or half&half mixed with a little dry mustard (an emulsifier and a nice background flavor), and bake a slightly shorter time.

Um, maybe.

What's your recipe? Knowing what ingredients it calls for might help.

posted by Elsa 14 June | 13:19

under the "baking" part under "substitutes", that is.

posted by taz 14 June | 13:19

Thanks for the link, taz. I have mayo, but that just seems wrong.... I think I'll just leave the eggs out. Can't believe I forgot to get eggs! I love eggs so.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 13:20

seconding mudpuppie: my mac & cheese calls for a bechamel, which is why it doesn't need eggs. Even whipping up a quick roux and adding it to your liquid would help.

Mmmm, roux.

posted by Elsa 14 June | 13:21

The recipe I use is

2 cups (2 cups uncooked) elbow maraconi, cooked
12 ounces cheese (though I usually use more)
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon salt

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 13:21

Pinky love, you live in NY. There is a grocery store in every corner... Okay a little further, but still. By the time you google it, you'll have bought it, cooked it and eaten it.

[not obnoxious nyer]

posted by carmina 14 June | 13:22

Hahahha, I know, but I don't have any cash for the local corner places! I asked my neighbors upstairs, but all they have in their fridge is beer, lol.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 13:24

Agreed with carmina. In fact, in the 15 min. since you first posted and carmina did, I could have gone to the store to buy eggs and back.

This is, of course, assuming you have cash. [previews] D'oh! Um, okay this is why I keep a huge cuppa change in my apartment, just for emergencies like this.

I am sad because mac 'n' cheese is no longer a part of my diet. Stupid high blood pressure.

posted by TrishaLynn 14 June | 13:27

Well, if it were me, I'd make a quick roux with half the butter and and equal amount of flour, stir it until it's toasty and golden, stir in the evap milk (plus a little extra milk to make up the liquid that would come from the eggs), simmer until it thickens, and proceed as normal from there.

posted by Elsa 14 June | 13:27

beer instead of eggs, I'd try it.

and danf, please do not misunderstand, but if in a next life you have an opening for a wife, I'd like to apply.

posted by carmina 14 June | 13:28

mmm, beer.

What elsa said.

posted by taz 14 June | 13:30

(TrishaLynn, I cut the fat in my own mac & cheese down by a ridiculous amount by using low-fat or non-fat ricotta in place of half of the bechamel [often made with olive oil and low-fat milk], which also allows me to cut out lots of the added cheese. It's gorgeous: creamy and thick, but not heavy. It might still be out of bounds for you, but it's worth a thought.)

posted by Elsa 14 June | 13:31

I agree w/ elsa's roux. That's how we do it [NOT EGGIST].

posted by muddgirl 14 June | 13:31

The mac n' cheese is in the oven! I skipped the eggs this time, but you guys gave me so many great ideas for next time. Y'all are great ::bows, chef's hat falls off::

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 13:41

and danf, please do not misunderstand, but if in a next life you have an opening for a wife, I'd like to apply.

Noted. As long as you do not have a problem with Barbie heads used in creative ways. I feel that one lifetime is not nearly enough to exhaust the possibilities.

posted by danf 14 June | 13:54

*swoons*

posted by carmina 14 June | 14:00

IT'S READY! ::rings bell:: Bring your tin cups, chillen!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 14:08

taz's in greece. can I have her piece?

posted by carmina 14 June | 14:12

How is it? Is it good?

posted by Elsa 14 June | 14:55

ma! carmina's tryin' to steal my piece again! WAH!

posted by taz 14 June | 15:00

tough luck. I ate it already.

:) I am teasing. You see that, no?

posted by carmina 14 June | 15:03

*dies of starvation; shrivels and dies before responding*

posted by taz 14 June | 15:05

A wee bit off topic: doesn't NYC and it's denizens believe in debit cards?

posted by deborah 14 June | 15:28

Lot of places are cash only.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 14 June | 15:32

Hey, I made mac n chee this week, and didn't know you could put eggs in it. I made the bechamel sauce tho.

Here's a hint: a little food coloring to make it look more like the stuff is fromt the box does make it taste better for some odd reason.

posted by bunnyfire 14 June | 16:31

Here's a funny thing: once upon a time, someone told me that homemade macaroni and cheese was not as good as the Kraft dinner kind. "What's Kraft dinner?" I asked my Australian friend and she indeed did confirm that she was talking about the one in the blue box, that goes for just slightly over $1 a box here.

What I told her in reply was that I had discovered that the store brand mac 'n' cheese-in-a-box that can go 3 or 5 for a $1 can taste just as good as the Kraft dinner kind, as long as you use real butter.

Considering that I used to live on these for the last five years or so, no wonder my blood pressure has increased...

posted by TrishaLynn 14 June | 18:44

I like it better custardy than soupy...Amanda Hesser printed the two different versions in the NY Times a while ago, but I haven't compared them yet

posted by brujita 15 June | 01:17

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