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The Kitchen Table

Dinner disaster

9 years ago

Dinner did not turn out as planned, which is putting it mildly. I was making Chicken Mozzarella with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Penne Pasta that I found online. Usually I use Taste of Home recipes and really look at the reviews for any changes or advice others offer. This was NOT from that website - big mistake. A cheese sauce was supposed to form, but it didn't. The mozzarella cheese just clumped around the chicken. The only thing I can think of is that when I bought the half-and-half, the store only had fat free, so that's what I purchased. Maybe that's why the ingredients didn't blend to make the cheese sauce? Anyway, it didn't turn out right, plus it was too much work. So I'll never make that recipe again. The really, really annoying part? I had been optimistic and doubled the recipe so there would be leftovers!

Featured Answer

prairie_rose

9 years ago

You can get fat free half and half? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of half and half?

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Comments (9)

golfergrrl
9 years ago
Try it again. Fat free just doesn't work as a half and half substitute.
sheilajoyce_gw
9 years ago
I had a similar problem once when I made a tried and true recipe but used Romano cheese that had been shredded by the processor and sold in a plastic tub. It clumped and did not melt into the cream to make a sauce. I will never buy preshredded Romano again. I was in a rush and thought I'd save time--NOT.
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Chi
9 years ago
Did you use pre-shredded mozzarella? I find that doesn't melt well because of the additives they add to keep it from clumping.
carabubble
Original Author
9 years ago
Sheila and Chi, thanks for bringing up the idea that it almost might have been the cheese. Yep, the mozzarella was preshredded, which the recipe called for. But good to know for the future that preshredded cheese might also clump.
asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)
9 years ago
I always use shredded cheese when making a cheese sauce and what I do is turn the heat up a bit before adding the cheese, then add the cheese gradually. So if something calls for 1 cup of cheese, I add 1/4 cup, stir, another 1/4 cup, stir, etc. Not sure why, but doing it that way blends everything without clumps.
wantoretire_did
9 years ago
I''m a fan of AllRecipes.com and if something looks good, I read a lot of the comments to get a feel for the recipe. If its "too much work" or has consistent low ratings, I move on.
carabubble
Original Author
9 years ago
LOL Prairie_Rose, yes, it does. I didn't purchase the fat free on purpose, or I guess I did. But only because the store was out of the regular and I was trying to buy all the ingredients Sunday night so I could come straight home on Monday and make dinner. Both my husband and my son have said it tastes fine, but that's only because they're both smart. What's that saying about the person who complains cooks next time?
dances_in_garden
9 years ago
Mozarella does not really "blend" unless it is a very creamy version, not one that is expected to stretch (for example, something you would put on pizza). Full fat and squidgy is what you need. Pre-shredded is coated with something to keep it from sticking and I find it often does not melt well. Don't know about the fat free cream though, I tried it only once and it was so sweet I thought it was flavoured coffee creamer lol!

Maybe try a better melting cheese next time.

Dances.

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