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SHMP

davidattala

Hey all - I just had a look at the new video for cheese sauce and it looks fantastic. I've used a variation on MC's beer/cheese sauce for a mac n' cheese I put on my restaurant's menu. I was wondering if someone could explain the use of SHMP in this recipe. The internet is pretty vague as to its uses with explanations like "improves food quality".

Keep up the good work!

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Brendan_Lee_56950

It's used as a sequestering agent like the sodium citrate but has no taste and works at lower temperatures i think.

Chris_Young_80640

SHMP—sodium hexametaphosphate—is a phosphate salt that does a few things to help cheese melt smoothly.

The first is that it sequesters some of the calcium in the cheese, which it does by swapping its sodium ion for a calcium ion. Doing this helps the casein protein mesh that gives cheese its structure loosen up more easily as the cheese melts, versus coagulating and precipitating to the bottom of the pot.

Second, it's alkaline and it raises the pH of the cheese, which changes the flavor a bit. But this also helps the casein proteins disperse more evenly, which helps to emulsify the fat and water in these cheese. This keeps everything smooth and shiny, not separated and greasy.

Third, SHMP helps the casein proteins absorb more water from the mix, which also helps with emulsification.

Brandon_610

@Chris Can you use SHMP as a replacement for sodium citrate in the MC at Home mac and cheese? If so, would you use the same amount?

Chris_Young_80640

@Brandon_Hodgins — They work a bit different, and are often used in combination, but if you only have one you can use SHMP. You can use it 1:1 or perhaps a little bit less.

adey73

I've been trying to find food grade SHMP for an eternity, but can only get technical grade as Calgon, Graham salts, Sodium tripolyphosphates etc.

it's main use seems to as a cleaning aid for lab equipment.

Chris_Young_80640

You can get food grade SHMP from ModernistPantry.