I found only two sources in Brussels for “citrate de sodium”:
- pharmacy: €50 for 250g
- in a packet of lemon chicken flavoring in an Asian shop
I’m not going to pay €50 to a pharmacist in order to make a smoother macaroni and cheese. I’m also not interested in bringing in flavored Asian sauces. One option would be to go to the American section of a large grocery store and buy a Kraft mac & cheese kit. Fuck that. I boycott Kraft Heinz. Probably would not find Velvita, but if I did it’s a bit off to be making mac & cheese from scratch and then having to resort to a kit of sorts anyway.
Is there a better option?
It seems fondu with cheese is a thing here. How are people emulsifying their cheese for that?
Update: it’s apparently European additive “E331” which groups 3 different things. Are they about the same for emulsifying cheese? Note as well that it’s not in the emulsifier grouping of additives for some reason.
UPDATE: The one drug store in Brussels (Grande Droguerie du Lion) has the stuff. It’s cheap enough (€23/kg) and you can ask for any quantity (e.g. 50g) as they scoop it onto a scale anyway.
not sure if this is available in Belgium like it is in the US, but cream cheese often has ingredients like guar gum or xanthan gum that help with the texture of cheese sauces. that’s what I do for “homemade” mac&cheese, a small dollop of cream cheese in addition to whatever other cheese(s) I’m using, and it helps it melt and become smooth and homogenous