Mac and cheese is never a bad thing. Unless, of course, you overstir things and inadvertently turn your creamy, luscious pasta dish into a gummy, clumped-up mess.

When noodles are in a pot of boiling water, they release their starch. If you stir them too much, excessive starch will release, leaving you with too-thick, clumpy mac and cheese.

As for the cheese, the proteins will break apart when heated up, causing a separated sauce. If you try to overcompensate with excessive stirring, it will clump-up instead.

Add a bit of starch to your cheese to prevent the fat and protein from separating. Then, let the heat melt the cheese by itself, then quickly stir it to combine everything.