Getting Saucy

To make Alfredo sauce, combine butter, heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese over medium heat for a few minutes, making the sauce as thick as you like. Stir it while heating to completely bind the ingredients. Add seasonings such as salt and pepper to add some flavor to your sauce. You can also stir in some additional grated cheeses, lemon zest, fresh herbs or aromatics, including parsley and garlic. Pour your warm sauce over cooked pasta, meats or vegetables and toss the ingredients together to completely coat the dish with the sauce. Alfredo sauce tastes best when served fresh, within minutes of being made.

Safe Sauce Storage

Homemade Alfredo sauce lasts for three to four days when stored in the refrigerator at just under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You can even freeze your sauce for up to 6 months at temperatures of 0 F or below. Pour your sauce into an air-tight container to keep it fresh before storing it in either the refrigerator or freezer. Because Alfredo sauce contains dairy-based ingredients, refrigerate the sauce within two hours of preparing it to prevent it from spoiling. Discard any Alfredo sauce or dishes made with it that have been sitting out for more than two hours in ambient temperatures above 40 F.

Things Are Heating Up

Alfredo sauce is an emulsion containing both fats and water, which only combine when heated. To avoid turning your Alfredo sauce into a gloppy mess, reheat it slowly in a pan over low heat so the fats and liquids meld together, just as they did originally. Add a few teaspoons of cream or half-and-half to the cold sauce and stir it frequently as it begins to warm. For best results, use a double-boiler to heat the sauce, which helps prevent the sauce from burning and separating, recommends the Tampa Tribune. Use the double-boiler to warm the sauce alone or to heat any ingredients such as pasta or meats that are covered in the sauce.

Bringing Your Sauce Back to Life

If your Alfredo sauce separates while reheating it, stabilize it by adding an egg white. Whisk the egg white into the sauce while it's heating to bind the ingredients. Continue to heat and stir the Alfredo sauce until it reaches a temperature of 160 F, when tested with a cooking thermometer, to fully cook the egg white. This may affect the texture and flavor of the sauce. To avoid any separation issues that may arise when reheating the sauce, make fresh it just before serving your dish. Freshly made sauce will also adhere to your pasta, meat or vegetable dishes better than reheated sauce.