Kraft boxed mac n cheese. The key is to use a lot of butter and no milk when you stir in the packet of cheesy salt.
Homemade mac-n-cheese can go fook itself.
I’m partial to kraft - it’s a comfort thing from childhood. Lived on the shit in college. I do find the Valvedere stuff to be good in a different way. I don’t care as much for the white cheddar Annie’s organic type stuff.
Just make a proper Morney sauce, Bechamel- milk/butter/flour combination, then add the shredded cheese. Toast the flour in the butter until a "blonde rue" is formed, then add the cold milk and whisk un til smooth. Then add cheese and seasoning.
Mornay sauce, so I've gone back to a simple old "just folks" recipe:
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, (about 9 oz.), divided
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1 Preheat oven to 375°
2 Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup cheese in large bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Turn into 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.
4 strips bacon
2 to 4 oz blue cheese crumbled
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
8 oz shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
6 oz dry elbow macaroni
Pepper to taste
1 cup half and half or light cream
1. Preheat oven to 350. In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
2. Caramelize onions in bacon drippings. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and place in a 1 1/2 qt casserole. Add bacon, onions, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, blue cheese, half and half and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
4. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 10 mins more until top is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
butter and flour for a roux, then milk - then add copious amounts of fontina/Mexican blend/cheddar depending on taste (I lean towards the sharper cheeses).
It’s the best I ever had. We make it with fresh pasta and it’s even better. Pancetta, maybe some ham, you can riff on it. Base recipe is fucking awesome! Best Mac n Cheese ever! - ( New Window )
On my way up to Jersey this weekend we stopped in Cape May (Wildwood Crest) for a few days. My son came down and met us. We went to diner at Two Mile Inn Crab shack and they have Lobster Mac and Cheese on the menu. So Mike orders the M and C to go so he could bring it back home and have for lunch the next day. We had to check out in the morning. I pack up the cooler in the morning but no room for the take out plus a couple other things. So I pack up the extra stuff in plastic bags with ice packs. Put it in refrigerator to keep cold. But leave it there. Duh! Another senior moment.
So this afternoon my mission is to make it up to him and make a Mac and Cheese.
and they have always been pretty awesome. She just posted a mac and cheese. Its an annoying bloggy site, but you can scroll down and skip to the recipe part.
on the menu. One day a woman popped her head in the kitchen and asked the chef "what's your secret to such creamy mac n' cheese?" The chef just fired back, "Velveeta". Turns out the woman was the NJ food reviewer for The New York Times. It was a really good review, and there it was right in the middle of it: "The chef proudly stated Velveeta" He thought no one would order it again, but jst the opposite happened. It's not my favorite, but here's the recipe. The recipe is huge, so I'd recommend making 1/4 of it for 1 lb. of pasta.
Place in in a huge bowl, and melt together over a pot of simmering water.
You can tell that it's a restaurant recipe, because all the ingredients are sold in packages, or containers at the weights listed. Btw, kids seem to love this.
this recipe for 15 years. Its has the recognition of being the only dish I make that everyone likes, from a 75 year old grandmother who lives in France to a bunch of teenage girls at a soccer party.
and then bake it in the end. Multiple cheese types. My favorite was including a habanero jack that I cold smiked prior.
Now I'm too lazy and just make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot using evaporated milk plus cheese and butter.
But a question for all you bechamel people. ALton Brown (and probably others) temper an egg into their sauce before adding the cheese. I've done it but really haven't seen that it does anything. Does anyone else here do that?
I'm liking the idea of the mornay sauce - will definitely use cheddar, gruyere. Not sure which of the otehrs I will inlcude ( fontina, parmesan, smoked gouda).
Also, liked some of the quick and easy recipes.
RE: I used to always make a bechamel and start from that Â
and then bake it in the end. Multiple cheese types. My favorite was including a habanero jack that I cold smiked prior.
Now I'm too lazy and just make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot using evaporated milk plus cheese and butter.
But a question for all you bechamel people. ALton Brown (and probably others) temper an egg into their sauce before adding the cheese. I've done it but really haven't seen that it does anything. Does anyone else here do that?
I think the purpose of the egg is to add creaminess, and I'd rather do that with cheese. Just pick creamier cheeses if you're not hitting the mark.
Homemade mac-n-cheese can go fook itself.
Homemade mac-n-cheese can go fook itself.
I’m partial to kraft - it’s a comfort thing from childhood. Lived on the shit in college. I do find the Valvedere stuff to be good in a different way. I don’t care as much for the white cheddar Annie’s organic type stuff.
A little nutmeg never hurts.
This is my go to thanksgiving mac and cheese recipe
16 oz elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter (cubes)
12 ounce can evaporated milk
2 cups half & half
½ cup whole milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese(shredded (about 4 cups))
8 ounces Velveeta cheese(cut into cubes)
8 oz gruyere
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
gross.
Anyone else grow up on that?
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, (about 9 oz.), divided
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1 Preheat oven to 375°
2 Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup cheese in large bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Turn into 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.
4 strips bacon
2 to 4 oz blue cheese crumbled
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
8 oz shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
6 oz dry elbow macaroni
Pepper to taste
1 cup half and half or light cream
1. Preheat oven to 350. In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
2. Caramelize onions in bacon drippings. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and place in a 1 1/2 qt casserole. Add bacon, onions, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, blue cheese, half and half and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
4. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 10 mins more until top is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
If you're looking for something quick and easy to make at home and don't want the packaged stuff, check out this powdered cheddar. Also great for nachos.
https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Premium-Cheddar-Verified-Artificial/dp/B076TPLFFD - ( New Window )
Best Mac n Cheese ever! - ( New Window )
So this afternoon my mission is to make it up to him and make a Mac and Cheese.
Mac & Cheese - ( New Window )
5 Lbs. Velveeta
3 Lbs. Cream Cheese
1 Lb. Butter
1 Qt. Half & Half
Place in in a huge bowl, and melt together over a pot of simmering water.
You can tell that it's a restaurant recipe, because all the ingredients are sold in packages, or containers at the weights listed. Btw, kids seem to love this.
Mac-n-Cheese - ( New Window )
Now I'm too lazy and just make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot using evaporated milk plus cheese and butter.
But a question for all you bechamel people. ALton Brown (and probably others) temper an egg into their sauce before adding the cheese. I've done it but really haven't seen that it does anything. Does anyone else here do that?
Also, liked some of the quick and easy recipes.
Now I'm too lazy and just make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot using evaporated milk plus cheese and butter.
But a question for all you bechamel people. ALton Brown (and probably others) temper an egg into their sauce before adding the cheese. I've done it but really haven't seen that it does anything. Does anyone else here do that?
I think the purpose of the egg is to add creaminess, and I'd rather do that with cheese. Just pick creamier cheeses if you're not hitting the mark.
Gruyere is good, I'm a fan of fontina, but any full fat cheese will do. I have a co-worker who makes a killer MC using gorgonzola alone.