Do you love mac and cheese? Will you share tips for making a delicious one?

It's the crunch that's important. Cornflakes work, but open to better ideas.

Patti LaBelle's recipe is a good one. The recipe on the Velveeta box is pretty good also.

I add sun dried tomatoes to make it chewier.

Buy some sodium citrate (it's cheap). No more greasy, un-evenly melted cheese. Makes all of your cheeses smooth and creamy, even cheddar.

Patti Labelle has different versions of hers, including a healthy one.

Robbie Montgomery of Sweetie Pie's is also phenomenal.

I add a few one inch cubes of Velveeta. Same idea as r4 but easier.

[quote]I add sun dried tomatoes to make it chewier.

Dammit, Greg!

Macaroni and cheese with tomatoes added sounds weird but this Rotel recipe is very good and everyone I've served it to loves it.

I use butter instead of margarine -- and I drain the liquid from the canned tomatoes into a measuring cup and add milk to make up the 2 Cups. After baking for 15 minutes, I top it with crushed corn chips and continue with the last 15 minutes of baking. If I don't have Rotel tomatoes on hand, I use a 14 oz can of plain chopped/diced tomatoes and pepperjack cheese instead of cheddar.

I love Mac and cheese, but like a drug addict, I’m constantly searching for the perfect balance of spices and cheese.

Rarely do I eat the perfect Mac and Cheese

I know, I know, it's not very fancy, but Velveeta makes such a delicious, creamy addition to mac & cheese.

I use that and an extra sharp cheddar added to a white sauce.

I've found that keeping it simple is the way to go.

I have a block of Velveta I bought during early Covid panic shopping. It's holding a door open right now. Would it still be good to use in mac &cheese?

I usually make one of two kinds -- the standard white sauce with lot of cheddar and a bit of Frank's hot sauce or a custard type where you mix the cooked macaroni with shredded cheese (sautéed onions are good mixed in too) and then whisk evaporated milk with eggs and pour that over the top and bake. The custard-based recipe is from an old Time Life cookbook series.

I add some hot sauce to the roux..actually a lot of it then when done I have cranberry sauce on the side. It's really delicious even though it sounds awful/

Besides velveeta and sodium citrate, other tricks to get your cheese to melt into a smooth emulsion is to use half-and-half or evaporated milk instead of regular milk in the sauce.

And personally, I can't stand bread crumbs on a baked mac 'n cheese. Croutons are the way to go. It's almost like a mac 'n cheese fondue.

Sometimes I serve my M&C with a shredded pork roast, and a good barbecue sauce on the side for both. Some pico de gallo, too.

I buy 2 boxes of Kraft's DELUXE Macaroni and Cheese, throw the noodles of one box in the garbage, and add both foil packets of cheese to the noodles after they've been boiled and drained--it's deliciously cheesy, and an almost florescent yellow!

(I'm sure it goes without saying that it's Kraft CHEDDAR Mac & Cheese I'm talking about, I wouldn't wipe my ass with the 4-Cheese version)

R16, the fluorescent yellow is the sign that it’s all chemicals

r7 you moron, the fluorescent yellow is due to two NATURAL ingredients in the cheese sauce mix: annatto and paprika.

The American South has a lock on baked macaroni and cheese as far as I'm concerned. I never heard of it until I came to this country and I tell you all that the Southerners really make a fattening and tasty one.

Patti Labelle is quite the good cook and baker. Now, her I've heard of what for her former group and her wonderful solo work. Her voice could shatter glass and she has taken fine care of it. How she learned all these decadent recipes is beyond me, OP, but she's already been made mention of upthread and I think you'll be good to go with her recipe.

[Quote] you moron, the fluorescent yellow is due to two NATURAL ingredients in the cheese sauce mix: annatto and paprika.

Sure, Jan

Has anyone here eaten at a mac & cheese restaurant? Does it taste like homemade? The one near me has good reviews but that doesn't mean it tastes like home.

R20 Traditionally, the Kraft stuff has used Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, both chemical non-natural dyes. Newer stuff seems to use annatto, tumeric and paprika instead, but check the label first.

R21, I’ve been to one in NYC. It was pretty good with about 15 different varieties

I think Mac and cheese is an American creation. I’ve never seen it in europe

The Pioneer Woman’s is the best I’ve made. It includes dry mustard and a tempered egg. I usually use elbows or small shells but broad egg noodles are pretty good too.

I wish Kraft would sell packets of the cheese sauce. The macaroni is about the size of a grain of rice.

Here’s my secret: overcook the macaroni. That way it doesn’t absorb water out of the sauce and make it to thick. For the sauce, buy Kraft Blue Box and save the macaroni for another purpose. Make crème fraiche by adding buttermilk to heavy cream and let it sit out in the counter overnight. Mix the Kraft powder in the crème fraiche for the best sauce ever. Mix with overdone rotini.

R25 It's basically a kids food, so the size of the pasta reflects that. Maybe Kraft should introduce a he-man big box version with large pasta.

Mini rigatoni works well because it holds the sauce.

When brewing your cheese sauce you add garlic, dried (powdered) is ok. Also a pinch of onion power, subjective of course, but for me there's a perfect balance. Also, try chicken powder (Wylers) instead of all salt.

R27 it used to be normal sized elbows, and the whole box used to fit in a 2 quart casserole dish.

Patti LaBelle's Mac&Cheese INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb macaroni

8 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup muenster cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

2 cups half-and-half

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Oven 350

Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rapid boil.

Add macaroni and the 1 TB oil.

Cook for 7 minutes, or until somewhat tender.

Drain well, and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt 8 TB of the butter.

Stir into macaroni.

In a large bowl, combine all of the shredded cheeses.

To the macaroni, add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, half and half, the cubed cheese and the eggs, and the seasoned salt and pepper.

Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

Dot with remaining 1 TB of the butter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and bubbly.

For me, it’s the right balance of salt and pepper that makes the difference

Mac and cheese should not be this complicated. Make a Mornay sauce with very good cheese that you preferably are using up ends of (cheddar, Gouda, Gruyère, parm) and season to taste. Boil your preferred shape of pasta (boxed or extrude your own). Pour sauce over pasta. Top with panko. Bake. Eat. Enjoy.

Yea, I'm sure all these over-the-top versions are delicious, but this is something you eat when you're hungry and want to eat NOW. So forget even the baking. Pasta with a nice melted cheese sauce on it. (Unless you have a cook who'll fix it up all nice and fancy beforehand.)

[quote] Do you love mac and cheese?

Yes!

[quote] Will you share tips for making a delicious one?

No!

I'll eat it, but not a huge fan of the stuff.

Gladys Knights Mac and Cheese

First of all, the dish is named "Ramsey," NOT "Ramsay." These people should not have printed our family recipe for which we have a copyrighted copy dated 1995.

Second, the instructions are all wrong. Look at this!

[quote]1 lb small elbow pasta, 4 cups whole milk, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cups bacon bits, ½ cup bread crumbs, toasted

Our original and actual recipe takes small [italic]broken[/italic] elbow macaroni.

Unsalted butter is wrong. It's supposed to be "unscented Jergens lotion."

It is very peculiar to insist on "kosher" salt with a recipe with bacon bits. Please leave the Jews out of this. And we only use white pepper at Chez Ramsey.

Finally, ladies, we Ramseys NEVER leave bread crumbs behind us. Obviously.

Thank you for your attention.

I've made that before R37, but I had to keep spitting out the Pips.

r18, in the future, don't act like a moron when you're calling someone a moron.

Hint: r7 didn't say anything about fluorescent yellow.

Use a slow cooker.

Here's a recipe:

R33 is right.

That said, here are my solutions for what were my two main issues with home made mac n cheese: 1. too dry, especially after sitting in the fridge and then being reheated. 2. not cheesy enough in flavour

Solutions:

1. Make double the sauce. Same amount of pasta the recipe calls for, but double the sauce. Don't just add extra cheese, double the whole lot. Do everything else as the recipe says.

2. Use a mix of strong cheese, one of which should be alpine and one of which should be either parm or pecorino. I use Appenzeller for the alpine and that cheese sauce is so goddamned intensely cheesy. If you insist on cheddar it's gotta be strong. The kind that makes you twitch when you taste it.

I often use a pinch of hot mustard powder, and I like that but I also like it without as well.

I love this creamy Mac and cheese. It freezes and reheats very well and I am asked to make it for all family/friend potluck functions. It is not baked nor crunchy. I double this recipe for 6 and triple it for big get togethers.

The best

Sadly the over-the-top varieties tend to be too cheesy

Open Amy’s Mac and Cheese Box. Follow directions on panel.

I thought Kraft used velveeta, which is nasty

R21 yes - Jacobs Pickles /Maison Pickle have really really good mac. I can relate to that post though, rarely can I find the perfect Mac and cheese. The South does have a monopoly on the baked /casserole type - I’ve never seen that done well here.

Gouda is also a really good cheese to mix in there - I can’t remember where I had that , but in general it is the best cheese to melt.

I’m also not a fan of traditional elbow mac and cheese anymore - I think fusilli or something similar is the best. Jacobs/Maison pickles are penne which also works really well - at least for theirs.

I gather most of you have never seen the inside of a gym. Start working out and stop feeding your emotions with junk food like mac 'n cheese. Break out the carrot sticks, grilled chicken and broccoli instead.

Oh my arteries!! I made patti labells mac and cheese and it was so gross. It's a fat, greasy, flavorless mess. I should've known from the ingredients alone. It doesn't matter how many cheeses she uses when they are all mild and lack flavor, and no sauce so it isn't creamy. Also calls for velveeta. I guess it depends on your palate. My favorite recipes are martha stewart's version. There's another one from ratner's cookbook (linked) which is blander but still ok.

From ratner's cookbook

Also, this stouffers copycat recipe is addictive as hell. Not fancy but everyone I gave it to loved the flavor. My only problem was the texture of the sauce, so I would experiment making a roux first and then adding milk instead of following the author's instructions

My favorite cheese is blue, so I adapted the recipe at the link to fit the amount of pasta I had -- and I used green penne made from seaweed, which looks nice with the cheese (though it tastes the same as regular pasta, so any kind would work):

BLEU MACARONI AND CHEESE

12 oz penne (or other short) pasta

3 Tbsp butter

4 1/2 Tbsp flour

2 1/4 C milk

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

scant 1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 C crumbled bleu cheese

6 Tbsp grated parmesan

6 Tbsp fresh bread crumbs

1/4 C bleu cheese

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Boil the penne in salted water till just barely tender (4-5 minutes).

Rinse in cold water and drain well.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, blend in the flour and cook several minutes over medium heat until it smells like popcorn (do not brown).

In a separate pot, warm the milk -- slowly whisk the warm milk into the roux mixture and simmer until it thickens.

Add the seasonings, Parmesan, and 2C bleu cheese.

Whisk well and cook another 3-4 minutes until smooth.

Stir the penne into the sauce and mix well.

Butter or spray a 2 or 2 1/2 quart baking dish or casserole.

Pour mixture into casserole and sprinkle with bread crumbs and the remaining 1/4 C bleu cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º F. for 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the sauce is bubbly.