Homemade Macaroni and Cheese: The Topic

[Katie Meadow]

When my daughter was little and she basically went through a "white food" phase I tried hard to make my own Mac n Cheese from scratch to steer her away from Kraft. Those efforts were met with mild distaste. In desperation my technique with the boxed product was to toss half the orange packet and simply make it less toxic. I noticed some other moms going for "organic" Annie's and tried that. Once. If it is possible to cram in more salt than Kraft, Annie's succeeded. I couldn't choke it down. Back to Kraft. And I ate the leftovers. And the dog didn't discriminate, as long as it was served off the floor. 

[weinoo]

14 minutes ago, Eatmywords said:

And can I just ask who was genius who thought to add perfectly good lobster? 

I know - let's ruin two good dishes at once!

[Shelby]

So I should scratch lobster Mac and cheese off my bucket list?

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

 

And I imagine you're not even referring to the boxed stuff?  Sample any of the Annie's organic line and see new meaning in 'sucks'.   Try to refrain from cutting your tongue off.

Kraft's is vile.

[gfweb]

I occasionally make the Serious Eats M&C upon request (the one with evap milk) which is pretty decent.

 

Doesn't seize-up too much as it cools.

 

But still...

[curls]

Ah well, kick me out now.... I like just about all forms of “low brow” Mac & cheese: Kraft blue box, Annie’s, cafeteria, BBQ joints, etc. what I don’t care for are the very rich and creamy Mac & cheese versions that are so saucey that you can hardly tell that there are any noodles in the cheese sauce.

[pastameshugana]

1 hour ago, curls said:

Ah well, kick me out now.... I like just about all forms of “low brow” Mac & cheese: Kraft blue box, Annie’s, cafeteria, BBQ joints, etc.

 

That's makes at least two of us. I don't know if I can state that they are 'good' but Kraft M&C and cheap Ramen packets are something I occasionally crave. They kept me alive through my bachelor and early marriage years, and we make sure to keep them in stock (Ramen more so than Kraft, but still).

[Eatmywords]

2 hours ago, curls said:

Ah well, kick me out now.... I like just about all forms of “low brow” Mac & cheese: Kraft blue box, Annie’s, cafeteria, BBQ joints, etc. what I don’t care for are the very rich and creamy Mac & cheese versions that are so saucey that you can hardly tell that there are any noodles in the cheese sauce.

Yea, it's tough to lump them in one cat.  I've had some really nice versions in bbq, soul, pubs, at home, etc. but would never choose the boxed.  I like some sauce but worse is when the cheese breaks.  That said, Annie's is on a whole other level of horrible. I would do a 10 course tasting w kraft before an amuse of Annie's.

[kayb]

Will eat Kraft, but don't care for it. Never tried Annie's. Make homemade frequently, and it would probably fall in to some of your definitions of awful, because I use 2:1 ration of extra sharp cheddar to -- gasp -- Velveeta (one of the three things for which I use Velveeta), along with half and half and butter. I don't eat it unless I use GF pasta, but the kids clamor for it.

 

 

[BeeZee]

BC...when I went to Whole Foods to get lunch...they often had mac and cheese at the hot bar. Allows one to scoop the crusty corner as desired. It was very good, not saucy, and they did use some sharp cheese in the mix. I hate custardy M+C. Kraft was a fixture of my childhood and re-appeared in College as it was possible to cook it in the dorm using hot water pots and pilfered dairy from the dining hall.

[Anna N]

6 hours ago, curls said:

Ah well, kick me out now....

Me too but for a different reason. I have never understood the appeal of macaroni and cheese. Packaged, home-made, gussied up, doesn’t matter. It is horrid. 

[dcarch]

I like Mac & Cheese. Big Mac double cheese.

 

dcarch 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 11/4/2020 at 8:26 AM, gfweb said:

Kraft's is vile.

 

I tend to remember, way back, that Kraft's was a panacea for "Sunday morning after Saturday night".     Horizon Organic was a box brand I used to keep on hand for close to instant and guaranteed to please grandkid lunch.   And at our last family reunion, a homemade crunchy topped creamy baked version literally vanished to a crumb from the buffet table.  

[Shelby]

When I was in eighth grade and on into high school I was best friends with three other girls.  One of our after school snacks (often after a drill team practice etc.) was to make Kraft Mac and Cheese and eat it out of the pot.  We loved it.  I bought a box a few years ago to relive the memory.  One bite and I dumped it in the sink.  AWFUL.  Either the recipe changed or I've majorly refined my palate  

[AlaMoi]

there's a couple major different ways to make mac&cheese - and they produce vastly different dishes.

 

the worst, imho, is cook the pasta, dump it in a casserole, sprinkle cheese over it and put it in the oven.

 

I make a roux, thin with milk or cream, season with dry mustard / (other), melt the cheese into the sauce, adjust the sauce consistency then add the cooked pasta.  now,,, some eat it straight off the cook top - but I like to oven it for 20-30 minutes...

[Margaret Pilgrim]

36 minutes ago, Shelby said:

When I was in eighth grade and on into high school I was best friends with three other girls.  One of our after school snacks (often after a drill team practice etc.) was to make Kraft Mac and Cheese and eat it out of the pot.  We loved it.  I bought a box a few years ago to relive the memory.  One bite and I dumped it in the sink.  AWFUL.  Either the recipe changed or I've majorly refined my palate  

"A hundred years ago" I used to love Rice-a-Roni, too.   But it is now a salt bomb, as is Kraft.   My sense, it's their recipes that have changed mostly, and our palates to a lesser extent.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

.  Either the recipe changed or I've majorly refined my palate  

 

The latter, I think.

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

I tend to remember, way back, that Kraft's was a panacea for "Sunday morning after Saturday night".     Horizon Organic was a box brand I used to keep on hand for close to instant and guaranteed to please grandkid lunch.   And at our last family reunion, a homemade crunchy topped creamy baked version literally vanished to a crumb from the buffet table.  

 

As an ex-caterer, I can tell you the mac 'n cheese (the good stuff we made) disappeared almost as quickly as the pigs in blankets. Disappeared due to adult over indulgence...they were set out for the kids!

 

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

When I was in eighth grade and on into high school I was best friends with three other girls.  One of our after school snacks (often after a drill team practice etc.) was to make Kraft Mac and Cheese and eat it out of the pot.  We loved it.  I bought a box a few years ago to relive the memory.  One bite and I dumped it in the sink.  AWFUL.  Either the recipe changed or I've majorly refined my palate  

 

I'd go with B. But I'll bet the 4 of you were trouble makers.

 

22 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

"A hundred years ago" I used to love Rice-a-Roni, too.   But it is now a salt bomb, as is Kraft.   My sense, it's their recipes that have changed mostly, and our palates to a lesser extent.

 

That recently?

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, weinoo said:

 

As an ex-caterer, I can tell you the mac 'n cheese (the good stuff we made) disappeared almost as quickly as the pigs in blankets. Disappeared due to adult over indulgence...they were set out for the kids!

 

 

I'd go with B. But I'll bet the 4 of you were trouble makers.

 

 

That recently?

We did call ourselves the Fabulous Four...... (which in retrospect sounds like a group of snotty girls, but I don't think we were ...lol)

[Tri2Cook]

I use the nacho cheese sauce from Chefsteps for my mac & cheese sauce. Sometimes with the jalapenos pureed in per the recipe, sometimes just the cheese sauce minus the peppers. I play it a little loose with the cheese, there's always cheddar but there's also frequently bits of whatever other cheese I need to use up replacing part of the cheddar. I also borrow from Serious Eats mac & cheese and mix in some additional shredded cheese after mixing the sauce and pasta. It's cooled enough at that point that the shredded cheese doesn't melt into the sauce and creates little pockets of stretchy cheesiness after baking. I'm not above eating KD if it's put in front of me but I haven't made it for myself in years. When I did, I used a lot more butter than the instructions call for and a lot less milk.

[rotuts]

@Margaret Pilgrim

 

R-a-R  has a lower sodium Chicken version.

 

its their only lower salt version.

 

 

it has been difficult to find .  

 

I make it , and use 2/3 of the '  flavo(u)r [sic] ' packet.

 

its OK .  I add other items to the concoction 

 

and it gets better.  commercial items like this would not sell w lower salt

 

commercial levels of salt have been ' burnt-in ' to commercial palates 

 

and are expected by consumers.   those consumers have thus attenuated

 

their ability to taste anything but salt.   its self fulfilling commercially :

 

salt is cheap .   people can't taste anything but salt , thus cheaper ingredients

 

can be successfully used.

 

I wouldn't waste time and risk looking for it in a store

 

but Target and my RedCard is a different story.

 

its a minor part of my C-19 plan.

 

and as this is  a M&C thread :

 

target has those M&C boxes , I happen to know they come in 5-packs

 

and cannot be salvaged.  so mine went , w telephonic apologies 

 

to my local food-bank.      they are still loved by 8 year olds Im told

 

and were appreciated.

Edited November 6, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[heidih]

I bought the box Kraft but the boys really did not clammer for it. They would take 20cent ramen packets instead. They customized.  If someone handed me a bowl I would eat it (with red pepper flakes or some type of hot sauce). It is a defining icon of American cookery like Cream of Mushroom soup...

[shain]

I didn't have macaroni and cheese growing up. It wasn't really a thing here. I remember as a kid that a friend introduced me to "mac and cheese" as a sort of food hack. His version involved placing tomato sauce on top of cooked spaghetti, then nuking it so that it melts. I don't think that I was very impressed, as I don't recall ever making it myself later (and I had my fair share of "creative" concoctions as a kid). When I was a bit older there were a couple of mac and cheese products imported here (not any of those mentioned in this thread). Maybe they were bad, or maybe it was just too late for me to develop the love for it.

 

I do make macaroni and cheese like dishes on occasion. My favorite is made with a portion of smoked cheese, topped with buttered cornflakes and baked. It's great.

I also enjoyed the Modernist cuisine recipe, but not enough to make it again (maybe I will some time soon).

[weinoo]

What is lasagna, if not macaroni and cheese?

[pastameshugana]

36 minutes ago, weinoo said:

What is lasagna, if not macaroni and cheese?

Somewhere my Italian grandmother is rolling over in her grave. 😆