I’ve always been very fond of macaroni cheese and I’m looking for a simple recipe to start off with. For future reference, I would also like to know what your favorite macaroni cheese recipes are.
Thanks.
Ummmm…Kraft, mac and cheese. There is none better and I feel confident telling my grandma that hers comes in a distant second. Damn Kraft put some kind of zing (read: crack) in that cheese sauce, and seeing your post makes me think i have to get my ass to Costco. Really sad, but I truly have never had better…I’m hoping some others post some miracle recipe (ie. don’t forget the crack)
You poor bastards! Plastic cheese and pre-Pompei macaroni and it’s comfort food!
Someone offer these lads a decent easy meal!
HG
This is the basic recipe I use, but usually add sauteed onions, crumbled bacon, and some garlic. And you can never go wrong with some extra cheese.
1 (12 ounce) package macaroni
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
Whisk the egg and milk together in a large cup. Add butter and cheese to the egg and milk. Stir well.
Place the lightly cooked macaroni in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese liquid over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the baking dish.
Bake uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is brown.
Or non-bake: Cook your macaroni. In another pan, make a nice roux, take it off the heat and add milk slowly, stirring constantly until you’ve got a lump free white sauce. Add grated sharp cheddar, freshly ground pepper, a little salt, crumbled cooked bacon and mix well. Tip the sauce into the pasta, mix well, turn into a flameproof dish, cover with a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with a little more grated cheese and brown under the grill or in the oven.
I’m eating the macaroni I made. Oh, how lovely!
Ah, I’ve been meaning to try it out. Have never made it. I found this recipe a few weeks ago. It also has a link to an interesting looking herby mac and cheese.
elise.com/recipes/archives/0 … cheese.php
And I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen a while back.
Be warned - once you do this for your kids they’ll never eat kraft again!
I was looking at the French Laundry cookbook today. It had some dish that they nicknamed mac and cheese; the ingredients were quite a variation and very creative.
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t find a decent cheese to make my macaroni and cheese!
I don’t think it’s the recipe - it’s the deep cheddary cheesiness factor that’s lacking.
I’ve tried American Heritage Sharp Cheddar (Carrefour import), PowerRed Cheddar (Taiwan brand) and Anchor Cheddar.
All bland and blase.
Back in North America I would also use Velveeta (in addition to a local cheddar) or other processed cheese, and it was fine. It’s that gooey, cheesey overload I want - not the floury, pasty, hardly any flavor taste. I’m not interested in how natural or how healthy either! (Although I draw the line at adding “cheese powder/flavor”.)
I need cheddary cheese!
Any suggestions?
[quote=“IYouThem”]Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t find a decent cheese to make my macaroni and cheese!
I don’t think it’s the recipe - it’s the deep cheddary cheesiness factor that’s lacking.
I’ve tried American Heritage Sharp Cheddar (Carrefour import), PowerRed Cheddar (Taiwan brand) and Anchor Cheddar.
All bland and blase.[/quote]
No suggestions: there used to be a extra-aged sharp cheddar at least worthy of the name - an import from New Zealand, can’t remember the brandname - but unfortunately I haven’t seen it in a year or so. It’s missed; the American Heritage is a poor substitute.
For some reason if I make it spicier it seems to “bring out” cheese flavour, although maybe that’s just me.
Costco carried, at one point, a mature English cheddar which I thought wasn’t half bad. I searched and found a [url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/dont-touch-my-cheese/44420/5 mentioning “Coastal”[/url]brand – I don’t remember whether that was the same stuff. I wonder whether they have it still.
[quote]It’s that gooey, cheesey overload I want - not the floury, pasty, hardly any flavor taste.
[/quote]
Sounds to me like you’re simply not adding enough cheese. 300g for two people would be about right; like, half the packet. Or more. Also, a roux shouldn’t taste/feel floury, it’s possible it’s undercooked (the starch hasn’t had a chance to go all gloopy).
They do! I saw it there at the Nei-Hu store just a few days ago. I like it too, nice taste.
Costco carries a Kirkland brand mac & cheese; noodles, powdered cheese mix, everything in one box. They come in packs of fifteen or so.
No, he or she is asking about sourcing the cheese for proper DIY mac & cheese.
Is that even allowed? Insert puke smiley here
I’d go with just making sure you cook your roux enough to avoid the flouriness, using more than enough cheese, and maybe adding a mild spice like paprika. And if you also grind up some breadcrumbs, mix them with more grated cheese and paprika, spread over the pasta at the end and finish in the over until its brown and crispy… damn! Maybe I’ll make some tonight!
And if you feel your cholesterol levels are still a touch low, there’s always the option of grilling some rashers till they’re crisp and crumbling them into the pasta, too.
Costco carries a Kirkland brand mac & cheese; noodles, powdered cheese mix, everything in one box. They come in packs of fifteen or so.[/quote]
I’ve tried it. It’s pale in comparison to the real Kraft Dinner stuff.
I’ve tried it. It’s pale in comparison to the real Kraft Dinner stuff.[/quote]
Yeah, I wouldn’t buy it myself, much rather just make a decent cheese casserole in the oven. Just put it out there for any die-hards.
[quote=“finley”][quote]It’s that gooey, cheesey overload I want - not the floury, pasty, hardly any flavor taste.
[/quote]
Sounds to me like you’re simply not adding enough cheese. 300g for two people would be about right; like, half the packet. Or more. Also, a roux shouldn’t taste/feel floury, it’s possible it’s undercooked (the starch hasn’t had a chance to go all gloopy).[/quote]
The Cook’s Illustrated recipe I use has half cheddar and half Monterey Jack; it’s fantastic when I make it in Canada with extra-aged cheddar. It’s alright here with the American Heritage aged cheddar, but the quality and, well, cheesiness of the cheese makes a huge difference.
(I do enjoy Kraft Dinner as well, but it’s simply a different food product - and while 1-2 boxes of second-rate KD holds some appeal, 15 boxes is just frightening.)