None of these has a layer of grated cheddar on top that's gone all brown and delicious in the oven. You start with a very buttery roux while the macaroni elbows are cooking. Make a super cheesy sauce with a spoon of mustard in it, using full cream milk. Drain the macaroni, add the sauce, and pile it into a buttered oven proof dish. Cover with that layer of cheese. Slide it into the preheated oven and distract yourself somehow for ten or fifteen minutes. (I mean, you could use that time to make a salad but who are we kidding.)
Nah panko is the best topping. Fry it up in garlic butter. It gives a nice crunch and some garlickeyness. But yes, bechamel with mustard base. I like a good blend of cheeses (pick them yourself and shred them yourself, none of this preshredded blend crap). And don't forget to spice the sauce, paprika and pepper at a minimum.
Whereas I like roux gravy of all kinds, I'm less fond of cheese sauce made that way - typically used to make super creamy mac and cheese where you make a cheese sauce and add pasta. It's fine, some I like a lot, but a lot of them fall flat for me.
Oddly, I do like the boxed stuff. But the included pasta tends to be lame. So a while back I figured out that Amazon among others sell bulk cheese powder.
These days, I like to cook up either radiatorre or mini farafelle, then take butter, heavy cream, fresh ground pepper, and some cheese powder ot make my own "boxed"-style mac'n'cheese. I, frankly, enjoy the absolute fuck out of that.
No hate for however people like to make it. If you make something you think is great, I'd probably like it too, as if my opinion matters, but it's important that you like it, and I respect that. :)
I do also like the old baked version we had growing up - an old Southern recipe that basically involves spaghetti, milk, eggs, cheddar cheese - it's baked and often pulled out in rectangles almost like lasagne or whatever. Usually not very cheesy, but it is a comfort food because I grew up with it. A terrible failure as mac'n'cheese, mind, but still comforting and tasty anyway. lol.
Cavatappi pasta is probably my absolute favorite choice for mac & cheese, or anything saucy really. It's got ridges to hold sauce, it's spirally enough to hold sauce inside, and has enough bite to it to work well with the attached sauce.
Fry & caramelize an onion my man, throw in some bacon cubes, (+cream, pepper, salt ofc like you do) and you'd feel like you're transported to Europe magically when you eat it.
You just have to improve the surroundings, put it in a nice dish, beautiful wood table, fancy cutlery, add a bit of parsley on top for complimentary colours. Basically everything to make you not look at the actual pasta.
I legit feel like the spirals taste better than the elbow Mac, but they fill you up less... and if I made blue box I am not making it as a side dish lol.
Kraft Macaroni. Three boxes, toss out one box of noodles, using the extra packet to make the macaroni cheesier. The only macaroni that makes life worth living.
This may be a spicy opinion, but Mac'n'Cheese is just sad loser food. Like come on. It's not that difficult to cook something, much less a half decent pasta dish that's more than just cheese. At least try making it a cabonara.
I don't know that I would call it "sad loser food," but Mac n cheese is not for me. I don't enjoy the texture, the sound, or the flavor. I'm glad other people have it to enjoy.
I worked in a restaurant kitchen for years. I'm renowned in my circles for my culinary skill. Mac'n'cheese is a perfectly valid food with ample opportunity for expression of culinary skill. Stop being a hater.
Sorry that a bechamel based sauce baked into pasta isn't really cooking in your eyes. I've made both carbonara (back when I ate meat) and baked mac and cheese, the latter of which was a much higher effort production
43 replies
None of these has a layer of grated cheddar on top that's gone all brown and delicious in the oven. You start with a very buttery roux while the macaroni elbows are cooking. Make a super cheesy sauce with a spoon of mustard in it, using full cream milk. Drain the macaroni, add the sauce, and pile it into a buttered oven proof dish. Cover with that layer of cheese. Slide it into the preheated oven and distract yourself somehow for ten or fifteen minutes. (I mean, you could use that time to make a salad but who are we kidding.)
So good.
Nah panko is the best topping. Fry it up in garlic butter. It gives a nice crunch and some garlickeyness. But yes, bechamel with mustard base. I like a good blend of cheeses (pick them yourself and shred them yourself, none of this preshredded blend crap). And don't forget to spice the sauce, paprika and pepper at a minimum.
Whereas I like roux gravy of all kinds, I'm less fond of cheese sauce made that way - typically used to make super creamy mac and cheese where you make a cheese sauce and add pasta. It's fine, some I like a lot, but a lot of them fall flat for me.
Oddly, I do like the boxed stuff. But the included pasta tends to be lame. So a while back I figured out that Amazon among others sell bulk cheese powder.
These days, I like to cook up either radiatorre or mini farafelle, then take butter, heavy cream, fresh ground pepper, and some cheese powder ot make my own "boxed"-style mac'n'cheese. I, frankly, enjoy the absolute fuck out of that.
No hate for however people like to make it. If you make something you think is great, I'd probably like it too, as if my opinion matters, but it's important that you like it, and I respect that. :)
I do also like the old baked version we had growing up - an old Southern recipe that basically involves spaghetti, milk, eggs, cheddar cheese - it's baked and often pulled out in rectangles almost like lasagne or whatever. Usually not very cheesy, but it is a comfort food because I grew up with it. A terrible failure as mac'n'cheese, mind, but still comforting and tasty anyway. lol.
Cavatappi pasta is probably my absolute favorite choice for mac & cheese, or anything saucy really. It's got ridges to hold sauce, it's spirally enough to hold sauce inside, and has enough bite to it to work well with the attached sauce.
Full agreement, it's like it was specifically designed to be perfect for baked mac and cheese
Fry & caramelize an onion my man, throw in some bacon cubes, (+cream, pepper, salt ofc like you do) and you'd feel like you're transported to Europe magically when you eat it.
In a good way I mean 😅
I like the one with the cheese and pasta.
Cavatappi gang won't take this insolence standing up (we're too full from delicious pasta and cheese)
Which one's got the most spam in it?
Or tuna fish
Broccoli. Or chives/green onions!
Very small rocks!
Mac and cheese NEVER photographs well.
You just have to improve the surroundings, put it in a nice dish, beautiful wood table, fancy cutlery, add a bit of parsley on top for complimentary colours. Basically everything to make you not look at the actual pasta.
It’s so hard to make it not look like plastic.
Of course Dennis would like Dennis
@[email protected] <3
:)) <3
I legit feel like the spirals taste better than the elbow Mac, but they fill you up less... and if I made blue box I am not making it as a side dish lol.
Cavatappi is best, and quite filling
My favorite is 1-9
moron pasta.
Rotini and cheese is a sacred combination.
Yes
Kraft Macaroni. Three boxes, toss out one box of noodles, using the extra packet to make the macaroni cheesier. The only macaroni that makes life worth living.
Gnocchi and cheese is fave of mine. super squishy!
Bottom left or middle right side
Fusilli Mac is crazy, the ridges would catch so much cheese sauce... Might have just talked myself into make it sometime
Second row, third column
This may be a spicy opinion, but Mac'n'Cheese is just sad loser food. Like come on. It's not that difficult to cook something, much less a half decent pasta dish that's more than just cheese. At least try making it a cabonara.
I don't know that I would call it "sad loser food," but Mac n cheese is not for me. I don't enjoy the texture, the sound, or the flavor. I'm glad other people have it to enjoy.
Skill issue.
Carbonara diverts too much attention, a simple mac and cheese is a much better side dish.
If you disagree, you're not adding enough carmelized onions and butter to your cheese sauce.
Spaghetti Carbonara is a dish, not a side dish. That might be the misunderstanding here.
Mac'n'Cheese is the definition of "Skill Issue". Get real. Learn to cook actual food.
I worked in a restaurant kitchen for years. I'm renowned in my circles for my culinary skill. Mac'n'cheese is a perfectly valid food with ample opportunity for expression of culinary skill. Stop being a hater.
You couldn't be less convincing if you tried.
Sure I could, you certainly managed it
Sorry that a bechamel based sauce baked into pasta isn't really cooking in your eyes. I've made both carbonara (back when I ate meat) and baked mac and cheese, the latter of which was a much higher effort production
Sure buddy.
Top right. Looks the cheesiest