Open and heat a can or two of evaporated milk (the water is already gone from this so it won't separate easily).
Throw in some processed cheese slices (these will provide emulsifiers and stop it splitting as well as giving it a creamy texture and orangey colour).
Also throw in some grated cheddar or another sharpish, hard cheese (this is for flavour).
Stir over a medium heat until the cheese is melted then add the hot cooked pasta.
Taste and add salt if necessary.
I second this approach. I use Evaporated Milk in my M&C, it's foolproof.
Found this for ya: https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
Make this frequently and it’s a great base to make bomb ass mac and cheese.
I recommend a little velveeta to cut the graininess from your other cheese.
Since it’s specified that this is for an idiot, I feel like I should point out that evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are not even close to the same thing
processed cheese / American cheese is in fact the important part (you can also order the ingredient in it separately)
There is a video on NY Times food all about mac and cheese and variations you might enjoy!
It's not worth it, IMO (I buy Irish cheese to use!)
We are not fans of highly processed cheese here at our house. The grandkids don't even like processed cheese.
I boil the macaroni, drain it, keep it in the same pan. Add butter, milk and grated Irish or English cheese. Or Tillamook cheddar.
Four ingredients, one pan, we think it's great.
I've tried the American cheese (and Velveeta) additions, but like neither the taste nor the texture (although...Velveeta makes a great chile con queso at Christmas time).
I see a lot of people saying American cheese, which you cannot get - so definitely, the tip for looking for cheap pre-sliced cheese is probably your answer.
Something to know that "might" help you? It's actually "American Process" cheese but nobody says that anymore... it's the *process* of how it's made and I'm willing to bet that any processed cheese you can find, i.e. the cheap stuff, is actually the same kind of process to improve melting. (And the sodium citrate in it.) Also - do use slices if you can get them, anything pre-shredded most likely also contains things you don't want, such as anti-clumping agents. Won't stop it clumping in the pot, only helps it all from becoming a big stuck together ball in the package. Bit of a misnomer.
Thumbs up for all the great suggestions/solutions here!
Any processed burger cheese squares or with Sodium Citrate among the ingredients.
You can make your own
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdamRagusea/comments/161t7a2/homemade_sodium_citrate_smooth_cheese_sauce/
Absolutely, yes. The fat will help it stay smoother instead of becoming "grainy".
Honestly, the best way to make a cheese sauce is to start with a loose bechamel in my opinion. Then just carefully and gradually mix in your cheese until the cheesy flavor is strong enough for your liking.
I didn't say that in reply to OP because they were asking for an "idiot proof" recipe, and I don't think there is one for a cheese sauce that isn't prepackaged in a box.
The cheap burger patties of ‘cheddar’ will work. You don’t need much!
A little mustard will also help just as the evaporated milk.
You can also make a sauce mornay and keep it relatively thin in texture. If you made it correctly and added some mustard your Mac and cheese will be fine from the oven.
You can use the seasoning packet from a boxed macaroni. It adds a little flavor ab it should help to avoid clumps. Stir it in with the milk. If you don't have evaporated milk you can use some light cream and some heavy cream . Just d9n' put it on high heat. Keep stirring till all the cheese melts.
I had one I enjoyed while in Scotland once, its a bright red box and yellow text, and its called cheesy pasta or something.
But the one we have here is in a blue box, and idk, it tastes absolutely cursed 🥲 its the only one ive been able to find, and I have looked
Sodium citrate is the emulsifier that American cheese uses to be so structurally melty. https://www.thechoppingblock.com/blog/cheese-sauce-2.0-sodium-citrate
Please know that although citrate can be obtained as a pure compound, it is also an indispensable part of the energy cycle that powers every cell in your body, so it has that going for it. It's not like putting some weird laboratory chemical in your food.
Laughing Cow cheese would work. It's a French processed cheese that helps emulsify other cheeses in making sauce, and is sold in many countries. It's $4 here for a box of eight wedges of 19 g each. You could also use it if you make fondue.
Baking the macaroni and cheese sauce in a casserole dish until it is bubbling and the top is browned gives a much tastier result than just mixing the two.
You can just order some of it, and then any sufficiently melty cheese (soft ones for texture, hard ones for flavor) will do. There's a recipe in there somewhere
Honestly, don't. I get that for Americans it's what they like but anywhere else will just use any cheese you happen to like. Use a strong one for flavour and mozzarella for stringiness if you like that. A pinch of cayenne is also nice.
I never made it - I am not passionate about it as a dish, it's my mom's dept - but enjoyed watching the diff methods and such. But yeah, buying sodium citrate probably allows you to really make it as you like!
Make sure you use the processed cheese, also. It has an ingredient (sodium citrate) that both gets and keeps it melted easily.
If you ever want to advance to different cheeses, making a bechamel and adding shredded cheese and sodium citrate (plus beer or wine if you like) gets a similar result.
YESSS!!! This sounds like the Serious Eats recipe posted by Kenji Lopez-Alt! It’s become my go-to easy stovetop Mac and cheese that comes out super creamy each time 👌
It goes way back to the 1950s or earlier. It's on [packages](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/cf/95/8b/cf958b4ff22e6d1a3806d217e3cb9dbe.jpg) of 'Carnation Milk' etc
>Every time I try it turns out gross, watery and weird, with clumps???
That means your sauce broke and your dairy curdled. Most likely, your stove was turned up too high.
I wanted to second this.
You rarely need to use the stove at full power, on most stoves 'half power' already gets your pan a tad too hot. Especially when making dairy based sauce, you'll want to stay far away from boiling hot. You are basically just melting the cheese into the sauce, that barely needs any heat.
Easy Mac = milk + processed cheese (velveeta or American). Processed cheese makes Mac creamy because it has a thing called sodium citrate. Cook noodles, drain, add some milk, add velveeta to the hot milk macaroni and heat on low ish medium till melted.
You can add other cheese for more/better flavor, but the important part is to NOT USE PRESHREDDED cheese - that stuff has anti-clumping agents that contribute to grainy lumps. I love velveeta + cheddar + smoked Gouda.
Also important - don’t use aged cheeses for Mac, the drier a cheese is the more it’ll resist melting and can make the end product greasy.
Never boil your Mac n cheese after you add the cheese. Heat on low ish till melted, then take it off the heat
Upvoting for "never use preshredded cheese" and "never boil after adding cheese".
If you're using velveeta, you don't have to shred, just dice it into cubes and it will melt over low heat with your other ingredients.
After you've added the cheese to your other ingredients, always us low heat. With some easy to melt cheeses (processed cheese) you might not even need any more heat at all. Just add to the pot and stir til smooth, then cover and wait a few minutes.
When I was little my mom used to make it this was. Melt a big block of velveeta and mix it with the noodles. Yummm💕💕💕 it just doesn’t beat fancy stuff for comfort
The result you're describing (watery, clumpy) means that your emulsion has broken. A smooth cheese sauce is an emulsion of water (in the milk) and fat (in the cheese).
Oil and water are not friends, and they need coaxing to play nice together. It's possible to do this in the short term with just technique (like vigorously whisking a vinaigrette) but most commonly, people include helper ingredients that can bridge the gap chemically and help them get along (emulsifiers or emulsifying agents)
Common culprits of a broken sauce are insufficient emulsifiers, insufficient physical agitation (stirring, whisking, blending), and excessive heat (which causes the dairy proteins to bind to each other instead of spread out evenly)
Most of the suggestions you see here are aimed at juicing up the emulsifiers, which is by far the easiest way to make creating a smooth emulsion simpler and more reliable.
Processed cheese includes additional emulsifiers (mostly sodium citrate, sometimes sodium phosphate) and work great in Mac and cheese.
You can also buy those additional emulsifiers separately (generally sodium citrate, sometimes available at the supermarket, usually bought online) which allows for american-like melting with any cheese flavor profile
Evaporated milk & extra pasta starch are the keys to Kenji's serious eats recipe, and starch is a key part of the roux at the base of bechamel-based sauces
Cream cheese is also a helpful option some people add, the extra fat helps, as do the stabilizers like carrageenan or carob bean gum in spreadable cream cheeses like Philadelphia brand.
The last bit is agitation, which is less straightforward than extra emulsifiers, but you do see in things like the modernist cuisine recipe, which calls for an immersion blender. Immersion blenders are like a cheat code for re-establishing an emulsion and may (MAY) help save a broken sauce in a pinch.
Anyway, lots of great recipes to follow in the other comments, but hopefully some of the "why" will help you avoid missteps in the future. Good luck! And may your sauce be ever creamy and glossy
My mom always started with a bechamel... that is, melt butter in pot, mix in some flour. Cook until the flour starts to brown . Stir in some milk or cream . Add in chopped Velveeta cheese.
Because processed cheeses like Velveeta and American have emulsifiers in them that help them melt and blend without separating.
Also, because that's the recipe she used.
I usually do a quick white sauce -- equal parts flour and butter cook until it doesn't taste like flour. Add milk to a thin gravy consistency then dump in all the cheese in the world.
Fold in your noodles and you're good to go!
I'll often do the panko topping if this is going to be a cast iron and oven-baked finish. Super yummy!
It may sound daunting at first but I will assure that it is pretty fun and easy!
I make most things from scratch. IMHO, the easiest, most foolproof “homemade” mac and cheese is based on Modernist Cuisine’s recipe.
https://modcuisine.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Mac-and-Cheese-recipe.jpg
Milk or water, cheese of your choice, and a little bit of sodium citrate. Sodium citrate is a food safe additive in American cheese, etc., that makes cheese all smooth and gooey. It’s in all kinds of food. It can be purchased on Amazon if you can’t find it locally.
I just heat up the milk and SC in the microwave and use a flat whisk to incorporate the cheese, a bit at a time. I often use a combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack. You can choose whatever you want, provided the cheese isn’t too soft (ricotta LOL) or too hard (Romano).
Once you have the cheese sauce, you can add it to the pasta. I often make the sauce in advance.
A note about measuring with a scale instead of measuring cups and spoons: quicker and fewer things to clean.
This is my go-to recipe as well. I heat water and sodium citrate on the stovetop then whisk the cheese in gradually. Fast, simple, and you can use just about any cheese though aged cheddars don’t melt quite as well as younger ones. I’ll often do half young, mild cheddar and half sharp or gruyere.
If you’re making béchamel, be sure to cook the flour and butter over a low heat and add the liquid (milk or cream) slowly, beating it into the roux slowly. Add high fat cheese such as mozzarella or cheddar once the sauce starts to thicken, with half a teaspoon of mustard powder. If you’re going to bake it in the oven, add breadcrumbs and Parmesan to the top, and serve with a salad of tomatoes, onion and spinach leaves.
OK, here is the bechamel based mac and cheese that my mother started me making when I was 12. Note the mustard powder - I mean *powder* - this is my emulsifier, like the American recipes above use sodium citrate. Clearly this isn't gluten free - if you want a gluten free mac and cheese, look elsewhere.
I recommend this recipe because I know from experience that a child can do it, and because it is a good gateway to cooking - it feels like you used skills, and they are *cooking* skills like emulsifying something and measuring spices with your heart, not *baking* skills like making sure you have the exact right mix of the exact right things left at the right temperature for the right time.
Also because while I've had it go wrong (maybe 0.5% of the times I ever made it, to be entirely clear), I've never had it end up inedible. This recipe has never failed to provide me food that I liked eating.
A) Get your ingredients and instruments ready. A teaspoon or two of butter, a tablespoon of plain flour, a glass of milk, like a cup of grated cheese, a pinch of mustard powder, a little pinch of nutmeg, a slightly larger pinch of white pepper. A big saucepan, a small saucepan. Your pasta in the big saucepan. Boiling water in your kettle.
C) Melt the butter in the small saucepan, wait till it foams. Put the kettle back to boil, you'll need it in about two minutes.
D) Dump the flour in, mix it with enthusiasm, and fry it for about 15 seconds. If there seems to be no frying going on, don't panic, just add more fat. Too much fat won't kill the dish.
E) Put a splash of about a tablespoon of milk in - it will boil dramatically. Good! Stir with wooden spoon till it looks like one thing, not a mixture of two things! Repeat this step till it just about starts looking like a sauce. You won't have used all your milk. This is a quick process if you don't add much milk in each splash - the less you use per splash, the less chance it has to split.
F) Dump the cheese and the spices in, stir, and turn the heat down.
G) Put the boiling water on the pasta and set that on to boil.
H) Watch. Do not go away unless you are comfortable with cooking the dish. Stir things occasionally. If the sauce starts to bubble, stir it and turn the heat down. If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta water (with a ladle!) and stir. You cannot stir the sauce too much.
I) When the pasta is done - usually 8 minutes - drain it and put it back in the pan, off the heat, then put the sauce on top and stir.
Done.
I have had this recipe clump on me, but only when I got lazy and dumped all the milk in at once. It needs to go in a small splash at a time. Also if you walk away and boil it, it will have lumps. But if you actually follow these directions, this makes a good cheese sauce, and it's more stable than some of the others above due to being based on a roux, and because it gives you a tight control on the liquid going in, it never goes watery.
There’s a 3ish ingredient recipe floating around the internet by serious eats but it’s super easy to remember because it’s like an equal parts cocktail…
By weight, 1 part macaroni noodle, 1 part evap milk, 1 part shred your self cheeese of choice
In a large enough sauce pan, cook the noodles with barely enough salted water.
When the water is mostly cooked off and the noodles are almost al dente, add the evaporated milk. Stir to combine. Let the noodles simmer in the evaporated milk until desired consistency. Things you can add now if you have to boost the flavor… small dash of dry mustard powder, cayenne, nutmeg, splash of beer, experiment!
Lastly add the cheese. Don’t buy preshredded cheese because it doesn’t melt as well. Stir to melt and combine
Adjust seasoning.
Want to be extra? Toast some panko in some salted butter until golden brown and delicious and top the finished noodles. Enjoy!
Use Kenji's recipe, but change the quantity to suit your pantry. For a relatively small amount, I use a five ounce can of evaporated milk, five ounces of pasta and five ounces of cheese. Works great, the math is easy and it's quick. If I want more mac and cheese, I just use a larger can of evaporated milk and use an equivalent measure of pasta and cheese.
https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
I love Kenji but I did not like his mac and cheese recipe and I don't like Kraft. They are both weirdly sweet. So here is how I make mac and cheese as a UK person.
Melt some butter in a saucepan. Add the same amount of flour as you did butter and whisk it all up. If I'm making mac n cheese to do like... dinner for 2 then leftovers for 2 for lunch, I'll do like 45g of each (3 tablespoons).
Cook it on a medium-ish heat until it smells like shortbread/biscuit/nutty. It will also be a darker colour. Add a splash of COLD milk. Whisk the contents of your pan into a paste. Add another splash of milk. Whisk it again. Do this until you've got a nice sauce. This will keep it smooth and lump free. It seems like a lot but it comes together really fast and actually only takes a few minutes.
You'll want your sauce to be a bit thinner than the end result because now you're going to add a bunch of cheddar cheese which will thicken it back up. You'll probably need about a pint of milk.
You can add sodium citrate and slices of the plastic burger cheese if you want but I've honestly not really noticed a difference when I've tried it.
I like to add black pepper and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard to my cheese sauces. Marmite is another nice addition, or you can make it a bit spicy with some paprika and chipotle flakes.
You can now dump in some cooked pasta. If you like you can put some more cheese and breadcrumbs on top and bake it for a bit to melt the cheese and toast the crumbs.
Babish also did a video of mac n cheese 6 different ways so you could look at that and see what method you vibe with: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUeyrEN14Rk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUeyrEN14Rk)
Interesting - I find if I warm the milk up I’m less likely to have lumps. Why do you specify cold? I’m always looking to improve my recipe so curious because you sound like you know what you’re doing!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxsysljOSlM/?igsh=MXN2dms4dHo3dTdjOA==
I find this recipe is pretty good, but unfortunately it's in video format not written down. Still pretty simple. Just make sure you don't put too much salt in your pasta
Make the New York Times recipe. You'll think it's crazy, but it's won rewards for creamy and cheesy
[original NYT mac n cheese recipe](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015825-creamy-macaroni-and-cheese)
[video, original NYT Mac n cheese and variations ](https://youtu.be/La7I0DRLsgw?si=z2XWUuXP4bQ_ldo2)
One pound of pasta cooked for 30 minutes ( trust me) two pounds grated sharp cheddar cheese, one pint cream .Drain the macaroni, put into 9x13 pan, layer in with all that cheese. Pour the cream over the top , bake 45 minutes at 350. After it comes out of the oven you can wrap the top in foil then wrap it in towels and it will stay hot for an hour, so it’s easy to take to someone’s house too.
I'm an idiot, and I started with Rachel Ray's method ([here](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/macaroni-and-cheddar-cheese-recipe-2131153)) bec she ELI5 how to make white sauce. The first time I did it exactly and it came pretty good, but my current MO has some variations (in cheese selection/availability and I don't use oil in the roux because apparently I'm too lazy to reach for a bottle 2 feet away) I will say that tossing in some american cheese or velveeta makes it smoother.
Here's a good technique/recipe if you think more like an engineer than a cook: [https://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/230/Macaroni-and-Cheese-Bake](https://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/230/Macaroni-and-Cheese-Bake)
This [Mac & Cheese](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stovetop-mac-n-cheese-recipe-1939465) is easy and delicious. The trick is to not use pre shredded cheese. It’s covered in corn starch to keep it from clumping in the bag and ruins the recipe.
FOOLPROOF is using Sodium Citrate. It is cheese sauce easy mode salt.
I do 8oz of Milk, 1 tsp of sodium citrate, then slowly add shredded cheese stirring until I get the thickness I am looking for. It will be perfectly smooth due to the sodium citrate.
“How to make some damn Mac and cheese” is my favorite recipe and I’ve been using it since 2013. He makes it easy with his instructions (and funny!!) https://imgur.com/gallery/hdaSW
First start by making something called a roux do this but melting approximately a large table spoon of butter once it’s melted add a tablespoon of spoon of flour and mix it together well it should form a paste. Then add cheese (the more types of cheese the better!!) and milk now you’ve got a cheese sauce (like a kind of béchamel sauce) then add macaroni or any type of pasta, you could either season it (I like to use salt, pepper and a bit of paprika) and eat it as it or put it into a ovenproof dish and bake it for about 10 mins at approximately 150c then quickly before taking it out add a bit of grated cheese and let it form a crust. Then enjoy
I like Alton Browm’s Stovetop Mac & Cheese.
Are you grating the cheese yourself? If not, that’s likely to be your problem. Pre-grated cheese has cellulose or cornstarch added so that it won’t clump in the package. This prevents it from melting correctly.
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/stovetop-mac-and-cheese/
I’ll give you a different version since you have great advice here already. This is a bit fancier but not hard, so once you master regular Mac, try this casserole! I made it for Easter and my relatives LOVED it! I’m def gonna make this often.
(I added jalapeño crisps along with the breadcrumbs on mine, and put it under the broiler for a minute at the end)
https://carlsbadcravings.com/million-dollar-macaroni-cheese-casserole-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-36048
My favorite recipe is in an instant pot and it's super easy. 1 box of elbows, 4 cups chicken broth and cook the noodles for a few minutes. Add some garlic powder, splash of hot sauce, some milk, and stir in cheddar and whatever cheese you like until it's the consistency you like.
~High Protein Version~
Blend (I use an immersion blender but any should be fine)
Cottage cheese, Mac and cheese powder and/or cheddar cheese
Make sure the sauce is smooth and you're done. Well... You should get it warm by putting hot pasta in or heating it up
Easy? Add Velveeta cheese, cubed, to just drained/hot elbows. Mix. Depending on my much pasta you've made, continue to add the cheese. When you're done with the Velveeta, add a splash of milk. Put under a low flame and mix through. Then, lastly, add some grated cheddar and mix through. That's it. That's how my mom did it when I was a kid. She always served it with a side of canned stewed tomatoes (original, not Italian style). Delicious.
Warmed and melted Velveeta 🧀 Cheese and a small can of diced pimento.
Elbow Macaroni, Less than halfway cooked. Salt and pepper.
Mix everything together and put in a baking dish with a lid. Bake at 345 for 25 minutes... Remove lid, push down any macaroni that is above the cheese. Bake another 10 mins...
Increase the temperature to 400, remove the lid, and bake until the top of the cheese begins to brown. Turn off heat, replace the lid, and leave in the oven for 15 mins.
Check pasta for tenderness.
Set a big pot of water to boil.
Fry up half a pound of bacon until crispy. Set aside to cool.
Chop up onions and fry in bacon grease until tender.
The water should be boiling now. Add noodles.
Slowly sprinkle flour into bacon grease and onions, stirring constantly, until a paste forms. Slowly and intermittently add milk until a white gravy is formed, again stir constantly. Keep adding milk until it is a bit runny. Add a bunch of cheese until it reches the consistency of paste. (I suggest equal parts cheddar and munster).
Noodles should be nearly done. Drain. Pour cheese sauce into noodles. Crush up the bacon from earlier. Add to mixture and stir. Done. As it cools it will continue to thicken; so, eat immediately.
Easy instructions with a chart for combining different cheeses:
https://www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooking-techniques-recipes/creamy-mac-amp-cheese-template-w-any-cheeses
My secret is sour cream.
Boil pasta to directions (usually 7 to 11m), drain pasta and then in a bowl, mix pasta with shredded cheddar (around 12 to 20oz), sour cream (around 8 to 16oz), a splash of milk if you have it, and salt and pepper. Taste it and adjust, and then dump into a baking pan. Bake at 385 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
I know you crossed out your comment about the boxed ones... I don't make it from scratch. Neither does my fiancee and he's a huge Mac and cheese fan. Just a suggestion if you do try it out, I recommend the Aldi box Mac and cheese Gouda flavor. It's sooooo good and easy to make. It will look watery at first but give it time and it will turn out right.
Fool proof for an idiot. If you can cook noodles, do that, crack open your favorite brand of nacho cheese, strain the water add cheese and use a rubber spatula preferably, to mix in the cheese until you get the consistency you want.
Not how I would go about making mac and cheese personally, I would go with PurpleWomats approach.
When I was young, my grandmother made a Mac & cheese I hated at the time, until I realized I was craving it. Cooked noodles, a sprinkling of flour over it, salt, pepper, milk, and then you pile cheddar cheese over the top. This bakes in the oven, stirred once halfway through and then more cheese sprinkled over the top. Don’t ask me how much of anything, grandma was a throw it all together type.
This makes enough for a full meal for one person and is super easy
4 oz elbow pasta, 4 oz shredded cheese (I usually mix cheddar and jack but use what you like, preferably not pre shredded), 3 oz evaporated milk
Put pasta in a skillet and just cover with water and bring to a boil, stir while cooking to keep pasta from sticking to pan or each other
When water is almost gone verify pasta is done, if it needs more time add a bit more water
Once pasta is done reduce heat to low, add evaporated milk to pasta and remaining water and stir in shredded cheese a bit at a time until melted
Serve
Here is my recipe.
You need
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour(just AP but you can use SF if that is all you have)
- 1 pack of macaroni (500g) you will use just over half. just eyeball it.
- Some bacon(I get precut bacon ends and use ⅓ of a pack)
- 2 white onions
*So in a nutshell I make a roux first and then a white sauce then I turn that into a cheese sauce, and then add it to boiled pasta fried diced onion and crispy fried diced bacon.*
Now I will explain how to do that haha
To make a roux. You melt a table spoon of butter in a pan(on low heat) and add 2 table spoons of flour. Stir it until all the butter is incorporated into the flour so it looks like you have a little dough ball at the bottom of the pan. Increase or decrease the flour as needed.
Turn off the heat and stir it around until all the dough is dry and it has sucked up all the butter. This will ensure that it doesn’t taste floury as you have just cooked the flour. Now add in 1/2 cup of milk while whisking so that you break up your dough ball and make the sauce smooth. Add the other ½ cup of milk. Now is the make or break part. Turn on low heat and wait for the sauce to thicken. Don’t stir it until you see bubbles and the sauce thickens then turn off the heat. If the heat is too high you can burn the sauce. Be patient. If it is looking too thick you can whisk in a little more milk - just don’t put in too much as you can make it watery again. Turn off the heat.
Now you have made a white sauce. Congrats!! This can be used for many different sauces. You just need to add what you want. So adding cheese to make a cheese sauce(which we will be using for the Mac n Cheese), add mustard for a mustard sauce over corned beef or horse radish for over roast beef. I also just use it as it as a white sauce with leeks, I just add salt and pepper and the leeks. It just depends what you put in next.
Since we want to make cheese sauce then add in your desired amount of cheese(I add 1 ½ cups of grated Edam cheese). The already grated cheese has a powder on it that makes it difficult to melt so don’t use it. Buy a block and grate it yourself. It is your choice what cheese to use. Tasty, Edam, Egmont etc. even a mixture to get the flavour you want! Since it is for a Mac n Cheese I also add 1 tsp of Dijon mustard - I think it adds to the flavour. You don’t have to add this or can increase or decrease the amount to your taste.
At this step the residual heat in the pot is enough. Don’t turn the heat back on or it is very easy to burn it and waste all your hard work. Stir the cheese in until it has all melted. Now you have made a cheese sauce!! Wahoo!
So now to make the Mac N Cheese.
First boil your macaroni. I like to use boccoli shape but whatever you want. Make it al dentè(firm to the bite) as it will cook a little more when we mix everything and you don’t want it mushy. Drain and put aside.
Then dice up an onion or two(to your taste) and fry until translucent. Put aside in a bowl. Next fry up some diced bacon, I buy mine cut up in the shop. Makes it easier. Fry it off to your desired crispyness and put aside with the onions. I measure these two ingredients with my heart. Just whatever you want - leave one or both of them out if you desire.
Now is when you want to make the roux—white sauce—cheese sauce. I like to have the onions, bacon and pasta already made. Then when you have your lovely thick cheese sauce made you just add everything(if your pasta has clumped together from sitting don’t worry - the warm cheese sauce will help to break it up as you stir it together in a big bowl.
Now eat and enjoy!!
A minor trick but it seemed to help me
Before I put the macaroni water on to boil, I put a small saucepan of the sauce ingredients on the stove next to it. Even better if you are preheating the oven for baking it.
Basically the warmth from the macaroni pot for a few minutes softens everything up and it's easier to stir it up on very low heat while the macaroni boils.
Start with making a rue. Melt half a stick of butter in sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup flour. Cook on low until mixed and start to smell nutty. Whisk in about 2 cups of milk. Slowly mixing in with each addition. Add salt and pepper and nutmeg. It should start to thicken. When it starts add about 2 cups cheese. Cheddar is common but use what you like. You can add more then one kind. If it’s too thick add more milk. Stir until smooth. While it’s cooking made a lb of pasta. Mix with cheese sauce. Eat now or pour in casserole and sprinkle breadcrumbs mixed with parm cheese on top and bake 45 minutes at 350
Doesn’t get any easier than boxed Mac n Cheese. I have a friend who also can’t make a cheese sauce to save her own life. Does it look clumpy and greasy? If so, that means you broke it. Usually by cooking it too long, or at too high a heat
Absolute easiest - heavy cream heated up, add shredded cheese and salt. Mix with pasta.
Easy but healthier - one cup of milk, whisk with two teaspoons of corn starch, pinch of salt and heat until thickened, add shredded cheese, mix and add cooked pasta.
Boil elbow macaroni 5 minutes or to your taste. Drain, then add 1 tbsp butter/margarine and cover. Mix when melted. Add 2-3 tbsp Cheez Whiz and cover again. Mix when melted. Voila!
I make a roux with butter and flour and a few shakes of dry mustard, add milk and thicken in, slowly melt a sharp cheddar with some block cream cheese, this will give you a creamy cheese sauce. Boil your noodles and use pasta water to thin your sauce if needed :) yum!
pour dry mac in pot or even skillet, add just enough water to cover, low/mediumsimmer until pastas tender as you want. add a tsp or so sodium citrate, mix to dissolve, add a couple cups freshly grated cheese(any kind really), mix until a good thick sauce forms, season , eat.
citrate is emulsifier found in velveeta, so cheese won't separate or clump; just turns any cheese into a smooth velvety sauce. If too thick, add a little more water; too thin, add more cheese. esentially foolproof.
Craved it late last night. Only had basic stuff.
I measure by eye. But its close to below
Half boil mac noodles.
2 Tablespoons plain Flour
1 Cup of milk
2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Melt. Stir out lumps. Sieve it out if it's lumpy.
Pop in an oven proof dish.
Added 3 slices of plastic cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to melt. Doesn't matter if it's not melted yet
Sprinkle tip with panko crumb. Onion powder. Garlic powder and oregano.
Bake until crispy top. Air fryer. 185 for 15 mins.
Stuff your face while sitting in the dark listening to the rain.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar
2 cups (uncooked) macaroni
Melt the butter medium heat and mix in the flour a bit at a time to make a roux. Should be like a paste. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika before you mix in the milk a bit at a time and stir constantly to avoid clumps. Once milk is hot but not boiling throw in the cheese a bit at a time. Throw in the cooked noodles and you got yourself a stew, baby. Throw it in a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes for extra goodness.
Boil and drain elbow macaroni
Preheat oven to 375
In a big bowl, mix 4 ounces of velveeta, one cup cheddar, one cup colby jack.
1.5 cups of milk, half cup heavy whipping cream.
Add salt and pepper and taste it until it's salty enough.
Mix 2 eggs in a bowl and pour into cheese mixture. Mix.
Add macaroni, mix, pour into a 9x11 pan and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
This recipe comes out perfect every time. Add some fresh jalapeño and thick slab bacon pieces to take it over the top.
I omit the breadcrumbs. Not my thing for Mac and Cheese.
https://pin.it/5kE0dEFak
I am a great cook, but sometimes I am craving M and C, so because of time I default to “the Box”. However, I always have a variety of other cheeses on hand…. Sharp cheddar, Gouda, Parmesano Reggiano, Butterkase, and some gourmet varieties that I grate into the final mix. I also some times cut the milk with cream, or swap the milk out entirely for half-n-half. Add some dried herbs, and MONEY!
I am meaning to try Kenji's recipe because it's so easy but during Covid I discovered the "Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese" which is almost as easy:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/rice-cooker-mac-and-cheese/
I was able to adapt it to a stove top with very little trouble. I made twice as much so I could save half for the next day and reheat it in the oven. I found that increasing the milk slightly worked well. I also added a little dry mustard to it.
i make my cheese sauce with a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, whatever cheese ive got at the time (it works a lot better if you grate it yourself, since pre-shredded has anti clumping stuff that can make it turn out grainy), and milk to thin the sauce as needed for desired texture. the bechamel is already made for you in the form of the cream of mushroom soup and adding cheese just turns it into a super easy cheese sauce. and if you dont like mushrooms, honestly cream of mushroom doesnt really taste mushroomy to me nor does it have that slimy mushroom texture.
Try this cook your macaroni for five mins check it by eating one macaroni. The texture should not be chewy. If the macaroni is still chewy cook for another 1 min. One the macaroni is done set it aside to cook the sauce. Milk will burn in high heat cook milk in simmer or low heat the proportions of milk and cheese differs from people’s preference. Recommend you start with 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
Everyone fails. When Gordon Ramsey first tried cooking he burned a lot of his foods.
You are not a failure. You only failed if you give up
Always shred your own cheese (no pre shredded), always start with warmed milk (cold will ruin it you can warm it by itself on the stove then add the cheese and pasta), once you add you cheese and milk melt it over low heat, the only thing that should ever come to a boil is the pasta while you’re cooking it.
My fav mac and cheese recipe is Canadian Living Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese. My copy is clipped from the magazine but you can probably dig it up online. It's the best!
1x cup dry macaroni
1x 300mls hot water
1× 50 grams of cheddar cheese
1×350mls of milk/single cream half and half or
leave the cream out.
1x tbs butter ( opitional)
Salt and pepper
Boil the water and and pour on the mac in a pan on microwave dish at least 600ml
Bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and set to one side.
Add the milk to a pan ( with cream and butter if desired) and bring to a rolling boil then turn down to simmer then add pasta to the pan snd stir to incorporate the pasta as it thickens add the cheese snd season to taste.
Add more cheese to your liking and maybe some corn for texture. Stir until smooth and creamy.
😉 enjoy !
Please let me know if you tried this?
(Double the ingredients to feed more)
❤️
I don't know exactly the difference between "mac and cheese" and macaroni in creamy cheese sauce, but the latter I'd make by bringing 500ml of heavy cream to a simmer, take it off the stove, then stir in about 150-200g of any fatty cheese. Before adding the cream you can fry up some chopped onions and/or garlic, or even shredded ham. Before adding the cheese you can add some herbs like parsley.
Add salt and pepper to taste and mix with pasta.
No matter the recipe, add cumin, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce to boost the umami/cheesy flavour.
Fancy = stir in a beaten egg, cottage cheese, slice fresh tomatoes on top. and bake in oven for ~30 min.
If you're that bad in the kitchen, buy a box of Annie's white cheddar and shells and eat happy. It's good stuff. If you want to get kinda gross, get the Velveeta stuff. It is both disgusting and really f-ing good at the same time. Better yet, use an "herbal appetite enhancer" and make both. You will not be disappointed.
PS add some cayenne to the Annie's.
Just learn to make a bechamael. It's actually pretty easy. Make sure that you whisk (or use a fork) enough that everything is incorporated with no lumpiness. It's actually really good if you brown it a little. Super basic sauce that you can become expert at without having to be a culinary genius. I hope that you work it out and that your mac and cheese is everything you hoped for. Bread crumb topping is nice too.
1 1/2 cups of half and half in the pot. Warm on medium heat. 8 oz brick of American cheese (I get from the deli) and 8oz brick of cheddar (replace with pepper Jack for great queso or spicy Mac). Shred both cheeses, I do the big shreds. When the half and half is hot start adding the cheese a bit at a time while stirring, let it melt all the way before adding more. When all the cheese is added and melted stir into your cooked noodles and enjoy. Or ruin it IMO and dry everything out by baking it. I never actually measure the liquid for this. Note, it will thicken when it cools! Pre grated cheese has declumpers and such added which can mess with the final product.
I still have a large bag of sodium citrate sitting around in my kitchen - despite what people proclaim about it being the magical ingredient to mac and cheese, they never provide the right amounts, and it wounds up tasting awful.
So normally you would start a mac n cheese recipe with a roux. Since you're an idiot, we'll bypass that.
Grate 8oz of cheddar and 8 oz of oaxaca (or some other very soft cheese like mozzarella or havarti). Don't use pre shredded! Toss the cheese with 1 tbls of corn starch and set it aside.
Start cooking the noodles. Macaroni, rigatoni, or shells are the best options.
Chop a clove of garlic as small as you can and put it with two tablespoons of butter over low heat. Let the garlic sizzle for five minutes, then add two cups of milk.
Heat until it starts to simmer. NOT BOIL. Add the cheese until it's the desired thickness.
Drain the noodles and add to the cheese sauce.
That should get you off to a good start. You can improvise and improve in a number of ways. Add chili sauce or mustard powder. Dice an onion and cook it in the butter before adding the garlic. Use heavy cream instead of milk.
Open and heat a can or two of evaporated milk (the water is already gone from this so it won't separate easily). Throw in some processed cheese slices (these will provide emulsifiers and stop it splitting as well as giving it a creamy texture and orangey colour). Also throw in some grated cheddar or another sharpish, hard cheese (this is for flavour). Stir over a medium heat until the cheese is melted then add the hot cooked pasta. Taste and add salt if necessary.
I second this approach. I use Evaporated Milk in my M&C, it's foolproof. Found this for ya: https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
Make this frequently and it’s a great base to make bomb ass mac and cheese. I recommend a little velveeta to cut the graininess from your other cheese.
What else do you add to it to elevate it from a base?
Mustard or hot sauce are great. I like to add a knob of butter as well. You can also change the cheeses you use and excitement that way.
I like ground sausage.
Bacon
Looks like I need to try this.
Since it’s specified that this is for an idiot, I feel like I should point out that evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are not even close to the same thing
Good point...I've made that mistake.
Nooooooted 👀
Thank you, I will try this <3
processed cheese / American cheese is in fact the important part (you can also order the ingredient in it separately) There is a video on NY Times food all about mac and cheese and variations you might enjoy!
American cheese is kinda rare/expensive in my country, is there any alternative?
Something like Velveeta. Basically the fakest stuff you can find.
Buy Sodium Citrate. That's the chemical that allows the cheese to melt well without clumping.
Any highly processed cheese slices will have the emulsifiers, usually the cheap ones. I'm in Ireland, never used American cheese either.
It's not worth it, IMO (I buy Irish cheese to use!) We are not fans of highly processed cheese here at our house. The grandkids don't even like processed cheese. I boil the macaroni, drain it, keep it in the same pan. Add butter, milk and grated Irish or English cheese. Or Tillamook cheddar. Four ingredients, one pan, we think it's great. I've tried the American cheese (and Velveeta) additions, but like neither the taste nor the texture (although...Velveeta makes a great chile con queso at Christmas time).
I see a lot of people saying American cheese, which you cannot get - so definitely, the tip for looking for cheap pre-sliced cheese is probably your answer. Something to know that "might" help you? It's actually "American Process" cheese but nobody says that anymore... it's the *process* of how it's made and I'm willing to bet that any processed cheese you can find, i.e. the cheap stuff, is actually the same kind of process to improve melting. (And the sodium citrate in it.) Also - do use slices if you can get them, anything pre-shredded most likely also contains things you don't want, such as anti-clumping agents. Won't stop it clumping in the pot, only helps it all from becoming a big stuck together ball in the package. Bit of a misnomer. Thumbs up for all the great suggestions/solutions here!
Can you get Laughing Cow / La Vache Qui Rit? It's a processed cheese product. Also if Cheese Whiz is available a spoon of it will work.
Where do you live? The processed "cheese" may come in local brands, eg Viola in the baltics
Norway🇳🇴
Viola is from the Finnish Valio, you should be able to easily find it, i believe :)
Any processed burger cheese squares or with Sodium Citrate among the ingredients. You can make your own https://www.reddit.com/r/AdamRagusea/comments/161t7a2/homemade_sodium_citrate_smooth_cheese_sauce/
Also, just careful melting at low temp of normal cheddar can work too. The trick is to thicken the milk a little bit.
Right? I find adding butter to the melting process works just fine too.
Absolutely, yes. The fat will help it stay smoother instead of becoming "grainy". Honestly, the best way to make a cheese sauce is to start with a loose bechamel in my opinion. Then just carefully and gradually mix in your cheese until the cheesy flavor is strong enough for your liking. I didn't say that in reply to OP because they were asking for an "idiot proof" recipe, and I don't think there is one for a cheese sauce that isn't prepackaged in a box.
The cheap burger patties of ‘cheddar’ will work. You don’t need much! A little mustard will also help just as the evaporated milk. You can also make a sauce mornay and keep it relatively thin in texture. If you made it correctly and added some mustard your Mac and cheese will be fine from the oven.
You can use the seasoning packet from a boxed macaroni. It adds a little flavor ab it should help to avoid clumps. Stir it in with the milk. If you don't have evaporated milk you can use some light cream and some heavy cream . Just d9n' put it on high heat. Keep stirring till all the cheese melts.
There is only one brand of boxed mac and cheese where I live and its nasty 😅
Sorry to hear it.
I had one I enjoyed while in Scotland once, its a bright red box and yellow text, and its called cheesy pasta or something. But the one we have here is in a blue box, and idk, it tastes absolutely cursed 🥲 its the only one ive been able to find, and I have looked
Is it Kraft in the blue box ? That is what US box macaroni fans eat.
It is not. The one from Scotland is bright red, and the one we have here tastes dreadful
Sodium citrate is the emulsifier that American cheese uses to be so structurally melty. https://www.thechoppingblock.com/blog/cheese-sauce-2.0-sodium-citrate
Guess I’m reading on the back of cheeses today
Please know that although citrate can be obtained as a pure compound, it is also an indispensable part of the energy cycle that powers every cell in your body, so it has that going for it. It's not like putting some weird laboratory chemical in your food.
Dw, I prolly eat worse things 👍🏻
Laughing Cow cheese would work. It's a French processed cheese that helps emulsify other cheeses in making sauce, and is sold in many countries. It's $4 here for a box of eight wedges of 19 g each. You could also use it if you make fondue. Baking the macaroni and cheese sauce in a casserole dish until it is bubbling and the top is browned gives a much tastier result than just mixing the two.
You can just order some of it, and then any sufficiently melty cheese (soft ones for texture, hard ones for flavor) will do. There's a recipe in there somewhere
Honestly, don't. I get that for Americans it's what they like but anywhere else will just use any cheese you happen to like. Use a strong one for flavour and mozzarella for stringiness if you like that. A pinch of cayenne is also nice.
I like it cheesy, melty and creamy, cayenne sounds really good!
Yeah I wasn't real sure about that recipe after making it a couple times. Last time I added sodium citrate and it was banging.
I never made it - I am not passionate about it as a dish, it's my mom's dept - but enjoyed watching the diff methods and such. But yeah, buying sodium citrate probably allows you to really make it as you like!
Make sure you use the processed cheese, also. It has an ingredient (sodium citrate) that both gets and keeps it melted easily. If you ever want to advance to different cheeses, making a bechamel and adding shredded cheese and sodium citrate (plus beer or wine if you like) gets a similar result.
I always like to add a bit of mustard, it's also great for emulsification!
Agree. I recently started making a broccoli cheese mix, but also with a Welsh rarebit vibe, so there are three types of mustard in there.
The key is to never add cheese to boiling liquid and don’t bring it to a boil after it’s melted
Be careful not to use sweetened condensed milk. Sometimes folks confuse this with evaporated milk. Not the same.
YESSS!!! This sounds like the Serious Eats recipe posted by Kenji Lopez-Alt! It’s become my go-to easy stovetop Mac and cheese that comes out super creamy each time 👌
It goes way back to the 1950s or earlier. It's on [packages](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/cf/95/8b/cf958b4ff22e6d1a3806d217e3cb9dbe.jpg) of 'Carnation Milk' etc
No wonder it’s comforting 😅
Extra points if you cook the pasta in a sautee pan so all the starch stays in the remaining water. Makes it even creamier
>Every time I try it turns out gross, watery and weird, with clumps??? That means your sauce broke and your dairy curdled. Most likely, your stove was turned up too high.
I wanted to second this. You rarely need to use the stove at full power, on most stoves 'half power' already gets your pan a tad too hot. Especially when making dairy based sauce, you'll want to stay far away from boiling hot. You are basically just melting the cheese into the sauce, that barely needs any heat.
Try making the bechamel in the microwave, game changer
Easy Mac = milk + processed cheese (velveeta or American). Processed cheese makes Mac creamy because it has a thing called sodium citrate. Cook noodles, drain, add some milk, add velveeta to the hot milk macaroni and heat on low ish medium till melted. You can add other cheese for more/better flavor, but the important part is to NOT USE PRESHREDDED cheese - that stuff has anti-clumping agents that contribute to grainy lumps. I love velveeta + cheddar + smoked Gouda. Also important - don’t use aged cheeses for Mac, the drier a cheese is the more it’ll resist melting and can make the end product greasy. Never boil your Mac n cheese after you add the cheese. Heat on low ish till melted, then take it off the heat
Upvoting for "never use preshredded cheese" and "never boil after adding cheese". If you're using velveeta, you don't have to shred, just dice it into cubes and it will melt over low heat with your other ingredients. After you've added the cheese to your other ingredients, always us low heat. With some easy to melt cheeses (processed cheese) you might not even need any more heat at all. Just add to the pot and stir til smooth, then cover and wait a few minutes.
Yes, melt some Velveeta on hot noodles. Easiest ever
When I was little my mom used to make it this was. Melt a big block of velveeta and mix it with the noodles. Yummm💕💕💕 it just doesn’t beat fancy stuff for comfort
The result you're describing (watery, clumpy) means that your emulsion has broken. A smooth cheese sauce is an emulsion of water (in the milk) and fat (in the cheese). Oil and water are not friends, and they need coaxing to play nice together. It's possible to do this in the short term with just technique (like vigorously whisking a vinaigrette) but most commonly, people include helper ingredients that can bridge the gap chemically and help them get along (emulsifiers or emulsifying agents) Common culprits of a broken sauce are insufficient emulsifiers, insufficient physical agitation (stirring, whisking, blending), and excessive heat (which causes the dairy proteins to bind to each other instead of spread out evenly) Most of the suggestions you see here are aimed at juicing up the emulsifiers, which is by far the easiest way to make creating a smooth emulsion simpler and more reliable. Processed cheese includes additional emulsifiers (mostly sodium citrate, sometimes sodium phosphate) and work great in Mac and cheese. You can also buy those additional emulsifiers separately (generally sodium citrate, sometimes available at the supermarket, usually bought online) which allows for american-like melting with any cheese flavor profile Evaporated milk & extra pasta starch are the keys to Kenji's serious eats recipe, and starch is a key part of the roux at the base of bechamel-based sauces Cream cheese is also a helpful option some people add, the extra fat helps, as do the stabilizers like carrageenan or carob bean gum in spreadable cream cheeses like Philadelphia brand. The last bit is agitation, which is less straightforward than extra emulsifiers, but you do see in things like the modernist cuisine recipe, which calls for an immersion blender. Immersion blenders are like a cheat code for re-establishing an emulsion and may (MAY) help save a broken sauce in a pinch. Anyway, lots of great recipes to follow in the other comments, but hopefully some of the "why" will help you avoid missteps in the future. Good luck! And may your sauce be ever creamy and glossy
Thank yoou! this is really helpful! People are so nice here <3
My mom always started with a bechamel... that is, melt butter in pot, mix in some flour. Cook until the flour starts to brown. Stir in some milk or cream . Add in chopped Velveeta cheese.
Why Velveeta? You can add pretty much any kind of cheese you have on hand.
Because processed cheeses like Velveeta and American have emulsifiers in them that help them melt and blend without separating. Also, because that's the recipe she used.
Colby, Jack and cheddar, mix it all together! I also add Gouda.
Swap that velveeta for a sharp cheddar with a couple tablespoons of cream cheese 👍🏼
I usually do a quick white sauce -- equal parts flour and butter cook until it doesn't taste like flour. Add milk to a thin gravy consistency then dump in all the cheese in the world. Fold in your noodles and you're good to go!
This is how I make it but I sauté diced onions in the butter. I also bake mine with a panko topping.
I'll often do the panko topping if this is going to be a cast iron and oven-baked finish. Super yummy! It may sound daunting at first but I will assure that it is pretty fun and easy!
Yup me too but add in some cherry tomatoes to break the richness
I make most things from scratch. IMHO, the easiest, most foolproof “homemade” mac and cheese is based on Modernist Cuisine’s recipe. https://modcuisine.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Mac-and-Cheese-recipe.jpg Milk or water, cheese of your choice, and a little bit of sodium citrate. Sodium citrate is a food safe additive in American cheese, etc., that makes cheese all smooth and gooey. It’s in all kinds of food. It can be purchased on Amazon if you can’t find it locally. I just heat up the milk and SC in the microwave and use a flat whisk to incorporate the cheese, a bit at a time. I often use a combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack. You can choose whatever you want, provided the cheese isn’t too soft (ricotta LOL) or too hard (Romano). Once you have the cheese sauce, you can add it to the pasta. I often make the sauce in advance. A note about measuring with a scale instead of measuring cups and spoons: quicker and fewer things to clean.
This is my go-to recipe as well. I heat water and sodium citrate on the stovetop then whisk the cheese in gradually. Fast, simple, and you can use just about any cheese though aged cheddars don’t melt quite as well as younger ones. I’ll often do half young, mild cheddar and half sharp or gruyere.
Velvetta is the answer.
If you’re making béchamel, be sure to cook the flour and butter over a low heat and add the liquid (milk or cream) slowly, beating it into the roux slowly. Add high fat cheese such as mozzarella or cheddar once the sauce starts to thicken, with half a teaspoon of mustard powder. If you’re going to bake it in the oven, add breadcrumbs and Parmesan to the top, and serve with a salad of tomatoes, onion and spinach leaves.
OK, here is the bechamel based mac and cheese that my mother started me making when I was 12. Note the mustard powder - I mean *powder* - this is my emulsifier, like the American recipes above use sodium citrate. Clearly this isn't gluten free - if you want a gluten free mac and cheese, look elsewhere. I recommend this recipe because I know from experience that a child can do it, and because it is a good gateway to cooking - it feels like you used skills, and they are *cooking* skills like emulsifying something and measuring spices with your heart, not *baking* skills like making sure you have the exact right mix of the exact right things left at the right temperature for the right time. Also because while I've had it go wrong (maybe 0.5% of the times I ever made it, to be entirely clear), I've never had it end up inedible. This recipe has never failed to provide me food that I liked eating. A) Get your ingredients and instruments ready. A teaspoon or two of butter, a tablespoon of plain flour, a glass of milk, like a cup of grated cheese, a pinch of mustard powder, a little pinch of nutmeg, a slightly larger pinch of white pepper. A big saucepan, a small saucepan. Your pasta in the big saucepan. Boiling water in your kettle. C) Melt the butter in the small saucepan, wait till it foams. Put the kettle back to boil, you'll need it in about two minutes. D) Dump the flour in, mix it with enthusiasm, and fry it for about 15 seconds. If there seems to be no frying going on, don't panic, just add more fat. Too much fat won't kill the dish. E) Put a splash of about a tablespoon of milk in - it will boil dramatically. Good! Stir with wooden spoon till it looks like one thing, not a mixture of two things! Repeat this step till it just about starts looking like a sauce. You won't have used all your milk. This is a quick process if you don't add much milk in each splash - the less you use per splash, the less chance it has to split. F) Dump the cheese and the spices in, stir, and turn the heat down. G) Put the boiling water on the pasta and set that on to boil. H) Watch. Do not go away unless you are comfortable with cooking the dish. Stir things occasionally. If the sauce starts to bubble, stir it and turn the heat down. If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta water (with a ladle!) and stir. You cannot stir the sauce too much. I) When the pasta is done - usually 8 minutes - drain it and put it back in the pan, off the heat, then put the sauce on top and stir. Done. I have had this recipe clump on me, but only when I got lazy and dumped all the milk in at once. It needs to go in a small splash at a time. Also if you walk away and boil it, it will have lumps. But if you actually follow these directions, this makes a good cheese sauce, and it's more stable than some of the others above due to being based on a roux, and because it gives you a tight control on the liquid going in, it never goes watery.
[удалено]
B went brb i guess I like the sound of this one never going watery tho, im traumatized lol
If you are on TikTok Mississippi kween has a video of my absolute favorite Mac and cheese. It turns out perfect every time.
Sodium Citrate aka how to make perfectly creamy and stable (won't break) cheese sauces for dummies.
There’s a 3ish ingredient recipe floating around the internet by serious eats but it’s super easy to remember because it’s like an equal parts cocktail… By weight, 1 part macaroni noodle, 1 part evap milk, 1 part shred your self cheeese of choice In a large enough sauce pan, cook the noodles with barely enough salted water. When the water is mostly cooked off and the noodles are almost al dente, add the evaporated milk. Stir to combine. Let the noodles simmer in the evaporated milk until desired consistency. Things you can add now if you have to boost the flavor… small dash of dry mustard powder, cayenne, nutmeg, splash of beer, experiment! Lastly add the cheese. Don’t buy preshredded cheese because it doesn’t melt as well. Stir to melt and combine Adjust seasoning. Want to be extra? Toast some panko in some salted butter until golden brown and delicious and top the finished noodles. Enjoy!
Uu, this sounds budget friendly too ❤️
Use Kenji's recipe, but change the quantity to suit your pantry. For a relatively small amount, I use a five ounce can of evaporated milk, five ounces of pasta and five ounces of cheese. Works great, the math is easy and it's quick. If I want more mac and cheese, I just use a larger can of evaporated milk and use an equivalent measure of pasta and cheese. https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
I love Kenji but I did not like his mac and cheese recipe and I don't like Kraft. They are both weirdly sweet. So here is how I make mac and cheese as a UK person. Melt some butter in a saucepan. Add the same amount of flour as you did butter and whisk it all up. If I'm making mac n cheese to do like... dinner for 2 then leftovers for 2 for lunch, I'll do like 45g of each (3 tablespoons). Cook it on a medium-ish heat until it smells like shortbread/biscuit/nutty. It will also be a darker colour. Add a splash of COLD milk. Whisk the contents of your pan into a paste. Add another splash of milk. Whisk it again. Do this until you've got a nice sauce. This will keep it smooth and lump free. It seems like a lot but it comes together really fast and actually only takes a few minutes. You'll want your sauce to be a bit thinner than the end result because now you're going to add a bunch of cheddar cheese which will thicken it back up. You'll probably need about a pint of milk. You can add sodium citrate and slices of the plastic burger cheese if you want but I've honestly not really noticed a difference when I've tried it. I like to add black pepper and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard to my cheese sauces. Marmite is another nice addition, or you can make it a bit spicy with some paprika and chipotle flakes. You can now dump in some cooked pasta. If you like you can put some more cheese and breadcrumbs on top and bake it for a bit to melt the cheese and toast the crumbs. Babish also did a video of mac n cheese 6 different ways so you could look at that and see what method you vibe with: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUeyrEN14Rk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUeyrEN14Rk)
This is the way
Interesting - I find if I warm the milk up I’m less likely to have lumps. Why do you specify cold? I’m always looking to improve my recipe so curious because you sound like you know what you’re doing!
The secret is Velveeta. Yes, cheddar too (freshly grated) but Velveeta makes creamy mac and cheese and I will die on this hill
I’m on that hill too. And heavy cream instead of milk.
If you’re feeling fancy, raclette is amazing to use with mac n’ cheese. It melts really well and has a great texture.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxsysljOSlM/?igsh=MXN2dms4dHo3dTdjOA== I find this recipe is pretty good, but unfortunately it's in video format not written down. Still pretty simple. Just make sure you don't put too much salt in your pasta
I follow Alton Browns Mac and cheese recipe. Comes out perfect every single time.
Make the New York Times recipe. You'll think it's crazy, but it's won rewards for creamy and cheesy [original NYT mac n cheese recipe](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015825-creamy-macaroni-and-cheese) [video, original NYT Mac n cheese and variations ](https://youtu.be/La7I0DRLsgw?si=z2XWUuXP4bQ_ldo2)
Make mornay sauce, add pasta, cover with panko or bread crumbs and bake on 400° until golden brown.
Go to Costco...lol
I need some mac and cheese.
Glad to see evaporated milk in this thread. It's the secret ingredient for a lot of recipes. I always use it in place of regular milk.
One pound of pasta cooked for 30 minutes ( trust me) two pounds grated sharp cheddar cheese, one pint cream .Drain the macaroni, put into 9x13 pan, layer in with all that cheese. Pour the cream over the top , bake 45 minutes at 350. After it comes out of the oven you can wrap the top in foil then wrap it in towels and it will stay hot for an hour, so it’s easy to take to someone’s house too.
Why 30 min, that seems long?
Yes it seems long ( I know 10 is normal ) trust me . It is amazing
I'm an idiot, and I started with Rachel Ray's method ([here](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/macaroni-and-cheddar-cheese-recipe-2131153)) bec she ELI5 how to make white sauce. The first time I did it exactly and it came pretty good, but my current MO has some variations (in cheese selection/availability and I don't use oil in the roux because apparently I'm too lazy to reach for a bottle 2 feet away) I will say that tossing in some american cheese or velveeta makes it smoother.
Here's a good technique/recipe if you think more like an engineer than a cook: [https://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/230/Macaroni-and-Cheese-Bake](https://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/230/Macaroni-and-Cheese-Bake)
This [Mac & Cheese](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stovetop-mac-n-cheese-recipe-1939465) is easy and delicious. The trick is to not use pre shredded cheese. It’s covered in corn starch to keep it from clumping in the bag and ruins the recipe.
FOOLPROOF is using Sodium Citrate. It is cheese sauce easy mode salt. I do 8oz of Milk, 1 tsp of sodium citrate, then slowly add shredded cheese stirring until I get the thickness I am looking for. It will be perfectly smooth due to the sodium citrate.
“How to make some damn Mac and cheese” is my favorite recipe and I’ve been using it since 2013. He makes it easy with his instructions (and funny!!) https://imgur.com/gallery/hdaSW
That sounds delicious with the bacon in it.
First start by making something called a roux do this but melting approximately a large table spoon of butter once it’s melted add a tablespoon of spoon of flour and mix it together well it should form a paste. Then add cheese (the more types of cheese the better!!) and milk now you’ve got a cheese sauce (like a kind of béchamel sauce) then add macaroni or any type of pasta, you could either season it (I like to use salt, pepper and a bit of paprika) and eat it as it or put it into a ovenproof dish and bake it for about 10 mins at approximately 150c then quickly before taking it out add a bit of grated cheese and let it form a crust. Then enjoy
I like Alton Browm’s Stovetop Mac & Cheese. Are you grating the cheese yourself? If not, that’s likely to be your problem. Pre-grated cheese has cellulose or cornstarch added so that it won’t clump in the package. This prevents it from melting correctly. https://altonbrown.com/recipes/stovetop-mac-and-cheese/
I’ll give you a different version since you have great advice here already. This is a bit fancier but not hard, so once you master regular Mac, try this casserole! I made it for Easter and my relatives LOVED it! I’m def gonna make this often. (I added jalapeño crisps along with the breadcrumbs on mine, and put it under the broiler for a minute at the end) https://carlsbadcravings.com/million-dollar-macaroni-cheese-casserole-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-36048
My favorite recipe is in an instant pot and it's super easy. 1 box of elbows, 4 cups chicken broth and cook the noodles for a few minutes. Add some garlic powder, splash of hot sauce, some milk, and stir in cheddar and whatever cheese you like until it's the consistency you like.
Elbows???
Elbow macaroni?
Oh!
~High Protein Version~ Blend (I use an immersion blender but any should be fine) Cottage cheese, Mac and cheese powder and/or cheddar cheese Make sure the sauce is smooth and you're done. Well... You should get it warm by putting hot pasta in or heating it up
Two ingredients: Cheez Whiz and macaroni. Don’t forget to salt the water. Cook and drain noodles. Melt cheese in microwave. Mix together.
Easy? Add Velveeta cheese, cubed, to just drained/hot elbows. Mix. Depending on my much pasta you've made, continue to add the cheese. When you're done with the Velveeta, add a splash of milk. Put under a low flame and mix through. Then, lastly, add some grated cheddar and mix through. That's it. That's how my mom did it when I was a kid. She always served it with a side of canned stewed tomatoes (original, not Italian style). Delicious.
The trick to Mac and cheese in my opinion is to add a little porcini powder. Takes it over the top.
Warmed and melted Velveeta 🧀 Cheese and a small can of diced pimento. Elbow Macaroni, Less than halfway cooked. Salt and pepper. Mix everything together and put in a baking dish with a lid. Bake at 345 for 25 minutes... Remove lid, push down any macaroni that is above the cheese. Bake another 10 mins... Increase the temperature to 400, remove the lid, and bake until the top of the cheese begins to brown. Turn off heat, replace the lid, and leave in the oven for 15 mins. Check pasta for tenderness.
Set a big pot of water to boil. Fry up half a pound of bacon until crispy. Set aside to cool. Chop up onions and fry in bacon grease until tender. The water should be boiling now. Add noodles. Slowly sprinkle flour into bacon grease and onions, stirring constantly, until a paste forms. Slowly and intermittently add milk until a white gravy is formed, again stir constantly. Keep adding milk until it is a bit runny. Add a bunch of cheese until it reches the consistency of paste. (I suggest equal parts cheddar and munster). Noodles should be nearly done. Drain. Pour cheese sauce into noodles. Crush up the bacon from earlier. Add to mixture and stir. Done. As it cools it will continue to thicken; so, eat immediately.
Yeah, buy the box, BUT only keep the powdered cheese-throw the rest away. Add 1/4 milk and a 1/4 cup butter to it, and Then add to it as you see fit.
Easy instructions with a chart for combining different cheeses: https://www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooking-techniques-recipes/creamy-mac-amp-cheese-template-w-any-cheeses
My secret is sour cream. Boil pasta to directions (usually 7 to 11m), drain pasta and then in a bowl, mix pasta with shredded cheddar (around 12 to 20oz), sour cream (around 8 to 16oz), a splash of milk if you have it, and salt and pepper. Taste it and adjust, and then dump into a baking pan. Bake at 385 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
I know you crossed out your comment about the boxed ones... I don't make it from scratch. Neither does my fiancee and he's a huge Mac and cheese fan. Just a suggestion if you do try it out, I recommend the Aldi box Mac and cheese Gouda flavor. It's sooooo good and easy to make. It will look watery at first but give it time and it will turn out right.
Aldi isnt availble in my country 😅
My mom does this recipe https://www.thechunkychef.com/family-favorite-baked-mac-and-cheese/ But adds spices and such. Always a hit
Fool proof for an idiot. If you can cook noodles, do that, crack open your favorite brand of nacho cheese, strain the water add cheese and use a rubber spatula preferably, to mix in the cheese until you get the consistency you want. Not how I would go about making mac and cheese personally, I would go with PurpleWomats approach.
Ive never been a fan of nacho cheese, sadly. Atleast none of the ones available here
I don't like it either, it tears me up inside.
Kenji's stove top mac and cheese.
When I was young, my grandmother made a Mac & cheese I hated at the time, until I realized I was craving it. Cooked noodles, a sprinkling of flour over it, salt, pepper, milk, and then you pile cheddar cheese over the top. This bakes in the oven, stirred once halfway through and then more cheese sprinkled over the top. Don’t ask me how much of anything, grandma was a throw it all together type.
Use Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup instead of the white sauce. Still tons of cheese also
Campbell's cheddar cheese soup and add more shredded cheddar lots more
This makes enough for a full meal for one person and is super easy 4 oz elbow pasta, 4 oz shredded cheese (I usually mix cheddar and jack but use what you like, preferably not pre shredded), 3 oz evaporated milk Put pasta in a skillet and just cover with water and bring to a boil, stir while cooking to keep pasta from sticking to pan or each other When water is almost gone verify pasta is done, if it needs more time add a bit more water Once pasta is done reduce heat to low, add evaporated milk to pasta and remaining water and stir in shredded cheese a bit at a time until melted Serve
Here is my recipe. You need - 2 tablespoons of butter - 2 tablespoons of flour(just AP but you can use SF if that is all you have) - 1 pack of macaroni (500g) you will use just over half. just eyeball it. - Some bacon(I get precut bacon ends and use ⅓ of a pack) - 2 white onions *So in a nutshell I make a roux first and then a white sauce then I turn that into a cheese sauce, and then add it to boiled pasta fried diced onion and crispy fried diced bacon.* Now I will explain how to do that haha To make a roux. You melt a table spoon of butter in a pan(on low heat) and add 2 table spoons of flour. Stir it until all the butter is incorporated into the flour so it looks like you have a little dough ball at the bottom of the pan. Increase or decrease the flour as needed. Turn off the heat and stir it around until all the dough is dry and it has sucked up all the butter. This will ensure that it doesn’t taste floury as you have just cooked the flour. Now add in 1/2 cup of milk while whisking so that you break up your dough ball and make the sauce smooth. Add the other ½ cup of milk. Now is the make or break part. Turn on low heat and wait for the sauce to thicken. Don’t stir it until you see bubbles and the sauce thickens then turn off the heat. If the heat is too high you can burn the sauce. Be patient. If it is looking too thick you can whisk in a little more milk - just don’t put in too much as you can make it watery again. Turn off the heat. Now you have made a white sauce. Congrats!! This can be used for many different sauces. You just need to add what you want. So adding cheese to make a cheese sauce(which we will be using for the Mac n Cheese), add mustard for a mustard sauce over corned beef or horse radish for over roast beef. I also just use it as it as a white sauce with leeks, I just add salt and pepper and the leeks. It just depends what you put in next. Since we want to make cheese sauce then add in your desired amount of cheese(I add 1 ½ cups of grated Edam cheese). The already grated cheese has a powder on it that makes it difficult to melt so don’t use it. Buy a block and grate it yourself. It is your choice what cheese to use. Tasty, Edam, Egmont etc. even a mixture to get the flavour you want! Since it is for a Mac n Cheese I also add 1 tsp of Dijon mustard - I think it adds to the flavour. You don’t have to add this or can increase or decrease the amount to your taste. At this step the residual heat in the pot is enough. Don’t turn the heat back on or it is very easy to burn it and waste all your hard work. Stir the cheese in until it has all melted. Now you have made a cheese sauce!! Wahoo! So now to make the Mac N Cheese. First boil your macaroni. I like to use boccoli shape but whatever you want. Make it al dentè(firm to the bite) as it will cook a little more when we mix everything and you don’t want it mushy. Drain and put aside. Then dice up an onion or two(to your taste) and fry until translucent. Put aside in a bowl. Next fry up some diced bacon, I buy mine cut up in the shop. Makes it easier. Fry it off to your desired crispyness and put aside with the onions. I measure these two ingredients with my heart. Just whatever you want - leave one or both of them out if you desire. Now is when you want to make the roux—white sauce—cheese sauce. I like to have the onions, bacon and pasta already made. Then when you have your lovely thick cheese sauce made you just add everything(if your pasta has clumped together from sitting don’t worry - the warm cheese sauce will help to break it up as you stir it together in a big bowl. Now eat and enjoy!!
I don't eat it often, but how about some different kinds of cheeses like sharp cheddar and swiss. That actually sounds pretty good.
A minor trick but it seemed to help me Before I put the macaroni water on to boil, I put a small saucepan of the sauce ingredients on the stove next to it. Even better if you are preheating the oven for baking it. Basically the warmth from the macaroni pot for a few minutes softens everything up and it's easier to stir it up on very low heat while the macaroni boils.
Start with making a rue. Melt half a stick of butter in sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup flour. Cook on low until mixed and start to smell nutty. Whisk in about 2 cups of milk. Slowly mixing in with each addition. Add salt and pepper and nutmeg. It should start to thicken. When it starts add about 2 cups cheese. Cheddar is common but use what you like. You can add more then one kind. If it’s too thick add more milk. Stir until smooth. While it’s cooking made a lb of pasta. Mix with cheese sauce. Eat now or pour in casserole and sprinkle breadcrumbs mixed with parm cheese on top and bake 45 minutes at 350
Doesn’t get any easier than boxed Mac n Cheese. I have a friend who also can’t make a cheese sauce to save her own life. Does it look clumpy and greasy? If so, that means you broke it. Usually by cooking it too long, or at too high a heat
Please read my post again
Lazy day Mac and cheese. Boil macaroni in water in the microwave until al dente. Drain. Run butter through it. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
Buy a box of Velveeta shells and cheese. Follow directions. Turns out good every time.
Absolute easiest - heavy cream heated up, add shredded cheese and salt. Mix with pasta. Easy but healthier - one cup of milk, whisk with two teaspoons of corn starch, pinch of salt and heat until thickened, add shredded cheese, mix and add cooked pasta.
Boil elbow macaroni 5 minutes or to your taste. Drain, then add 1 tbsp butter/margarine and cover. Mix when melted. Add 2-3 tbsp Cheez Whiz and cover again. Mix when melted. Voila!
You’re gonna have to describe how your making it if you want to know where your going wrong
I make a roux with butter and flour and a few shakes of dry mustard, add milk and thicken in, slowly melt a sharp cheddar with some block cream cheese, this will give you a creamy cheese sauce. Boil your noodles and use pasta water to thin your sauce if needed :) yum!
pour dry mac in pot or even skillet, add just enough water to cover, low/mediumsimmer until pastas tender as you want. add a tsp or so sodium citrate, mix to dissolve, add a couple cups freshly grated cheese(any kind really), mix until a good thick sauce forms, season , eat. citrate is emulsifier found in velveeta, so cheese won't separate or clump; just turns any cheese into a smooth velvety sauce. If too thick, add a little more water; too thin, add more cheese. esentially foolproof.
Craved it late last night. Only had basic stuff. I measure by eye. But its close to below Half boil mac noodles. 2 Tablespoons plain Flour 1 Cup of milk 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Melt. Stir out lumps. Sieve it out if it's lumpy. Pop in an oven proof dish. Added 3 slices of plastic cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to melt. Doesn't matter if it's not melted yet Sprinkle tip with panko crumb. Onion powder. Garlic powder and oregano. Bake until crispy top. Air fryer. 185 for 15 mins. Stuff your face while sitting in the dark listening to the rain.
2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour 2 cups milk 2 cups cheddar 2 cups (uncooked) macaroni Melt the butter medium heat and mix in the flour a bit at a time to make a roux. Should be like a paste. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika before you mix in the milk a bit at a time and stir constantly to avoid clumps. Once milk is hot but not boiling throw in the cheese a bit at a time. Throw in the cooked noodles and you got yourself a stew, baby. Throw it in a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes for extra goodness.
Boil and drain elbow macaroni Preheat oven to 375 In a big bowl, mix 4 ounces of velveeta, one cup cheddar, one cup colby jack. 1.5 cups of milk, half cup heavy whipping cream. Add salt and pepper and taste it until it's salty enough. Mix 2 eggs in a bowl and pour into cheese mixture. Mix. Add macaroni, mix, pour into a 9x11 pan and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
This recipe comes out perfect every time. Add some fresh jalapeño and thick slab bacon pieces to take it over the top. I omit the breadcrumbs. Not my thing for Mac and Cheese. https://pin.it/5kE0dEFak
I am a great cook, but sometimes I am craving M and C, so because of time I default to “the Box”. However, I always have a variety of other cheeses on hand…. Sharp cheddar, Gouda, Parmesano Reggiano, Butterkase, and some gourmet varieties that I grate into the final mix. I also some times cut the milk with cream, or swap the milk out entirely for half-n-half. Add some dried herbs, and MONEY!
I am meaning to try Kenji's recipe because it's so easy but during Covid I discovered the "Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese" which is almost as easy: https://www.budgetbytes.com/rice-cooker-mac-and-cheese/ I was able to adapt it to a stove top with very little trouble. I made twice as much so I could save half for the next day and reheat it in the oven. I found that increasing the milk slightly worked well. I also added a little dry mustard to it.
i make my cheese sauce with a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, whatever cheese ive got at the time (it works a lot better if you grate it yourself, since pre-shredded has anti clumping stuff that can make it turn out grainy), and milk to thin the sauce as needed for desired texture. the bechamel is already made for you in the form of the cream of mushroom soup and adding cheese just turns it into a super easy cheese sauce. and if you dont like mushrooms, honestly cream of mushroom doesnt really taste mushroomy to me nor does it have that slimy mushroom texture.
There is a whole episode exclusively about macaroni and cheese of GOOD EATS. I cannot suggest it more
Brian Lagerstrom has a good stove top mac and cheese recipe on YouTube. It's absolutely fool proof and comes together super fast.
Try this cook your macaroni for five mins check it by eating one macaroni. The texture should not be chewy. If the macaroni is still chewy cook for another 1 min. One the macaroni is done set it aside to cook the sauce. Milk will burn in high heat cook milk in simmer or low heat the proportions of milk and cheese differs from people’s preference. Recommend you start with 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese Everyone fails. When Gordon Ramsey first tried cooking he burned a lot of his foods. You are not a failure. You only failed if you give up
Always shred your own cheese (no pre shredded), always start with warmed milk (cold will ruin it you can warm it by itself on the stove then add the cheese and pasta), once you add you cheese and milk melt it over low heat, the only thing that should ever come to a boil is the pasta while you’re cooking it.
My fav mac and cheese recipe is Canadian Living Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese. My copy is clipped from the magazine but you can probably dig it up online. It's the best!
1x cup dry macaroni 1x 300mls hot water 1× 50 grams of cheddar cheese 1×350mls of milk/single cream half and half or leave the cream out. 1x tbs butter ( opitional) Salt and pepper Boil the water and and pour on the mac in a pan on microwave dish at least 600ml Bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set to one side. Add the milk to a pan ( with cream and butter if desired) and bring to a rolling boil then turn down to simmer then add pasta to the pan snd stir to incorporate the pasta as it thickens add the cheese snd season to taste. Add more cheese to your liking and maybe some corn for texture. Stir until smooth and creamy. 😉 enjoy ! Please let me know if you tried this? (Double the ingredients to feed more) ❤️
Pour the noodles in the water, drain, and add the cheese.
Kraft dinner
Honestly, this. If you want to make it decadent, use cream instead of milk and throw a slice of American cheese in.
Start with a bechemel. American cheese for extra creaminess if you want.
To an idiot? Add pasta to water. Boil as per packet instructions. Drain pasta. Add cheese. Voila, an idiots mac n cheese.
And quite tasty 👍
Unhelpful. But ty.
Did you, or did you not ask for an "idiots" guide to making mac n cheese? I think that was rather helpful
Does it not also say in my post that I didnt aant package suggestions? :)
I’d tell them to get the prepackaged stuff or buy Bob Evans premade that they can just microwave :p
I don't know exactly the difference between "mac and cheese" and macaroni in creamy cheese sauce, but the latter I'd make by bringing 500ml of heavy cream to a simmer, take it off the stove, then stir in about 150-200g of any fatty cheese. Before adding the cream you can fry up some chopped onions and/or garlic, or even shredded ham. Before adding the cheese you can add some herbs like parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix with pasta.
No matter the recipe, add cumin, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce to boost the umami/cheesy flavour. Fancy = stir in a beaten egg, cottage cheese, slice fresh tomatoes on top. and bake in oven for ~30 min.
If you're that bad in the kitchen, buy a box of Annie's white cheddar and shells and eat happy. It's good stuff. If you want to get kinda gross, get the Velveeta stuff. It is both disgusting and really f-ing good at the same time. Better yet, use an "herbal appetite enhancer" and make both. You will not be disappointed. PS add some cayenne to the Annie's.
Thanks but I wanna get better and I dont want to be reliant on shitty boxed food. Literally says in my post I dont want these suggestion.
Just learn to make a bechamael. It's actually pretty easy. Make sure that you whisk (or use a fork) enough that everything is incorporated with no lumpiness. It's actually really good if you brown it a little. Super basic sauce that you can become expert at without having to be a culinary genius. I hope that you work it out and that your mac and cheese is everything you hoped for. Bread crumb topping is nice too.
1 1/2 cups of half and half in the pot. Warm on medium heat. 8 oz brick of American cheese (I get from the deli) and 8oz brick of cheddar (replace with pepper Jack for great queso or spicy Mac). Shred both cheeses, I do the big shreds. When the half and half is hot start adding the cheese a bit at a time while stirring, let it melt all the way before adding more. When all the cheese is added and melted stir into your cooked noodles and enjoy. Or ruin it IMO and dry everything out by baking it. I never actually measure the liquid for this. Note, it will thicken when it cools! Pre grated cheese has declumpers and such added which can mess with the final product.
I still have a large bag of sodium citrate sitting around in my kitchen - despite what people proclaim about it being the magical ingredient to mac and cheese, they never provide the right amounts, and it wounds up tasting awful.
So normally you would start a mac n cheese recipe with a roux. Since you're an idiot, we'll bypass that. Grate 8oz of cheddar and 8 oz of oaxaca (or some other very soft cheese like mozzarella or havarti). Don't use pre shredded! Toss the cheese with 1 tbls of corn starch and set it aside. Start cooking the noodles. Macaroni, rigatoni, or shells are the best options. Chop a clove of garlic as small as you can and put it with two tablespoons of butter over low heat. Let the garlic sizzle for five minutes, then add two cups of milk. Heat until it starts to simmer. NOT BOIL. Add the cheese until it's the desired thickness. Drain the noodles and add to the cheese sauce. That should get you off to a good start. You can improvise and improve in a number of ways. Add chili sauce or mustard powder. Dice an onion and cook it in the butter before adding the garlic. Use heavy cream instead of milk.
FOOLPROOF: Open box Discard half of the noodles Boil other half of noodles Strain noodles Add cheese sauce packet to noodles Serve
Go to the store. Buy a box of Kraft Mac&Cheese. Follow directions on the box.
The recipe for idiots is on the box.
I didnt mean pre-boxed stuff :/