Mac 'n' Cheese

[Ellemir]

I recently tried *again* to make macaroni and cheese without the blue box. I simply added actual cheese - cheddar and colby-jack - milk, and butter. It turned out horrible and I died a little on the inside.

I can cook, I'm just no chef. To top it off, I just saw the most delicious looking macaroni and cheese on Iron Chef America last night. What should I do the next time I attempt such a feat?  

[Mrs_Black_Bear]

try using a softer cheese like Munster Cheese to make your Mack and cheese by scratch with, also rinse the past off after it has cooked fully before putting it back on the stove and adding the rest of the ingredients.

Here is a list that may help

Cheeeses  

[Taxi Mama]

My sister's recipe is bland but comforting:
Boil large elbow macaroni until tender. Dump into colander (strainer) and rinse thoroughly with hot water; this removes starch & prevents stickiness. Return macaroni to warm saucepan and drop in a block of Velveeta (soft processed cheese) and stir till the Velveeta is all melted away.

For something more authentic, try http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Classic-Macaroni-and-Cheese/Detail.aspx
 

[Ellemir]

Will do, thanks for the input ladies. (I love cheese so it hurt me to waste the cheddar and such) :3


Has anyone made Bulgogi before?


*Edit: that authentic recipe really reminds me of lasagna minus the beef and spinach. I'll have to try that one too  

[Dani Hyrosha]

my mom used to use velveta and cube it up into a little bit of milk before melting it to make it nice and smooth.

Chedder will just turn into a greesy lumpy mess.

Also, if you want a really out there recipie, go to foodnetwork.com and look up the Good Eats episode for mac and cheese. Three recipies: oven, stovetop and fried. Yes, fried mac, I haven't tried it yet, but it looks really good!  

[Etoile de la Mer]

I admit I am an excellent cook when I want, but the best recipe I have ever tried for mac and cheese is a varient of the blue box. And odd as this sounds, get the cheapest kind of box macaroni and cheese for this recipe.

After you have cooked the noodles, instead of putting in the milk, put in sour cream and real butter, then add a shake of mustard powder and the cheese and stir it up. It's amazingly good, even if I do say so myself. I put this recipe together with an idea from a friend to do the sour cream and my mother's habit of putting mustard in her from-scratch recipe.

Sure, I could do the complicated real cheese recipes. But why bother when this is so much creamier and easier. When I want mac and cheese, I usually want it fast.  

[Chachere]

i would try velveeta. it would melt nice and not crust up unless it got cold.  

[President Kristian Fry]

I ust got with whats in the KD box and thats it.  

[Wixandrettas]

OK... I live in New Hampshire.. on a larger scale... New England... Homemade Mac n Cheese is a staple here, especially in the winter time.

What is traditionally done is this..

You boil up some Casserole-sized elbow macaroni until al-dente... DO NOT RINSE the pasta.. .. (To do so would wash away the healthy ingredients)

Spray a Pyrex dish with a little Pam.. Warm your oven to 375F

Cheese sauce is entirely up to you...

When I make it for the house, I use Velveeta, Cheddar, american, pecorino and parmesan. I dont use milk, but I use fresh chicken stock.. I make the sauce on very low heat, stirring constantly..

I also make a small bread-crumb-crumble with italian seasonings, fresh garlic and parsley ..

Spread out your pasta evenly in the pyrex dish.... pour your cheese sauce over it... then sprinkle the seasoned bread crumb mix on top.


Place in oven until it starts to slightly bubble, usually about 15-20 minutes.

Then turn the broiler on... place the pyrex under the broiler for about 6-8 minutes to get the top to brown nicely... lightly though...


Usually I will add salsa and spinach to it... fresh cooked ground beef with onions peppers and mushrooms..

Ive even added cajun-seasoned chicken that has been shredded...

a true hit in the house...... but...

I cant have any Dairy at all, so Im stuck watching them tease me! UGH!  

[Lil-Jo]

OK... my head is still spinning on why this is in the Serious Conversation... I could never consider mac n cheese serious.  

[Ellemir]

My thought was why does ever serious conversation have to be about death, underage porn viewing, etc.? Especially considering that there are no forums sanctioned for discussion on cooking. Anyhow, I was seriously annoyed that my Mac 'n' Cheese didn't turn out well.

*Edit: I'm actually going to save all of your suggestions in case this thread does get thrown out  

[CORNSiLKDreamer]

My family only uses extra sharp cheddar, usually two packs of CrackerBarrel brand.
I still haven't memorized the amounts, I think it's milk twice the volume of the macaroni added?
I really need to master it because I love my family recipe for macaroni! I add ketchup smile  

[Raevena]

I secretly indulge and enjoy Easy Mac as any other college student would, but I think what Alexandretta posted sounds delicious and should be tried at once!

 

[Caither]

I have a really easy version, heh. Box mix mac & cheese, made with milk (not water), then add slices of real American cheese (not cheese food) until it's as cheesy as you like. It's ok to add a little extra milk if you want it creamier instead of cheesier.

Back in our poor days, we added hamburger or sliced hot dogs to the above for our main meal of the day, vegies when we had them, etc.  

[MotherMoo]

You all make me jealous and feel lazy as heck lol. I just use the plain ole Velvetta shells 'n cheese....

One variation I do with it tho is... I brown some ground beef (ground turkey if your the healthy kind) add some bell peppers and onions to the beef to cook with it. Drain, then add the cooked shells and velvetta cheese.... very tasty