It's stunning how easily you can produce flabby, mushy, bland, and grainy mac and cheese simply by
failing to use the right ingredients, ignoring techniques, and overlooking essential details.
To save you from such humiliation, we've compiled a list of fatal mistakes to avoid.
First and foremost, let's address the macaroni elephant in the room;
the most egregious mistake you can make is to rely on pre-packaged mac and cheese.
"Cheddar Goblin by Duvane. It's gobblin' good."
"Cheddar Goblin."
Yes, it's a convenient shortcut that avoids the complications of making a roux and cuts down on
dishwashing. Yes, it's cheaper than investing in quality pasta and fine cheeses — the kinds
that don't come in powder form or some glorious, otherworldly, radioactive shade
of orange. And yes, you may argue that there are more artisanal, environmentally friendly,
and supposedly gourmet versions out there than the classic Kraft version. And you wouldn't be alone;
social and digital media arbiters are only too eager to sing the praises of the best
pre-packaged brands on the market, suggesting ingenious ways to "upgrade" boxed mac and cheese.
But don't fall for these tactics. If you do, you'll be committing the original mac and cheese
sin. Instead, stay on the true path by investing in honest ingredients and cooking from scratch.
It's the only way you'll ever get to mac and cheese heaven.
Mac and cheese is a marriage between two much-loved ingredients:
pasta and cheese. For the union to succeed, both partners have
to complement each other. This can only happen if you choose the right cheese.
Immediately, you can eliminate Velveeta. Although a fervent minority is partial to its undeniable
creaminess, in the words of the FDA, it isn't cheese, but a, quote, "cheese product." That said,
you don't have to run out and invest in an exorbitantly priced Wyke Farms Cheddar. In a
HuffPost article, cheese guru Janet Fletcher warned against using insanely expensive,
refined, or unusual cheeses, the qualities of which will be lost when you melt them.
Instead of limiting yourself to a single cheese, opt for a carefully selected blend
of cheeses you can layer. Chef Danyelle Hudgins points out about successful mac and cheese,
"[It] needs loads of flavor and depth.
Using different cheeses allows you to taste layers of flavor combos."
Some cheeses melt more easily and have a creamier texture and milder flavor.
Popular choices in this camp include fontina, gouda, gruyère,
and Monterey jack. Others are sharper and more pungent, such as cheddar, parmesan,
and even Roquefort. The trick is to find a balanced mix of simple, quality cheeses.
Assembling a stellar team of cheeses is key to earning accolades for your mac and cheese,
but quantity is just as important as quality.
By its very nature, mac and cheese is a cheese-heavy dish. If you want your
mac to be lavishly coated in a thick, creamy blanket of cheese, you'll have
to go heavy on the grater. Always grate more cheese than you think you're going to need.
Decadent? Yes. Then again, you're not going to be eating this every day.
Moreover, make sure you actually do grate your own cheese. Sure, buying pre-shredded cheese is
more convenient than doing it yourself. However, any gains in efficiency will be offset by a loss
in taste, texture, and quality. The truth is that pre-shredded cheese is frequently
spiked with stabilizers and preservatives. While these ensure a longer shelf life,
the downsides include artificial flavors, waxy textures, and less melt-ability.
Some believe that mac and cheese arrived in America courtesy of Thomas Jefferson,
who returned from Europe with pasta recipes — and a pasta-making machine. In 1802,
he famously served mac and cheese at a state dinner. However, it was Kraft that
truly popularized the dish with elbow macaroni when it launched its boxed version in 1937.
Since then, elbow macaroni has remained the standard. More than a matter of tradition or
aesthetics, it's a question of engineering. Cheese sauce is too heavy for many pastas,
causing them to clump. Elbow macaroni is designed to hold thick, creamy sauces. Its curves and holes
catch and hold onto sauce, maximizing cheesiness with every bite. For similarly strategic reasons,
alternatives include other small and groovy pasta shapes such as shells and Campanelle.
Choosing the right mac is essential, but it's all for nothing if you don't cook it properly.
"I don't know how to make mac n cheese. And I don't want to be the one to mess it up.
I like living here."
First things first, make sure you only use quality dry pasta as opposed to fresh pasta,
which will turn into a sticky clump as it cooks. Bring your water to a
rolling boil and then toss in at least one heaping tablespoon of kosher salt.
Do not add oil to the water, as this may prevent the cheese sauce from sticking to the pasta.
Because many recipes for macaroni are double-cooked — boiled and then baked — you'll
want to drain your pasta when it's just a minute or two shy of reaching a firm,
chewy "al dente" state. Anything more will result in flabby noodles lacking
in chewiness that are unable to absorb the sauce.
Finally, when you drain your cooked pasta, don't rinse it. This will wash away all of
the noodles' coveted starch, which helps bind the cheese sauce to the macaroni.
One of the trickiest parts of the mac and cheese process is making the béchamel sauce. Considered
one of the five classic mother sauces of French cooking, this thick white sauce was named after
Louis de Béchamel, a steward of French king Louis the fourteenth. The sauce's true origins,
however, can be traced to Tuscany, where it was evocatively known as salsa colla, or "glue sauce."
Béchamel sauce relies on a simple trio of ingredients: milk, butter, and flour. The
combination of butter and flour cooked slowly over low heat is known as a roux. Despite the
simplicity of the ingredients involved, béchamels are disaster-prone. For instance, the roux has
a nasty habit of sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning while the béchamel is simmering.
To avoid these pitfalls, use a pot with a heavy bottom and stir as if your life depended on it.
Warming the milk before adding it to the roux not only thickens the sauce in half the time but
also reduces the splatter that inevitably occurs when cold milk meets hot butter.
Make sure you add the milk slowly, little by little, and cook for at least ten minutes.
If you undercook your béchamel, you risk giving it a gritty texture and raw-flour taste.
When it comes to milk, percentage is everything. Many of us idealistically,
and wrongly, assume that for mac and cheese,
all milk is created equal. However, using anything less than whole milk is courting catastrophe.
The higher a milk's fat content, the more stable it will be while cooking.
If you opt for reduced-fat, low-fat, or skim milk,
you risk giving your mac and cheese an unpleasant greasy texture and look.
In place of whole milk, you can add one part cream to three parts two-percent milk.
If you're investing in cream though, you might as well go all out and use either light cream,
whipping cream, or heavy cream to make what Epicurious describes as the, quote, "creamiest,
dreamiest" mac and cheese sauce you can imagine. Making soup
Soupy sauce is almost as bad as mushy mac. This major mishap can occur if
you add too much liquid to what should be a rich, thick, creamy cheese sauce.
Steer clear of disaster by adding small amounts of liquid at a time. Stir until well-blended,
then take stock of your sauce. If you find it to be a little sludgy,
you can always add liquid, but subtracting is more difficult.
Similarly, never add grated cheese to your béchamel sauce all at once.
Whisk in each variety of cheese little by little, stirring until the sauce is perfectly blended.
If you add too much too quickly, your sauce can split or become unstable as it cooks. A slow,
steady method of blending also prevents cheese's natural oils from separating from
the sauce during cooking, which would create unappetizing pools of grease.
You might think that a brilliant selection of zesty cheeses mixed into a béchamel sauce
is all it takes to create a flavorful mac and cheese. While butter, flour,
and milk make a great base for a sauce, the resulting taste isn't going to tempt
you to lick the spoon. Adding a judicious sprinkling of spices will enhance the sauce,
resulting in a finished product bursting with flavor.
Aside from salt and ground black pepper, favorite options include
dashes of nutmeg and cayenne pepper for warmth and spark. A sprinkling of mustard
powder and/or a blob of Dijon mustard are also zingy antidotes to blandness,
as are garlic powder and onion powder. A dusting of paprika or turmeric adds a tinge
of pungency as well as a healthy golden tint to the final cheesy color scheme.
Mac and cheese is more than just a marriage between pasta and cheese. It's also about the
happy union of creaminess and crunchiness. Smooth macaroni in luscious cheese sauce
truly comes into its own when paired with its culinary soulmate: a crackling browned topping.
On their own, hard, dry cheeses add sharp flavors, but they burn easily. Meanwhile,
if left unaccompanied, soft, creamy cheeses will make a gooey mess without developing that
desirable golden gratinéed look. One solution is to use a strategic mix of both types.
Although creating a top crust of gratinéed cheese is one way of achieving such crunch,
the consensus among mac and cheese experts is that you can't have maximum crunch
without also using breadcrumbs. Even though you're using cheese,
make sure to season your breadcrumbs before tossing them into the mix. Melted butter,
fresh parsley, crushed garlic, and onion powder are worthy additions that add welcome spice.
It takes a very strong-willed individual to remove a fragrant,
crackling, bubbling pan of mac and cheese from the oven and not succumb to its lure
by immediately helping yourself to a big heaping bowl of cheesy deliciousness.
However, despite appearances to the contrary, mac and cheese is not unlike a slab of beautifully
grilled or roasted meat. The flavors and textures of both meat and mac hit their peak if they're
allowed to rest for ten to fifteen minutes after leaving the oven. Taking a short siesta allows
the cheese sauce to calmly settle around the macaroni, burrowing into its nooks and crannies.
If you don't let your mac enjoy this rest, the sauce will literally be a hot — and runny — mess.
It may be hard, but try to stop yourself from
digging into that dish as soon as it comes out from the oven.
At its core, mac and cheese is simple, gooey, delicious fun. To be true to the spirit of
this classic comfort food, it's essential to keep preparation as uncomplicated as possible.
Aside from seeking out obscure and expensive cheeses, such as the outrageously priced Wyke
Farms Cheddar, this means stomping on any urge to fuss things up with
foodie-friendly suggestions such as truffle oil and the ubiquitous lobster.
As part of our endless search for variety, the online universe is full of advice on
how to "jazz up," "dress up," "spice up," "kick up," and "amp up" mac and cheese.
This includes adding everything from chorizo and figs to leftover chili.
Some have even gone so far as to suggest ingredients like guacamole
and tortilla chips. Such hacks are not only misguided, but completely unnecessary.
It is considered culinary heresy to pollute a classic recipe with unnecessary bells and
whistles. Regardless, once you've steered clear of all mistakes and
followed the steps required to make a perfect pan of mac and cheese,
there's no rule saying you can only serve and consume it in a bowl.
Since mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches both rely on two basic ingredients, it seems
only natural to combine these cheesy and chewy classics into a grilled mac and cheese sandwich.
Perhaps less natural but equally inspired is
the addition of mac and cheese to other iconic comfort foods.
"Mac and cheese pizza?"
"Yeah."
"You're making that?"
"Yeah."
Layer a generous helping of mac and cheese onto a pizza crust, add some extra cheese,
and blast it in the oven to enjoy a mac and cheese pizza. Press mac and cheese into a bun
alongside a freshly grilled hot dog for a mac and cheese dog. Make a chewier
variation of a cheeseburger by topping, or even filling, a juicy burger with mac and cheese.
And if you're a real starch fiend, use mac and cheese to stuff baked potatoes. Ultimately,
mac and cheese is endlessly adaptable; the only limit is your imagination.
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