- Oh, dah.
(groans)
Woo!
(sighs)
Huh.
(gasps)
Ooh, that's quite fun.
(dramatic music)
(bubbles pop)
(80s music) ♪ Oh ♪
♪ Bought a ♪
♪ Mac and cheese catcher off the internet for really cheap ♪
Alexa, stop.
That kinda work as an intro?
We'll stick with it.
Hello everybody, and welcome to a video on the internet.
How this modern technology works, indeed.
You might remember, a couple of months ago,
maybe two, three months ago,
time does go by so slowly.
I was about to sing a song, another one,
no, we're not doing that.
You might remember, I'm gonna put a little bit here, okay?
I found this thing on eBay,
it was a pretty damaged kebab-maker rotisserie thing,
which was insane, and now people are actually getting it,
which is kinda cool but, actually, originally,
it was quite expensive I think.
But, I've foraged again, on the world of eBay,
and I found this absolute beauty.
It came in a box, and then,
(machine parts jangle)
this lump here.
It was just over five pounds plus a bit of postage,
and I think, originally, these are quite expensive.
(machine clangs)
Anyhow, I think, did I just break it even more?
I just better get it open, actually.
Oh wow, yes, they are actually, by looks of it,
40 pounds brand new,
and the, (laughs) the photo they've used
is actually the one they used on the main one
of this advert, very clever.
But, gotta be fair, it did say used, and I love a bargain.
(plastic parts clatter)
Look, a spatula on a handle.
Hey,
(spatula slaps)
ugh, (laughs) like a cartoon.
(grunts)
Yeah, sorry.
All right, that'll do, that's a handle.
(gasps) That's sheared off.
Can you see, there's supposed to be two sides of that.
I think we'll make it work.
Is that like a lid, yeah, all right.
(laughs) They do not, whatever I wanna do,
I do not wanna snap that other bit off,
'cause that would just fall through.
I, well my initial shock
was the fact that it is an American fitting,
but as we know, from Toasterville.
(air whooshes) Oh my gosh!
(air whooshes)
We don't wanna set our house on fire.
And actually, it came in really useful for a previous video
where I ordered something called a step down converter,
all about the voltage, all that stuff.
You guys taught be about that, health and safety.
I keep it in my drawer here.
There we go, that's gonna save my life today, hopefully.
Oh wow, look.
It's got a power thing that says low, boil, or simmer,
and it's basically like a big plastic mug.
Mac & Cheese Nation, I love that,
I kinda want that on a hat.
And it's just got a huge hot plate there.
So I assume, we're just gonna warm it up.
Nope, wrong way.
(laughs) Save the clock tower!
(grunts)
(buzzes)
All that stuff, there we go, so, I am now safe.
(gasps) Oh there's a line there, okay,
we're there, we're there.
There we go.
Yeah! (laughs)
I just realised actually, I bought this from a UK seller,
and it's got the American fitting on it.
Mm, someone's doing some import business, okay.
Cleaning and care, I will wash it, don't worry.
Ooh, helpful hints.
"Some countertop and table surfaces are not designed
"to withstand prolonged heat generated
"by certain appliances.
"It is recommended to use a hot pad or trivet
"under this appliance."
Okay.
"Do not cook rice or any other pasta
"in the mac and cheese maker."
Darn it, I'm sure it would work though.
Let's not go there.
Recipes.
Aw no, this one says about store-bought mac and cheese,
I went out earlier and bought some ingredients
for just general mac and cheese that I use.
Homemade mac and cheese, that's what we want,
'cause I have bought the macaroni and the butter,
and flour I've got here, salt, pepper, got milk, cheese,
(gasps) bacon mac and cheese!
There's gotta be more, what does it go onto,
chocolate mac and, no that's literally it.
90-day limited warranty.
I'm sure that's expired now.
Right, I'm not gonna go for this,
I don't really wanna touch that page.
Ladies and gents, in this bucket of plastic lovin',
we are gonna make some bacon macaroni and cheese.
Does it cook the bacon on the hot plate?
That could be amazing.
Well let's jolly well find out.
Boston's reaction will tell us if it's gonna work.
(laughs) He doesn't have high hopes today.
Yes, it is definitely American,
'cause it is all in cup sizes.
I bought quite a lot of this anyway,
and we have sort of flour and salt around the house.
All right, so I've got my ingredients all sort of spread out
along there, other than the water and the bacon.
The bacon's just rashers, right,
but we need to get, apparently, three cups of water.
(water whooshing) And this one
does measuring cups.
Measuring cups, well hey, not a pun.
So, three cups is about 700 mL of water,
once that settles, that should be it.
So the instructions all right, I just wanna look,
like what, so, obviously it's got that hot plate on it,
I could cook the bacon on it, I probably could,
but, down step six,
I'm really, really worried about those things,
but step six, "Cook the bacon to desired crispness
"and cut into small pieces."
So, I'm not actually gonna be able to cook it in this.
I think, I personally think that you could,
but I don't want to break it any more
than it potentially is, (laughs)
so let's cook the bacon first, get it done.
(frying pan clattering)
(stove clicks)
(bacon sizzles)
Huh?
You like that smell?
(bacon sizzles)
Now we've not got any kitchen towel
in the house at the moment.
We used the last bit up this morning on a bit of a spillage,
involving breakfast cereal, long story.
Short story, don't have kids.
Only joking, it was me, wasn't it? (laughs)
Right, bacon.
So, we can crack on, now we've seen step six,
I don't think there's gonna be any other things
to catch us out,
but I genuinely do believe that with that hot plate,
I could've cooked the bacon on that.
Maybe they should add that to the instructions,
I don't know.
But of course, then you'd have to take it out
because the first thing that's going in
is those three cups of water.
(water tinkling)
That always makes we wanna go to the toilet.
(ragtime piano music) "Do not overfill,"
I wasn't planning on it.
"If you add more water, the liquid might boil over."
True.
Bit like a kettle.
Okay, "Set the dial to boil."
It's not on boil, it's on low.
(laughs) That's like doing nothing,
there's no click or anything to let you know
what setting you're on,
but we're gonna go with boil, which I imagine,
boil, simmer, and low is obviously higher, high, and low.
So after that, okay, oh there's a light there.
Lemme go plug it in at the wall.
You got a light on?
Oh, there's a light, nope.
I turned it to low.
See the light comes on down there?
Now turn it off low, and it goes off.
But I want it on boil.
D'you know what, I'm just gonna stick with it.
We're just gonna trust it, because the light is working,
that's a good start.
"The unit will turn on, and the appliance will warm up.
"When it reaches boiling, approximately six minutes,
"lift up the ingredient cap
"and pour the macaroni into the slot."
All right.
So I need this on then.
There we go, all right, now, now we're cooking pasta.
So I've gotta wait for six minutes.
Find out (dramatic bass thuds)
in six minutes (dramatic bass thuds)
if this is boiling. (dramatic bass thuds)
Okay, it's actually been about nine minutes.
I'm a bit worries, 'cause the light hasn't come on at all,
and, is that on?
No, it's not, is it?
It's under the handle.
But there is some serious steam comin' off that.
How do I get it off?
Oh yeah, that is hot.
(playful music)
(water whooshing)
Mm.
Yep, yep yep yep yep yep, that's boiling water,
that's pretty much boiling, yes.
Fah.
Okay, pour the macaroni into the ingredient slot.
This is dangerous.
But that's the slot that I've gotta get the macaroni in,
oh, dah.
That ain't gonna go in there easy, is it, look.
(sighs)
Sh, I really don't want to take the lid off again,
but that is so much easier.
Stick that in there, okay.
Set the unit to simmer.
Okay.
And still, no light.
"It is important to set the unit to simmer
"so the water doesn't boil over.
"If liquid begins to boil over,
"adjust the temperature downward."
Okay.
"Use the stirring knob to mix the macaroni periodically."
Ooh, that's quite fun.
"Heat-resistant gloves are recommended
"because hot steam will be coming out of the unit."
Oh.
Okay, so whilst I'm doing this, this is quite therapeutic,
I'm enjoying the calm after the storm,
I should be cooking the bacon,
which of course, I've already done.
So, other than this I've gotta let it cook now
for seven to 10 minutes,
and drain the water through the spout.
So, (laughs) unless anything crazy happens,
I'll see ya in a bit.
I'll keep doing this.
(air whooshes)
Uh, just so you're aware, (machine whirring)
oh jeez.
It started boiling again.
So I'm turning that down to simmer.
Yeah. (laughs)
It's just kind of woken up.
It's been 10 minutes now, and it's on simmer,
but it seems to have got really quiet,
but the light is still on.
I kind of have hope.
I want it to be al dente, but I'm not sure if it's ready.
I will test it.
I can see the smoke comin' off the vents,
and that's hot as well.
(plastic part clatters)
(laughs)
Okay.
Huh.
That's cooked.
Just drain it off. (laughs)
(fork clatters)
The thing I don't like
about the fact I've gotta drain it off,
apparently I hold onto this, and pour it from the spout,
so that's gonna go about there, to stop the lid coming off,
not that it wanted to come off that easy anyway,
but I've still gotta take the electrical cable with me
over to the sink.
Not cool.
Yeah, I really don't like the idea of the cable.
It's basically like bringin' a kettle right over,
so, ah there we go.
That's hot, oh my gosh. (laughs)
The spout is working absolute charm.
That steam, woo!
Immediately after straining, open the ingredient cap,
(wimpers) and add the butter, flour, spices,
didn't say about spices, all right, and stir continuously.
There's gotta be an easier way to do this, but look!
We got some hot macaroni in there.
So my butter's goin' in. (grunts)
My flour's goin' in, and my spice of choice is goin' in.
(sucks in) I love paprika.
Just a little bit, little shimmy.
All right, so apparently, we get that lid on now,
and I don't know if I can get that open
so you can see a little bit, and mix it around.
(ingredient cap clatters)
(laughs) Oh, yes.
Stir that through.
Mac and cheese making has never been so much fun,
look at, (laughs) it's like a washing machine!
Oh, looks a bit boring though, dunnit?
So I'm gonna add in the bacon.
My cheese, I went for a mix of red and standard Chester.
Chester, (laughs) red Leicester and standard cheddar.
Chester, I used to live in Chester, and I live near Cheddar.
That's where I've got that from,
yeah, a nice little mix of fusion colours there.
Slightly different strengths as well, and milk.
Oh my gosh.
Let's get this back on.
Let's see if we can make this a little bit more appetising.
Oh no, that lid really wants to ride up.
Come on, work with me!
Agh!
(breathing heavy)
Nyah!
Oh, it's clumpy.
Come on, let's go the other way,
let's mix it up, let's break it down.
We really want that cheese to break down into like a sauce.
Ah, it's getting gooey.
Huh.
(cheerful music)
I quite like leaving that lid off,
not only 'cause it's broken,
but because it's got like a bit of a peephole.
(gasps) It's working!
The cheese isn't fully melted yet, but it's getting there.
And, the power isn't on.
(switch clicks)
That might help.
I'm gonna turn it, well it's on,
I don't know if there's gonna be any heat
comin' out of this thing, it works when it wants to.
I've just turned it back on.
Come on.
But there's a real creamy cheese mixture in there.
I just wanna get this lid back on
and just have a little moment right now,
of being what it should be like.
It is warming up a charm.
(sighs)
Don't mind me, I'm just making mac and cheese. (laughs)
Ah, wow! (laughs)
Ah, that is so creamy.
(laughs) It's brilliant.
(pepper grinder crunches) I did forget to season it,
to be fair.
Unnecessary.
Keeping Salt Bae alive,
someone commented the other day. (laughs)
Think he's doin' quite all right for himself.
Now believe it or not,
it might not look the most appetising thing,
it smells insane.
I'm gonna put the sexy lens on
just to see if we can make this look okay.
Oh my gosh, I've just realised,
I didn't even put that thing on a trivet.
I just checked it from the work top,
and I was expecting this huge hot ring in the middle.
I got away with that.
(laughs) What a nightmare.
All right, (laughs)
it's not the most attractive thing anyway,
but you can see how hot that is, and the cheese,
it's just, like a gorgeous sauce, the bacon pieces there.
Oh my gosh, that actually looks half decent.
I'm gonna put some more pepper on it.
(pepper grinder crunching) ♪ Der-der-Der ♪
And, few herbs, there we go, like that. (laughs)
Wow!
I don't know if it's gonna be too warm for like,
a good shot here but,
ah you get a little bit of cheese pull there, a little bit.
Everyone loves a cheese pull on the internet but,
yeah. (laughs)
I think it's fair to say, we've had mixed results.
I actually can't believe that we've got to this.
At one point earlier, I was like, what,
with the light comin' on and off,
I think another day if I tried to use this,
it might not've worked at all,
and that is the risk of me buying something
off of eBay like that,
and I think they retail about 40, 45 pounds.
You saw, with the light at one point, it was boiling away.
It has not done that since on the same setting,
and the water didn't even get to that point.
It just felt like going, yep, I'm gonna boil right now.
Ah!
Oh my gosh, that's amazing.
It's warm, important, the recipe is solid,
which is actually really tasty, the bacon as well, mm.
The macaroni is soft,
the butter and the flour has all been melted
and merged together and created a lovely, creamy sauce.
It has worked.
Now that's the risk I've taken,
I mean I'm not saying we all go out and hunt on eBay
for bargains, but of course that's why eBay's there,
is it's brilliant, you can get some good deals.
I'm not gonna suggest that you do,
in fact I think I would probably rather just cook this
on the stove rather than buy a brand new one.
Whilst this was cooking I did just win another eBay auction
for a pasta maker that's supposed to be 180 pounds,
and I got it for 22,
so that's gonna come up soon if you wanna see that,
it literally makes pasta noodles.
You put the dough in there, and it will churn it out,
but this, I'm not angry about it at all,
it's actually done all right.
Yeah, I mean if you're a mac and cheese fan,
you probably wanna get it,
so don't forget, I have a barrowful now--
(doorbell rings)
(dogs bark)
Don't know where I just got to, then the doorbell just rang,
but, if you've missed any of the gadget video,
don't forget, I have a barrowful now, put on your sweatband,
it takes a long time, and grab the popcorn,
check out the rest of the videos.
If you see any other cool bargains, and on eBay,
do send me the links on social media,
I'll check 'em out, and, that's about it.
This is actually blooming stonking.
Looks like porridge, tastes like cheese.
Nice.
(old-school hip-hop music) ♪ Check your level player ♪
♪ No matter what your style ♪
♪ The kitchen's for me ♪
♪ Sideburns, moustache, goatee, maybe all three ♪