Mac & Cheese

Morning Glory said:
It doesn't rank in my favourite type of dishes really. But its almost a staple in the US, I think. Not sure quite why but I expect there is a history as to why. Maybe its simply economical?
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The blue box Mac and cheese is easy to make and kids like it. It's been around since I was a pre teen at least, so decades of kids were indoctrinated into liking Mac and cheese.
 
karadekoolaid said:
Dry mac&cheese is an abomination!
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It is! My mum always made a great baked mac n cheese - not dry at all. Put tomato slices on top.

Stovetop is easiest in my thinking and I make it much like a usual type of pasta dish. I use pasta water for liquid and best sharpest cheese on hand.

It's just pasta in a cheese sauce innit.
 
Morning Glory said:
its almost a staple in the US, I think. Not sure quite why but I expect there is a history as to why. Maybe its simply economical?
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Maybe so. But only indirectly. It's part of the easy instant (and non perishable) box-food repertoire that sells cheap instant meals, baked items and add-ins and negates cooking and food prep as an unessary chore. Marketing innit.
 
medtran49 said:
The blue box Mac and cheese is easy to make and kids like it. It's been around since I was a pre teen at least, so decades of kids were indoctrinated into liking Mac and cheese.
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Yup. I think it became a staple for us baby boomers who didn't live on a farm and were either suburban or city dwellers, often with mothers who worked outside of the home. It was something most 12 year olds could cook without burning down the house (along with Banquet and Swanson pot pies and tv dinners, frozen pizzas, etc.). It was nostalgic for sure, and many of us with a passion for cooking remembered it fondly, but wanted to make a better version from scratch. I havent eaten the blue box stuff in probably 40 years and last time I tried it I thought it was pretty awful.
 
Morning Glory said:
It doesn't rank in my favourite type of dishes really. But its almost a staple in the US, I think. Not sure quite why but I expect there is a history as to why. Maybe its simply economical?
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I agree on all points. Most mac and cheese in the U.S. is made from packages using a processed food product that is about 1/2 cheese and Isn't one of my favorites either. But add some good ingredients (quality cheddar cheese or guryere or cream cheese, mushrooms, wine and it can be made into a great dish. I'm still working on new approaches to make mac and cheese into fine dishes. Cheese and pasta go well together as we all know. It is a shame that mac and cheese has earned such a negative rating from serious cooks. I just think they haven't tried hard enougn.
 
blades said:
But add some good ingredients (quality cheddar cheese or guryere or cream cheese, mushrooms, wine and it can be made into a great dish.
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To the box version or from scratch?

blades said:
I'm still working on new approaches to make mac and cheese into fine dishes. Cheese and pasta go well together as we all know. It is a shame that mac and cheese has earned such a negative rating from serious cooks. I just think they haven't tried hard enougn
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Many pasta dishes out there with cheese sauces ranging from great to unbelievably good. But I'm mainly talking Italian pasta dishes here.
 
Ok so it was pretty great, that crab mac n cheese. I had bought the shelled lump crabmeat from Omaha Steaks (US frozen food distributor), and it was really nice, lovely chunks with not a scrap of cartilage or mushy bits. Sauteed spinach on the side. I'm in a bit of a food coma right now.
 
ZCook said:
To the box version or from scratch?



Many pasta dishes out there with cheese sauces ranging from great to unbelievably good. But I'm mainly talking Italian pasta dishes here.
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I cook virtually everything from scratch. There are some aisles in the supermarket that I never visit. I no longer bake bread but I bake other things. Not only are there many great cheese sauces but there are many cheeses that can be grated and used to top some other pasta dishes.
 
Barriehie said:
Lots of butter in the baked version!
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Yep - the average was about 115 gms (that's a stick, if I remember rightly).
One of the things that surprised me when I started making it was the relatively small quantity (about 45-50 gms) of pasta involved. Venezuelans are huge pasta eaters (3rd largest in the world) and a serving here would be around 125 gms - about ¼ lb.
 
blades said:
I cook virtually everything from scratch.
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Thought you did. Didn't know if you had in mind a fiendishly transformative recipe for the actual box version which can almost be done 😅


Problem with what is called Mac and Cheese - all things considered - is that it has almost become a self limiting dish by definition. There are a number of dishes like that - British Spaghetti Bolognese aka Spag Bol and Chili con Carne are a couple that spring to mind. It's not that you can't make really good versions of them. But there are so many other possiblities/versions of similar often original regional dishes out there for people wanting to cook or eat something less stanadardised and generic. Take Ragu alla Bolognese for e.g.
 
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