/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.4882571]

How the fuck to I make a god-tier macaroni and cheese!?!

No matter how much butter and cheese I use, all I can make is sub par.

[Anonymous No.4882574]

i heard mustard mayo and sour cream and milk is a good combo for creaminess

[Anonymous No.4882575]

Start with a bechamel then melt your cheese into it. It will melt smoother.

Add a bit of cheese on top (so it browns evenly) and finish in the oven.

[Anonymous No.4882609]

I have struggled with before as well. Making really good mac and cheese is a bitch. Many times the actual cheese can be perfect but the macaroni won't properly absorb it. It comes down to also how long you cook the macaroni and whether or not you bake it afterwards. Cheese type too. The only advice I can really offer is to look around at different recipes and see what you sounds the beat. My friends family likes Barefoot Contessa's recope but I haven't tried it.

[Anonymous No.4882622]

>>4882574
> mustard mayo and sour cream
Any of these will certainly add more depth, as well as using better cheese. Also salt and pepper. Don't skimp. Even if you just use basic cheddar, don't forget the salt. Too much food is ruined by not using enough salt and trying to find flavor other ways.

>>4882609
I don't actually like the cheese absorbed into the noodles.

[Anonymous No.4882626]

>>4882609
Maybe I'll try that, but the amount of times I've tried making it in different forms (heavy cream and shredded, mornay and baked, etc) has discouraged me.

I have to be missing the secret.

[Anonymous No.4882630]

this method has never let me down:

Cook macaroni to al dente if you're not going to bake it. If you are going to bake it, then cook a little less than you normally would.

Make Bechamel in the bottom of a large pot. Add a little heavy cream. Add in the cheese(s), grated. The quality of the cheese matters quite a lot. Beware pre-grated cheese, it often comes dusted with cornstarch or "texturing agents" to prevent it from wadding up in the bag. Use good quality cheese and grate it yourself right before use. Cheddar is tasty but honestly it doesn't melt very well by itself. I usually use a mix of smoked gouda (which melts very well) and another cheese, such as cheddar. Mix in your macaroni and any other ingredients you might be using.

If baking, pour it into a baking dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, bake.

The keys are really:
1) don't overcook the pasta
2) good quality cheese, at least some of which should be a good "melting" cheese.
3) bechamel and/or cream.

[Anonymous No.4882639]

>>4882626
It's salt. I'm not kidding. The secret to god tier comfort food is fat, salt or sugar. And you've got fat covered.

[Anonymous No.4882659]

>>4882626
Don't be afraid to grab a different brand of the same cheese... there can be huge differences sometimes. A cheddar that is good on crackers is bland shit when melted, and another cheddar will be the exact opposite. What cheeses do you use?

[Anonymous No.4882672]

>>4882639
> McDonalds chef

[Anonymous No.4882676]

>>4882571
i have found that you need to keep some of the starch from the boiled maccaroni and add it to your bechamel. also you CANNOT use sub-par cheese. it has to be good cheese. something like a cheap cheddar hast to many additives to keep it from melting down properly and it is also so greasy. i usually mix cheddar, gouda and because i like the zing some blue cheese.

[ram No.4882686]

i havnt tried this yet but im sure it needs lots of butter or something.

[Anonymous No.4882718]

>>4882686
IMHO...whole wheat pasta is only delicious in cold pasta salads. I wouldn't buy it. Funky carrb

[Anonymous No.4882731]

>>4882672
Nah, salt is used with pasta heavily. Pasta water should practically be sea water.

[Anonymous No.4882733]

>>4882686
My favorite plebian treat. I won't lie. I cut up hotdogs and boil them in the hot water with macaroni and eat it all together.

[ram No.4882751]

>>4882733
may i ask, whats your favorite patrician treat?

mine involves asparagus

[Anonymous No.4882797]

After you cook it,add other delicious things to give it more flavor. Mac and cheese is one of the best things to experiment with. I've added
>bacon
>tuna
>chicken
>roasted mini potatoes
>jalapenos or jalapeno juice
>potato chips
>pickles or pickle juice
>tomatoes
>cayenne pepper

Not all at once,obviously. But adding one or more of those things while or after cooking it can be just what you need to liven it up.
As for the actual macaroni cooking process,I don't know how to help you. Just experiment. Different cheeses,butters,creams,margarines,cooking styles. If you bake it,experiment with different breading styles.

[Anonymous No.4882807]

>>4882751
I don't if It counts as patrician but I make what equates to basically a fancy garlic, mushroom, onion, and whatever else I have beef stew with a homemade rye bread. I have served it with asparagus funnily enough. Also the rye bread invariably has to be eaten quickly as it gets extremely hard due to how thick I make it.

[Anonymous No.4882876]

>>4882571
Make your cheese with a Bechamel, that's a good plan.
Heavy cream is helpful.
Make your cheese sauce slightly thinner than what you want, and undercook the macaroni a bit.
Bake it in an oven, at high heat, to brown the top cheese well.

[Anonymous No.4882888]

>>4882797
>potatoes
>bacon
>jalapenos
FUCK those sound like they'd be amazing with m&c, all together or separate.

[Anonymous No.4882907]

>>4882888
Potatoes sound gross.
I've tried bacon, it's problematic. You have to be careful that it's not too greasy.
Jalapenos sound interesting.

[Anonymous No.4882925]

>>4882907

You can avoid the greasiness like this: slice the bacon into lardons, fry it a skillet while you boil the macaroni. Fry bacon until crispy, drain, stir in the bacon before you put it into the oven. Even better, dice some mushrooms and saute them in the pan with the bacon. They will cook faster than the bacon will so add mushrooms at the end.

[Anonymous No.4882929]

>>4882907
This is the kind I used. Not the same brand or flavor. I believe mine was a store brand,rosemary and herb flavored,rather than garlic. They took about 15 minutes to cool in the oven. Once they were done,I was finishing up the macaroni. Put the butter and cheese in,then mixed in the potatoes. I liked it. Can't speak for everyone. I would recommend trying it to anyone like OP,who's looking for something different.

[Anonymous No.4882934]

>>4882929
cook,not cool*

[Anonymous No.4883048]

>>4882686
When I was living alone, I ate this a lot. Never add more butter than it says, but use a half cup of milk instead of the quarter cup it calls for. And sprinkle a handful of real cheese(I always had bags of shredded cheddar/monterey jack handy that worked great).
>>4882733
I did something similar, but I'd recommend Aidell's chicken and apple sausage. Two of them, sliced thin and cooked in a dry pan for a light char were fantastic with the cheesiness of the cheap mac.

[Anonymous No.4883070]

You also need a ton of cream and butter
Trust me

[Anonymous No.4883089]

>>4883070
The problem is that the more delicious you want to make it, the more fat it needs.

[Anonymous No.4883134]

>>4883048
Man that's almost not even pleb when you describe it like that. I'd say it isn't really in the spirit of my usual gastro-plebian adventures but I'll definitelt grab some apple sausage soon and probably make it with some home made baked mac. Maybe melt a little brie on the top on the end if I'm feeling sassy.

[Anonymous No.4883160]

>>4883134
Sounds good. Like I said, I recommend sticking with Aidells since most of the other chicken and apple sausages tend to be mostly artificial garbage. The thing I like about them is that they're mild enough in flavor to have a meaty bite, but don't overpower the creamy cheese the way something like a Polish or spicy sausage would.

[Anonymous No.4883575]

>>4882571
Bechamel, sharp cheddar, velveeta. That's it. It's not gourmet, but it is damn good. And yes, velveeta. I stand by it.

[Anonymous No.4883583]

All about the spices, nigga. Salt and pepper go a long way, maybe a little garlic powder or paprika.

[Anonymous No.4884279]

>>4883575
>And yes, velveeta. I stand by it.

It's very good at it's purpose, that's true.

[Anonymous No.4884300]

>>4882571

>No matter how much butter and cheese I use

Your name isn't Sara, is it?

[Anonymous No.4884310]

I don't think it's traditional... but I cook shreds of American cheese in milk at low heat while stirring constantly until it's smooth and sauce-like, then I stir in shredded cheddar and al-dente elbow mac.
Next, I pour it into a greased baking dish and top with buttercrumb made from a 1:1 mixture of onion crumbs (like crisp-fried onions... like French's, though I've never used it; I've always got bawang goreng on hand, though) and cornflake crumbs.

Bake until bubbly, buttercrumb is browned and everything is delicious.

I've also been known to make it black style, tossing 4 cups cooked elbow mac with 2 cups shredded cheese and 1 cup beaten egg.

Either method will use salt and pepper to taste, of course.

[Anonymous No.4884328]

>>4884310
>black style

[Anonymous No.4884341]

>>4884328
Every single macaroni-and-cheese-eating black person I've asked about it (a few dozen, now) uses the egg method, though the proportions might vary or additional ingredients may be used.
One thing I've noticed is that black people never crumb their baked macaroni and cheese, preferring to top it with even more shredded cheese or leaving it untopped altogether.
>captcha: appearsto eatpuddin
I don't know who appears to eat pudding, but I'd like some pudding myself right about now.

[Anonymous No.4885399]

>>4882571
I live in college and it's actually really easy.

A few cans of Cambell's condensed cheddar cheese soup with the milk and shredded cheese will solve your problem and its only a few bucks.

[Anonymous No.4885598]

msg breadcrumbs and pan-cook that shit

[Anonymous No.4885749]

>>4882686
Just half a stick, 2 slices of cheese, and add the correct amount of milk.

[Anonymous No.4885793]

>>4882571
this recipe is a good starting point

http://carnaldish.com/recipes/pasta/grown-up-bacon-mac-and-cheese/#.UmTIkbvLiQ4

[Anonymous No.4885797]

>>4882672
He's 100% right though. Tried a recipe for scalloped potatoes and forgot to salt each individual layer and the result was horrible. Tried the same recipe again with the same ingredients but remember to salt and it was wonderful.

[Anonymous No.4885832]

>>4885399
sounds like a recipe for a salt bomb to drain water out of the air

[Anonymous No.4885883]

-Base Tier-
cheddar

-Supporting Tier-
gruyere
gouda
mozzarella
monterey Jack
muenster

-Culinary Subterfuge Tier-
bleu
parmesan
romano
fontina
provolone

If you're a daring mother fucker you'll sub out cheddar with something from supporting tier. I swear to fuck though, if you sub in from CS tier you better be ready for that pain

[Anonymous No.4886091]

>roommate promises mac and cheese for dinner tonight
>"It's my awesome famous mac and cheese, make sure you're home on time, anon."
>come home to pot full of noodles and cheese clumps
>"roomie, what's in here besides noodles and cheese?"
>"Nothing."
>m(internal)fw
>later she wonders why it was lumpier than what her mom makes

Anyone who's gonna tell me not to bitch at food being made for me can fuck off. We rotate cooking and all the ingredients for real mac and cheese were there. Bitch shouldn't promise what she can't deliver.

>>4884341
Shieeet, I had no idea those were black things. I grew up eating that and I still dislike crumb topping and prefer egg. I always wondered why everyone else's mac and cheese had breadcrumbs.

At least my mom and grandma could make cheese sauce though. Jesus.

[Anonymous No.4886165]

>>4882571
bechemel is the way
stir together equal parts butter and flour on medium low heat, mix in a little bit of garlic if you so choose, and rock it together until slightly browned (uniformly). from here you can mix in:
- milk (standard)
- cream (getting rich here)
- sour cream (if you wanna go for patrician fatass mode)
- cream cheese (for some reason it took me way too long to think of this, and it works great)
you also need salt and pepper of course. if you have a proper bech, you can mix in virtually any cheese, as the bech is a fantastic emulsifying agent for hot cheese, but I still don't recommend going overboard as >>4885883 says. oh yes, and basil and oregano don't hurt either.

[Anonymous No.4886196]

>caramelised onions
>glaze pan with white wine or vermouth
>lots of cream with an egg whisked through
>combination of multiple cheeses (swiss, goat, blue, parmegianno - cheddar is bland as fuck)
>nutmeg, salt & pepper
pretty simple.

[Anonymous No.4886228]

>put raw macaroni in pot with water and a pinch of sea salt
>drain that shit
for the sauce
>put about a tablespoon of butter in a pot on a low/no heat
>while its melting away put about a spoon worth of flour to mix with the butter
>then start mixing small amounts of milk into that until you have a good looking cheeze sauce then but salt and pepper into that (and bacon if you cooked some up)
>grate a good amount of cheese and mix it with the sauce
>put the macaroni into the pot and mix it together
done, or if you want to do more than that then...
>put the macaroni and cheese into a oven bake dish and crate some cheese over that and grill it in the oven till the cheese on top is brown

[Anonymous No.4886272]

>>4886228
A tablespoon of Dijon mustard in the bechamel base makes it a mouthgasm.

[Anonymous No.4886276]

I was planning on making mac and cheese today (pleb-tier), and I just saw this thread. Useful input, still making pleb-tier because I only have pre-shredded cheddar. But as soon as I get a block I will be making the real stuff.

also loved that 'grown up' recipe!

>rightclick save page as pdf

[Anonymous No.4886281]

>>4886276
god damnit, just checked the pantry room.. forgot we ate that shit last week.

[Anonymous No.4886305]

Cook pasta

Beat an egg with some ground mustard, paprika, salt and pepper, then add evaporated milk. Pour this mixture over pasta, and cook on low-medium heat until it just starts to thicken and coat the noodles, then melt the cheese (any kind) into it a handful at a time. Add more milk as necessary to keep it from drying out during the cooking.

Congratulations. You just made the easiest, best tasting macaroni of your life. I'd say it's even easier than trying to mix that powder shit without lumps.

[Anonymous No.4886322]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIc12jkE7sY

[Anonymous No.4886439]

How does Kraft make that cheese powder? If I could just harness that my macaroni days would be perfect.

Also, how do I melt Velveeta properly? My mom used to make Mac and cheese with Velveeta and it would turn out great. But when I try it never melts completely.

Pic is sauce recipe I found on Pinterest. Haven't tried it yet but looks a lot like what's already mentioned here.

[Anonymous No.4886515]

>>4882571
If there is a cheese sauce your mac and cheese is shit tier. Mac and Cheese should be baked in the oven

[Anonymous No.4887223]

>>4886439
Your picture "looks a lot like what's already mentioned here" in the same way that linseed oil looks like flaxseed oil: They both have similar ingredients, but you'd have to be a real idiot to eat one of them.

[Anonymous No.4887257]

Here's the recipe I use. It's pretty damn good. For regular mac and cheese, just omit the bacon, chicken, and chives.

Ingredients
2 oz bacon
6 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp minced onion (not dried)
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
¾ cup chicken broth
1 to 2 cups milk
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp dry mustard
6 oz sharp white cheddar cheese (grated)
2 oz gruyere cheese (grated)
2 oz gouda cheese (grated)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced chives (not dried)
8 oz uncooked macaroni

Process
Chop bacon into small pieces and cook over medium-high heat until slightly crispy. Remove from pan.

Slice chicken into thin strips and cook until done in bacon fat, then remove from pan.

Cook garlic and onion together in the bacon fat until fragrant and slightly translucent (1-2 minutes) and remove from pan.

Bring about a quart of water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the macaroni. Cook until slightly firm then drain.

While the macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a large sauté pan (not the pan you cooked the bacon in). When butter is completely melted, add flour and stir together to make a roux. Let cook for roughly 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and let thicken slightly. Then slowly add milk, whisking to make sure there are no lumps. Continue adding milk until the sauce is fairly thin and will lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Slowly add in the grated cheese a handful at a time, allowing the cheese to fully incorporate into the sauce before adding more. If necessary, add a bit more milk to thin the sauce. Once all the cheese is added, stir the bacon, chicken, garlic, onion, chives, and cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and bake in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly.

[I Am Breakfast No.4887276]

>>4886439

My mom just used a bit of milk with her velveeta mac'n'cheese, a whisk, and patience to melt, but not burn the milk. Worked every time. I still do that to this day. When I want gooey mac, I bust out the velveeta and just skip the baking portion. When I want casserole style with a crust, I bust out the bechemel and bread crumbs.

[Anonymous No.4887302]

>>4886439
I don't know where you live, but if you live near a WinCo they sell the cheese powder by itself, you can get as much or as little as you want.

[Anonymous No.4887351]

Nigga you just need to go to Bob Evan's

[Anonymous No.4887374]

Bacon

[Anonymous No.4887589]

>>4886281
This guy reporting in. I made a recipe pretty much from one google link i found, this one as well >>4885793 and a combination of shit posted here. Didn't fully cook the pasta to al dente, just below. Went out and bought Cabot Seriously Sharp, whipped up the bechamel sauce, combined and topped with breadcrumbs made from crushed croutons, and crumbled bacon, baked until crumbs lightly browned.

Best mac n cheese we've ever had, Thanks /ck/!!!

[Anonymous No.4887788]

>>4887257
This sounds awesome, will try

[Anonymous No.4888550]

>>4887276
So just the Velveeta and milk on low heat and occasional whisking? Sounds simple enough!


>>4887302
No Winco, but I do have a Sam's Club. Sounds like I'd buy a very large amount of it though.

[Anonymous No.4888558]

>>4882571
You better be putting on a lot of pepper son, pepper is needed for good mac n' cheese.

[Anonymous No.4888647]

>>4882733
You were my inspiration for dinner tonight

[Anonymous No.4888930]

>>4883089

Actually one way to reduce the fat a bit is to use evaporated milk instead of cream. I've had good results with it.

[Anonymous No.4888965]

Panko crumbs an oven or a flambe torch