#Best macaroni and cheese mac

Took another’s advice to use the same pan as the pasta, to make the sauce, and warming the milk in the microwave, saved a lot of pot clean up. The panko topping, pre toasted, with a hint of thyme. Superb! Perfect creaminess and outstanding cheese flavor just enhanced with the touch of mustard and cayenne. Meanwhile, a pinch of cayenne pepper and English mustard powder adds a small kick of heat to the whole affair. A word on those noodles: While elbow macaroni or any short pasta will work, we recommend something with ridges, such as cavatappi, which will grip nicely onto the sauce.ĭeploying four different cheeses here may seem excessive, but each plays its part in the recipe: Parmesan adds a salty hit to the crispy panko topping, while Gruyère adds a nutty richness, sharp cheddar lends tang, and fontina ensures the sauce is lush and creamy. Don’t be alarmed if the sauce looks thin at first it will continue to thicken as it bakes with the noodles. Allow a minute for the raw flour taste to cook off before adding the warm milk gradually. (Yes, macaroni and cheese is appropriate dinner party fare, and yes, this recipe can be doubled if you’re inviting a crowd.)īechamel, a roux enriched with milk, is what keeps the sauce creamy and it shouldn’t be rushed.

#Best macaroni and cheese mac

It tastes like nothing and leaves a terrible aftertaste.This baked mac and cheese recipe is our Platonic ideal of the comfort food classic: It is creamy and deeply cheesy, has a crunchy crust, and is impressive enough to serve at a dinner party. I'm a huge cheese fan, and this is one I'll never touch. Please don't get me started on Monterey jack. With their high moisture levels, they don't melt properly and will leave you with clumps of cheese instead of a smooth sauce. Those preservatives keep the pieces from melting evenly, and you'll end up with gritty, lumpy mac & cheese.ĭry, crumbly cheeses like feta or cotija are not ideal.

Packaged shredded cheese have added preservatives to keep the pieces from sticking together and to keep the cheese in stores longer. The best way to ruin your mac is to dump a bunch of pre-shredded cheese in there. The higher quality, the better for this one! The Worst Types of Cheese

Best for sprinkling atop your mac before it hits the oven (or again when serving), Parmesan also adds a much desired salty and nutty flavor that's unbeatable. We could never make a list of the best cheeses and leave out Parmesan. It's a nice change of pace, an unexpected twist in the world of mac. The flavor sticks around, even after all the milk and cream get added. You can even go crazy and make brie mac & cheese right inside your wheel of brie!Įxtra tangy and extra creamy-we just love goat cheese. The creaminess is excellent for coating your noodles, and it creates the most decadent mac and cheese. We use brie in our mac when we are feeling extra fancy. It works exceptionally well in a slow-cooker mac & cheese! It melts down easily and helps keep the sauce smooth with just the right amount of salt and tang. We're no strangers to cream cheese here in the Delish test kitchen, so it wasn't a huge surprise when we confirmed that it's perfect in mac & cheese. Its saltiness helps cut through all the heavy fats, and the nutty flavor is so special. Gouda is a seriously underrated cheese when it comes to cooking! It melts beautifully and gives your mac a sophisticated taste without being too pretentious (or turning off picky eaters).ĭespite it being a hard cheese, Gruyère still melts nicely. Sharp cheddar is ideal because its flavor is strongest, but the most important to thing to remember is to always buy cheddar in a block and grate your own! Pre-shredded simply doesn't work, which we will explain more in a bit.

It's also got the classic taste you're looking for and expecting with mac and cheese. With a fairly low melting point, cheddar keeps things smooth. The king of all cheeses when it comes to coating your noodles.