Mac and cheese

In this blog post, I will introduce you to a recipe for one of the most ‘American’ dishes I have come across during my stay in the United States. And no, it is not the McDonald’s burger. It is called mac and cheese, short for macaroni and cheese, and both kids and adults love it.

And I started to like it too. I mean, it does not taste too bad, the ingredients are super cheap, and it only takes about fifteen minutes to prepare. There are different ways to make mac and cheese, and you can use the kind of cheese and pasta that you like the most. And you can use it both as a main dish or as a side dish.

Doesn't it look mouthwateringly delicious?

Ingredients

With this amount of ingredients, there will be enough mac and cheese for seven servings. If you are making mac and cheese from the box, there will usually be less servings, most likely three or four per box.

• Two cups of pasta. It is entirely up to you which kind you use, but the most common types are the shells and cavatappi (the twisted ones).
• Two cups of milk. I used whole milk.
• Three tablespoons of flour.
• Two cups of shredded cheese.

I usually use this blend of cheeses:

• Three tablespoons of butter. Alternatively, if you do not have butter, you can use canola oil, but it will not taste as good.
• Salt and pepper.

If you are making mac and cheese out of the box, all you need is a few tablespoons of milk and optionally a tablespoon of butter.

Variations and preparation

The two most common options for preparing mac and cheese are the following:

Make it in the oven: this variation is called ‘baked mac and cheese’ and it is usually reserved for when you make it all by yourself, not from the box. To make it even more delicious, you can use a mix of cheeses, If you like. The total preparation time for this kind of mac and cheese is thirty - five minutes, which is still not a lot, keeping in mind that this is the whole meal and you actually have to bake it.

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, boil water in a saucepan and add some salt. Add pasta and cook for seven to ten minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using.

Melt butter, add the flour and stir well. Make sure you keep it over the medium heat. The mix of flour and butter should turn lightly brown after a few minutes, and that means it is ready. Make sure you stir well to avoid pieces of flour sticking together in the mixture.

Add milk and stir well. Keep the heat on medium, cook for five more minutes. Then, stir in the cheese (or cheese blend, whichever you prefer). when the mixture is smooth and the cheese is all melted, you can turn the heat off. The pasta should be done by now, so you can drain it, and then add it to the bowl with the sauce. Mix well, so all the pasta is covered with the sauce.

Pour everything into the baking pan. If you have a glass one, that is perfect, if not, you can just use the one - use aluminium ones that you can buy for a dollar or so in every grocery store. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes. The dish is ready when the top layer turns golden brown.

The best part of baked mac and cheese is definitely the crunchy layer of cheese that forms on top. You will not get that if you prepare mac and cheese on the stove top, but it is true that baked mac and cheese takes longer to prepare.

Make it on the stove top:this variation is usually prepared much faster, and it is somehow reserved for the ‘instant’ mac and cheese, a. k. a. out of the box. You can buy boxes of mac and cheese which already contain pasta and the cheese blend, all you need to do is add milk and/or butter. The total preparation time for this kind of mac and cheese is fifteen minutes.

One of the mac and cheese boxes that I tried.

All you need to do in this case is bring water to a boil, open the box with mac and cheese, take the packet with cheese powder out, pour the pasta in the saucepan with boiling water, cook it over medium heat for ten minutes while occasionally stirringit, then drain it. When draining, put milk and/or butter in that saucepan, add the cheese mix, stir well, add the pasta, stir again and the dish is ready to serve.

This brand tastes the closest to the baked mac and cheese as possible.

Suggestions

To make your mac and cheese taste even better, you can put some bacon bits or garlic powder (or even both! ) on top. It will add more flavour. I also tried to put some bread crumbs on top, because that is what the original recipe suggested, but it just did not turn out well.

Storage

Regardless on which option of preparation you choose, mac and cheese tastes the best when it is fresh, meaning if you have any leftovers, and you will reheat them later, they will not taste nearly as good as freshly prepared mac and cheese.

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