Mac & Cheese - Not happy with current one.

What don't you like about yours? And what do you do to make it?

For a basic macaroni and cheese...

I use your basic elbow macaroni, 2 pounds uncooked, and I cook it just under al dente. I believe it will cook and soften some more in the oven or cooker.

I use a cheese sauce, consisting of 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of AP flour to make a roux, blonde and not darker, add 2 cups half & half or 1 cup half & half and 1 cup whole milk. I have even used 2 cups of milk, it doesn't really matter all that much. I then add 1 cup of grated cheese, I use equalish parts of cheddar, gruyere and jack cheese. Melt the cheese in the milk sauce and that is the cheese sauce. I season heavily with black pepper. Enhancements would be to add nutmeg, cardamom or some herbs like parsley and thyme to the roux prior to adding the milk.

I then toss the two elements, pasta and sauce together until well coated, turn into a greased pan (for home or buffet, I use stainless, for catering or parties, I go disposable aluminum). Into cooker for 30 mins. at 350F. Then pull, top with 1 cup crushed Italian herb or Herb butter croutons that have been crushed to a texture about the size of large grained sand. Drizzle with olive oil and back into cooker until bread crumbs are carmelized and edges are dried up a bit.

Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve. A little fresh parsley, fresh ground black pepper, ground nutmeg on top goes a long ways.

Both excellent additions, wasn't sure how much base cost you wanted to add.

Here is our recipe, I am really happy with it. Just catered a party this weekend with it, and got rave reviews.

60 servings (large foil pan)

· 3 16oz bags of XL Elbow Pasta
· 6 cans of cheddar cheese soup
· 3 cups of milk
· 1/2 stick Velveeta
· 3 TSP Salt
· 3 TSP Pepper
· 1.5 TSP Gran Garlic
· 1.5 TSP Gran Onion
· 8 cups shredded cheese
· Top with crushed goldfish cracker

cook the pasta to al dente, put in foil pan. In a sauce pan combine the soup, milk, velveta and spices. Once melted, add to noodles and mix. Top with shredded cheese and goldfish crackers. Cook in the smoker at 300 for about an hour. Sometimes I will also add cooked bacon.

We like our recipe as it is easy to cook on-site too!

fireman_pete said:

Here is our recipe, I am really happy with it. Just catered a party this weekend with it, and got rave reviews.

60 servings (large foil pan)

· 3 16oz bags of XL Elbow Pasta
· 6 cans of cheddar cheese soup
· 3 cups of milk
· 1/2 stick Velveeta
· 3 TSP Salt
· 3 TSP Pepper
· 1.5 TSP Gran Garlic
· 1.5 TSP Gran Onion
· 8 cups shredded cheese
· Top with crushed goldfish cracker

cook the pasta to al dente, put in foil pan. In a sauce pan combine the soup, milk, velveta and spices. Once melted, add to noodles and mix. Top with shredded cheese and goldfish crackers. Cook in the smoker at 300 for about an hour. Sometimes I will also add cooked bacon.

Click to expand...

for the Velveeta, is that the small or large sized one?

I have about the same recipe as landarc but add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder to it.

So, garlic and/or onion in mac-n-cheese, I go back and forth on this, I really like to use finely choopped onions and garlic in my, for my own consumption. However, I have had comments that there is a funny taste from some folks, so I err on not adding it, or adding very little, when serving to a large number of people. Plus, I know that garlic and onion can be a 'non-starter' for some folks, and I like to leave a safe-option dish when I am serving other folks.

For strictly home and family, I usually add 1/4 cup each of finely chopped celery and onion, a couple to three cloves of salt crushed garlic and some parsley and tarragon minced up to the roux cooking stage.

Large one!

trohrs123 said:

for the Velveeta, is that the small or large sized one?

Click to expand...

landarc said:

So, garlic and/or onion in mac-n-cheese, I go back and forth on this, I really like to use finely choopped onions and garlic in my, for my own consumption. However, I have had comments that there is a funny taste from some folks, so I err on not adding it, or adding very little, when serving to a large number of people. Plus, I know that garlic and onion can be a 'non-starter' for some folks, and I like to leave a safe-option dish when I am serving other folks.

For strictly home and family, I usually add 1/4 cup each of finely chopped celery and onion, a couple to three cloves of salt crushed garlic and some parsley and tarragon minced up to the roux cooking stage.

Click to expand...

I recently had some mac and cheese from a restaurant of good repute, with real chefs and all fresh food. They said that their mac and cheese was a real favorite among customers and one they took pride in, so my wife and I ordered a side of it to go along with everything else so we could try it out.

In addition to garlic and onion, they used peppers as well, the flavor was unmistakable. It was good, I enjoyed it, but at the same time the pepper flavor, although somewhat subtle, was so striking you couldn't get around it really, and it did not harken back to good old fashioned homemade mac and cheese because of it.

Just thought I would share. I did like it though. My wife didn't however.

Oh, I did have a great macaroni-n-cheese, it had finely chopped jalapenos and parsley, it was terrific. Spicy, too spicy for some of the folks eating though. But, man, was it good stuff. There was just enough for a piece or two of finely chopped jalapeno in each bite. So good. But, there would be some folks that would/could not eat it.

Fontina cheese ass a nice depth to mac and cheese along with whatever else you are using. There a ton of recipes that will make a great mac. The one thing I don't do anymore is use bread crumbs or bake. I find a good pan mac and cheese stays creamier for longer.For an added texture, try toasting panko crumbs with some butter and add a little parsley toward the end in a pan and sprinkle on top of each serving.

mac& cheese

try this 4 cheese smoked mac&cheese www.dadgumthatsgood.com I tried this now we make 3# at a time give some away freeze some. I hope this is ok to post, if no my apolageeze Walt

I made this one from Barefoot Contessa. Just left out the tomatoes and used regular swiss instead of Gruyere because of the price. Also my cheese ratio was more 2 cheddar to 1 Swiss. Came out very good.

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

a half pan that I made 2 weeks ago

1lb large elbow mac. into boiling water for 5 min (not quite al dente)

cheese sauce as follows

1/2 stick butter + @3tbls flour for roux
4 cups whole milk
@ 4 cups shredded cheddar
4 cloves of garlic minced
6 slices of brisket flat cubed

combine with the mac in 1/2 disposable pan

on top add 2 cups cheddar + 4 strips of bacon crumbled

cook 30 min @350 or untill you get to color you want on top.

was mind blowing.

I had some Mac n Cheese the other day as an entree it included smoked chicken and bacon, which was its only saving grace...
A couple of these look good. Of course I'm the only one home that would eat it :tsk: so I either need to freeze it or cut the recipe down