I am struggling with this thread being called “Mac and Cheese”. As someone else said, store bought Mac and cheese, “boxed” or otherwise, is a different thing. I am sure it has many pros, but I dont think I have ever tried it, and I have “tried” a lot of macaroni and cheese.
I’ll see your box grater and raise you one food processor. Even worse! (But faster.)
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My wife loves the FP. I like the easier cleanup of the box grater. They are both yucky enough that I was thrilled to stumble on Tillamook grated in bags!
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A box grater is the best reason to have a dishwasher.
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I left the title of the thread simple so that if someone wanted to talk about prepared, frozen, boxed and homemade it was open to all 4 options.
I did start off my thread by stating that I usually make my own.
I’m not that familiar with the boxed varieties because my mother didn’t buy KD or cook pasta except for egg noodles.
Interesting responses and I did get a few dinner ideas so for me the thread is a success.
Having said that, I do understand why you were struggling with the title.
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Here are a couple good scratch-made Mac and Cheese threads:
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I am reminded that when my son was much younger, he wanted me to make “Hamburger Helper”. I remember starting a thread about it, but it must have been on Chowhound.
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I remember seeing Manwich in a can and asking mom if we could try it.
She just shook her head and kept on walking.
We didn’t have Hamburger helper either my mother made Beef Stroganoff (BS) from scratch. The first time that I had it (BS) was at my gf right after my son was born.
I found it extremely salty, soupy and much preferred my mom’s.
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Saw a similar article before which prompted my younger son and I (older and H don’t like m&c) to do a boxed or frozen mac cheese tasteoff with brackets and all. But we haven’t had a lot of oomph behind our idea yet. We tried 2 boxed from TJs and have 2 frozen from TJs that might be tested this weekend. The article I read - the winner was Walmart’s box version. Shocking. Something like 35 cents each.
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One of these days you may want to satisfy your curiousity… but I can say that Beecher’s isn’t even that good AT Beecher’s! They have a store at Pike Place Market, and I found their mac overcooked and the sauce was broken and extremely greasy.
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Me too. I don’t know why, but I like my boxed mac a little soupy.
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I had a Beecher’s mac & cheese grilled cheese sandwich a couple of months ago, and while it’s not something I’d eat more than once a year or so, it was pretty damn good.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve not tried their grilled cheese.
It was the carb-iest thing I’d had in months, and I was both thrilled and deeply remorseful.
I know this is off topic technically, but when I want mac and cheese I often make cacio e pepe with bucatini.
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Growing up on traditional Chinese food, mac and cheese was only stuff I would see in the school lunch or cafeteria. I would have a box or two on hand for desperate times during college. I’ve tried Krafts, and while it’s familiar, that’s about all I can say about it. The only other kind of tried is the Annie’s and it is vastly superior to the Krafts, IMO. I cooked mac and cheese from scratch once, and you have make such a big batch of it t that I had to eat mac and cheese for dinner and lunch like 3 days straight. That’s a no-can-do for my arteries. If I get a craving, I will order it at a restaurant or run for a box of Annie’s.
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I may buy it in the next few days if one of the supermarkets I use still sells it. “World’s Best” frozen mac & cheese strikes me as amusing, but that type of marketing is daring me to try it.
And I was enticed by the long line of people waiting for a serving of it at their store. But the real deal didn’t look like your photo… I guess like a big mac irl neverl looks like a big mac on a billboard.
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“Customer’s” tell us.
But it does look nice in the picture!
When I was a wee one, Mother made the mac and cheese with white sauce, medium cheddar and elbows, topped with buttered Wonderbread croutons topped with even more cheese and baked. I didn’t like it baked so she let me eat it ‘slurpy’. Very comforting. It was the entree and we had it with a sliced tomato side salad (sliced tomato, basil ribbons, s&p and a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar—this was sixty yeas ago!) or a green salad. I like to make it with small shell pasta, sharp or xsharp cheddar, a smashed garlic clove and a shot of Tabasco or shiracha. I don’t usually bake it but sometimes I’ll top with with sauteéd sourdough cubes and crumbs and more sharp cheddar. It is even better reheated the next day. The boxed ‘crap and cheese’ is great for backpacking, or it was BITD. I’ve seen something called ‘chedeese’, the orange powdered product like in the box sold in some stores. So come July 14 you may celebrate National Mac & Cheese Day any way you’d like!
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