I used to make a little salad for my son’s middle school lunch and dressed it with a mix of seasoned and unseasoned rice vinegar. And have been wondering ever since if I ever accidentally dressed it with mirin instead. The bottles looked almost identical.
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We have a convection oven; fifteen years in this house. I use it sometimes, mostly when I’m short on time. I really should use it more. Any thoughts on cook times and overall planning for use?
I use convection (either a separate oven or the convection setting on my large oven) mostly when I want things to brown quickly but not necessarily cook through. Roasted vegetables are a perfect example - I like most types of vegetables to retain some texture but still get very brown in the oven. High heat convection is great for this. It also does a good job getting a nice browned exterior on large roasts, especially if you throw them in after they are fully cooked (and rested) via reverse sear.
Convection can also do a great job on baked goods, but you definitely want to reduce the normal baking temp by 25 degrees or more to ensure that they don’t brown before the middle is cooked. Many modern ovens make this calculation for you - best way to find out what your oven does is to get an infrared thermometer and take the oven’s temp after preheating.
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Thank you.
I have an IR thermometer, a very nice one from Fluke, that gets sent back to the factory every year for calibration. I get a nice lab certificate. grin I bought the thermometer for HVAC-R diagnosis and keeping an eye on engine performance but it comes in handy for cooking.
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If possible, could you post a cross-section picture of the refrigerated leftovers?
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I’m very sorry I misread your message. I started heating it then stopped. This is 30 seconds of microwaving. The larger iceberg chunk in the rear was still cold to the touch. But otherwise there’s some melting in the foreground. This was the last of the leftovers.
Ps - I added diced ham to the recipe this time.
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Thank you. That really helps. Mine looks close to that so I’m not too far off. Good to see I’m not the only one who gets oily puddles in the microwave.
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I cook it on moderate heat for 5 minutes. It smells like biscuits. I always taste a little too. I use a box grater.
I’m using cheap Aldi/LIDL cheese, but it’s still aged. I will try with mild cheddar and/or the other suggested cheeses above. I know even a pinch will work like magic, but I’m not a sodium citrate person. I don’t even use corn starch in my bechamel. I tried evaporated milk once, and it worked very well, but it bothered me. Part of the fun for me is practicing again and again, trying to figure out the puzzle.
This last time, I did exactly this. I cooked the pasta longer and used a hot convection oven. The cheddar on top did leak some oil, so I will try a harder cheese on top next time. Overall, it was a success. The little one is just okay with mac and cheese, but loved it. My other eater, well … “It’s fine but it would’ve been better if it was curdled.”
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LOL, everyone has their own idea of what makes a truly great mac and cheese!
ETA: regarding the cheddar, mild/medium cheddars definitely break less easily than sharp/extra sharp/aged, although I have definitely found some nice “mild” cheddars that have a very robust flavor in mac and cheese. Adding dry mustard and/or a bit of hot sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot) helps boost the cheese flavor.
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Clearly justification for a whole other thread, and probably there has been one already. I prefer Cholula but tastes differ. For mac & cheese I’d go the dry mustard route. Hot sauce at table.
For general hot sauce use, I agree (actually, my favorite all-purpose hot sauce is Picama’s green, but again, whole other thread!). For mac and cheese, I find that Frank’s (which I always have around for making Buffalo wings) is perfect - it adds just the right amount of vinegar/tang/oomph without actually adding discernable heat.
A combination of both. I agree Frank’s is best for mac and cheese. Dry mustard added to bechamel. Frank’s at the table.
Could you name a specific product? I was thinking to try Tillamook or Cabot again.
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I have actually had good luck with store brands - Wegman’s medium cheddar melts pretty well, as does Foodtown’s. I commented upthread about Mariano’s (a Chicago chain) sharp cheddar - I can’t get it in NY, but it’s good if you’re near Chicago! The national brands that are widely available in my grocery stores are Cracker Barrel, Kraft and Cabot - of those I find that Cabot mild, medium or sharp (not extra sharp or aged) melt the best.
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Your assistant has a lovely coat, no doubt partly due to that part of the mac & cheese they get 
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Makes perfect sense from a mammal biochemistry point of view! Then they get those tasty, nutritious lipids – the greasy puddles of infamy – separated from those nasty indigestible milk-sugar clumps!
… in a hypothetical universe where a doggo would carefully eat around the latter to get only at the former. 
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FYI- Gorgonzola melts pretty well. Sometimes I don’t even bother with a sauce element, I just put some gorgonzola in a bowl of pasta and microwave it just until the cheese melts, stir, and enjoy.
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Oof. Go directly to heartburn. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Grease and spice in the same dish gonna kill me.
Trying this
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