I don’t have a picture, because no one really needs a picture of stovetop mac and cheese, but I’ll tell you the not-so-secret to the best version of that possible:
American Cheese. Something my grandmother figured out in 1975, without understanding WHY it worked. She hated the thought of buying the blue box, so she figured out how to make it for me without having to.
Here’s my recipe, which is, basically, grandma’s. I’ve been quite amused that lots of youtube cooks and even America’s Test Kitchen have been touting this as a ‘new’ trick the last couple of years. Serves 1. scales pretty easily.
1 cup (~100-110 g elbow mac, or whatever your favorite shape is). cook 'til done to your liking. drain, leave in strainer while you make sauce in the same pot.
2 tablespoons butter. more or less.
1/4 cup milk. more or less.
1-2 slices American cheese. Kraft singles are fine. Mostly, you want them for all the emulsifying goodness they bring.
another 2-3 slices (or shredded equivalent) of whatever semi-soft to semi-firm cheese is your particular jam. Mild, stretchy provolone? A nice sharp moderately aged cheddar? A buttery havarti? Whatever. Toss it in, stir gently over low heat 'til the sauce is smooth and creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta.
Eat directly from pot with the same wooden spoon you used to cook it with.
Pan-roasted chicken, potatoes, and rice cooked in the chicken juices and fat.
Avocado and tomato salad on the side, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Perfectly ripe avocado, perfectly ripe and delicious tomatoes. Who knew my dad loves avocado so much – first time in a very long time that he has asked for seconds, and then thirds!
Also some fresh bread and butter, because if you’re eating two carbs, why not 3? Lol. I’m making the most of it and eating all my favorite carbs before guilt gets me and I decide low carb needs to be the way for a whole.
I actually have some sodium citrate and I have tried it. But balancing how much to use can be tricky. Also, most people will not have sodium citrate, and it certainly wasn’t available at a consumer level ‘til relatively recently. Grandma certainly didn’t have it, or even knew what it was. But most anyone can find a slice or two of processed cheese product. Kraft singles, velveeta, any of them will work. And providing a very smooth, if somewhat bland base for the sauce makes it super easy for even the least experienced home cook, like, say, 10 year old me.
We also acquired the exact same kimchi early today, and family made this outstanding dish for lunch (leftovers for dinner):
Following the review suggestions, used double the kimchi, i.e. used the whole bag of kimchi for 1 lb of WW pasta, and 1.5 times the squash because needed to use that up.
Fabulous fusion feast. Easy to make, minimal fiddly steps. Uses easy and fairly affordable ingredients.
Plus this brand of kimchi is a great new (to us) find. It tastes really good and is vegetarian. Yes to ‘glorious’.
We had chicken saagwala last night. I wasn’t sure if it would go down well with my fiancé but it was a surprise hit. Really nice and creamy with a very unique flavour so it’s definitely going in the rotation.
Maybe one day…
