9 ms·

Having young children, there's almost always a box of macaroni and cheese in the house. My kids, who fancy themselves mac & cheese connoisseurs, started compla

Having young children, there's almost always a box of macaroni and cheese in the house. My kids, who fancy themselves mac & cheese connoisseurs, started complaining about the taste of Kraft a couple of months ago. So now when Kraft advertises on TV that they changed their mac & cheese and nobody noticed, my eight- and six-year-old just roll their eyes. I suppose the upside is, they're already learning that you can't believe advertising.

dunham 11y ago
My wife and kid are pretty happy with Annie's. Might be worth trying if you're looking for another brand. (The only stuff I eat these days is homemade, typically gruyère-based, but we keep Annie's on hand in case we don't have leftovers for lunch.)
- gruyere 11y ago
  >The only stuff I eat these days is homemade, typically gruyère-based Bravo.
  - ff10 11y ago
    created: 5 minutes ago :-(
- douche 11y ago
  I've never been all that impressed by Annies (weirdly enough, I remember this being a view bordering on heresy when I was in college...), it struck me as being too expensive and too fussy to make. Adult-Kraft dinner is too easy to make - substitute real macaroni, and cheddar instead of the florescent orange cheese dust, same milk and butter. I mix in some American slices or Velveeta-esque process cheese, since I think that gives it a little better consistency, but you can leave that out if you have an abhorrence for tasty, jello-like cheese products. My guilty pleasure is a big bowl of mac and cheese, with cubed fried Spam mixed in.
  - maxerickson 11y ago
    You can buy an emulsifier and add that directly (sodium citrate). Sodium citrate mac cheese is enough to Google for.
    - GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
      You can also just buy the powder by itself, King Arthur Flour sells a white cheddar that's pretty good.
      - Zancarius 11y ago
        I second this, although I buy from Nuts since I can get it by the pound. There are other bulk distributors out there as well, although the quality does vary. Pick the one you like best! White cheddar powder is also great if you want to make a cheese sauce with a roux base reasonably quickly and for some reason don't want to use shredded cheese (I usually use both, however, but it is faster with a powder). Here's some of the ones I use: https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/white-cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/white-cheddar-cheese....
    - douche 11y ago
      Looks interesting, but way, way too fussy. I really don't understand why people make macaroni and cheese recipes so complicated, with the cream sauces and baking it and all that. It's incredibly easy and delicious if you just boil the pasta, strain it, throw it back in the pot, then chuck in butter, a little bit of milk, and cheese, and simmer until the cheese melts. Literally the Kraft dinner directions, just with real ingredients.
      - maxerickson 11y ago
        I think you could use it in that recipe; the sodium citrate will keep the cheese from separating and help it mix with the butter.
      - 11y ago
- beamatronic 11y ago
  Annie's is good, and the one from Trader Joe's is not bad also, and plus it is very low priced, especially given that it is organic. http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/1854 http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/1854
gambiting 11y ago
I keep saying to myself that I need to go to one of those world food sections at my local supermarket and buy a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese to try it,but I always forget - is it really worth it?
- ksenzee 11y ago
  It's only worth it to see what people mean when they talk about it. It's not particularly yummy in and of itself.
- blakes 11y ago
  It's nothing special on it's own, but if you want to get crazy with it, throw a can of tuna in it as you mix in the cheese. And some onion. And a little bit of pepper. And if you love bacon, some bacon bits. It turns it into a very full inexpensive meal and it is super tasty.
  - Symbiote 11y ago
    At that point, you may as well make the cheese sauce yourself.
    - hinkley 11y ago
      And then bake it in the oven. Casserole!
- azinman2 11y ago
  Like most processed foods -- did you grow up with it? If not, then you probably won't like it compared to "real food."
- dingaling 11y ago
  > is it really worth it? The main advantage of packet-mac-and-cheese is convenience, compared to laboring over a stove to make a smooth roux. I used to take a couple of packets with me when bicycle-camping but I can't say that I enjoyed them. They 'fill a hole' as we say here.
- 11y ago
mathattack 11y ago
I've started making our own (just macaroni and melted cheese) with my kids. It tastes better, but the one thing we haven't been able to replicate is the bright orange color.
- zippergz 11y ago
  That's a totally different food. It's not comparable (whether it tastes better or not is subjective, of course). I like all kinds of mac & cheese, from Kraft to the super fru-fru fancy stuff, and also just pasta with melted cheese. But you can't compare them directly.
- duaneb 11y ago
  The bright orange is annatto. On a personal note, I find the color to be nauseous.
  - mathattack 11y ago
    Me too - somehow the kids like it though. And anything brown or green gets labeled as Mud.
- scrumper 11y ago
  My mother's recipe has completely ruined US-style mac and cheese for me. I get it, this isn't snobbery: I know it's a phenomenal comfort food and it's a trivially easy, un-refusable kid fuel that I regularly use to silence my screaming younglings, but I just can't enjoy it personally. Her recipe goes something like this, E&OE, bit fuzzy on quantities, but dear Lord it's delicious: Get your macaroni boiling away. Then in a separate saucepan: Couple tablespoons of butter. Melt that. Tablespoon of white flour. Tablespoon of Coleman's mustard powder. Incorporate gradually, stirring until it's smooth paste. Milk (I forget how much, I know how much to pour, like a mug's worth?) Add slowly, keep stirring, keep smooth. Sufficient grated cheddar cheese, I like about 50% mature, 50% lighter, put about half in. Same, keep it smooth. Season around about now. Stir in the macaroni, getting all the goo worked in. Stir in a large tin of whole plum tomatoes. Keep stirring, get it all even. Transfer to a baking dish. Put the remaining cheese on top. Heat in an oven, 350f, 45m I think just get it hot and melty. Brown under the broiler to get awesome caramelized crispy cheese top. Serve with lettuce so you don't feel like a total fat bastard (actually the ice cold crunch is a great complement). Sleep.

dunham 11y ago

My wife and kid are pretty happy with Annie's. Might be worth trying if you're looking for another brand. (The only stuff I eat these days is homemade, typically gruyère-based, but we keep Annie's on hand in case we don't have leftovers for lunch.)

gruyere 11y ago
>The only stuff I eat these days is homemade, typically gruyère-based Bravo.
- ff10 11y ago
  created: 5 minutes ago :-(
douche 11y ago
I've never been all that impressed by Annies (weirdly enough, I remember this being a view bordering on heresy when I was in college...), it struck me as being too expensive and too fussy to make. Adult-Kraft dinner is too easy to make - substitute real macaroni, and cheddar instead of the florescent orange cheese dust, same milk and butter. I mix in some American slices or Velveeta-esque process cheese, since I think that gives it a little better consistency, but you can leave that out if you have an abhorrence for tasty, jello-like cheese products. My guilty pleasure is a big bowl of mac and cheese, with cubed fried Spam mixed in.
- maxerickson 11y ago
  You can buy an emulsifier and add that directly (sodium citrate). Sodium citrate mac cheese is enough to Google for.
  - GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
    You can also just buy the powder by itself, King Arthur Flour sells a white cheddar that's pretty good.
    - Zancarius 11y ago
      I second this, although I buy from Nuts since I can get it by the pound. There are other bulk distributors out there as well, although the quality does vary. Pick the one you like best! White cheddar powder is also great if you want to make a cheese sauce with a roux base reasonably quickly and for some reason don't want to use shredded cheese (I usually use both, however, but it is faster with a powder). Here's some of the ones I use: https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/white-cheddar-cheese.html https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/white-cheddar-cheese....
  - douche 11y ago
    Looks interesting, but way, way too fussy. I really don't understand why people make macaroni and cheese recipes so complicated, with the cream sauces and baking it and all that. It's incredibly easy and delicious if you just boil the pasta, strain it, throw it back in the pot, then chuck in butter, a little bit of milk, and cheese, and simmer until the cheese melts. Literally the Kraft dinner directions, just with real ingredients.
    - maxerickson 11y ago
      I think you could use it in that recipe; the sodium citrate will keep the cheese from separating and help it mix with the butter.
    - 11y ago
beamatronic 11y ago
Annie's is good, and the one from Trader Joe's is not bad also, and plus it is very low priced, especially given that it is organic. http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/1854 http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/1854

gambiting 11y ago

I keep saying to myself that I need to go to one of those world food sections at my local supermarket and buy a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese to try it,but I always forget - is it really worth it?

ksenzee 11y ago
It's only worth it to see what people mean when they talk about it. It's not particularly yummy in and of itself.
blakes 11y ago
It's nothing special on it's own, but if you want to get crazy with it, throw a can of tuna in it as you mix in the cheese. And some onion. And a little bit of pepper. And if you love bacon, some bacon bits. It turns it into a very full inexpensive meal and it is super tasty.
- Symbiote 11y ago
  At that point, you may as well make the cheese sauce yourself.
  - hinkley 11y ago
    And then bake it in the oven. Casserole!
azinman2 11y ago
Like most processed foods -- did you grow up with it? If not, then you probably won't like it compared to "real food."
dingaling 11y ago
> is it really worth it? The main advantage of packet-mac-and-cheese is convenience, compared to laboring over a stove to make a smooth roux. I used to take a couple of packets with me when bicycle-camping but I can't say that I enjoyed them. They 'fill a hole' as we say here.
11y ago

mathattack 11y ago

I've started making our own (just macaroni and melted cheese) with my kids. It tastes better, but the one thing we haven't been able to replicate is the bright orange color.

zippergz 11y ago
That's a totally different food. It's not comparable (whether it tastes better or not is subjective, of course). I like all kinds of mac & cheese, from Kraft to the super fru-fru fancy stuff, and also just pasta with melted cheese. But you can't compare them directly.
duaneb 11y ago
The bright orange is annatto. On a personal note, I find the color to be nauseous.
- mathattack 11y ago
  Me too - somehow the kids like it though. And anything brown or green gets labeled as Mud.
scrumper 11y ago
My mother's recipe has completely ruined US-style mac and cheese for me. I get it, this isn't snobbery: I know it's a phenomenal comfort food and it's a trivially easy, un-refusable kid fuel that I regularly use to silence my screaming younglings, but I just can't enjoy it personally. Her recipe goes something like this, E&OE, bit fuzzy on quantities, but dear Lord it's delicious: Get your macaroni boiling away. Then in a separate saucepan: Couple tablespoons of butter. Melt that. Tablespoon of white flour. Tablespoon of Coleman's mustard powder. Incorporate gradually, stirring until it's smooth paste. Milk (I forget how much, I know how much to pour, like a mug's worth?) Add slowly, keep stirring, keep smooth. Sufficient grated cheddar cheese, I like about 50% mature, 50% lighter, put about half in. Same, keep it smooth. Season around about now. Stir in the macaroni, getting all the goo worked in. Stir in a large tin of whole plum tomatoes. Keep stirring, get it all even. Transfer to a baking dish. Put the remaining cheese on top. Heat in an oven, 350f, 45m I think just get it hot and melty. Brown under the broiler to get awesome caramelized crispy cheese top. Serve with lettuce so you don't feel like a total fat bastard (actually the ice cold crunch is a great complement). Sleep.