3 ms·

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

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.

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.