/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.6776517]

Can we get a Mac and Cheese thread? What's the guide to a perfect mac and cheese? I usually make a bechamel sauce and add pepper jack and cheddar.

[Anonymous No.6776521]

>>6776517
Kraft mac and cheese.

[Anonymous No.6776537]

I just got done making a big fuck-off 5am pan of mac and cheese. My way:

>make bechamel
>half a bag each of cheap pre grated strong cheddar/4 cheese mix
>shitload of wholegrain mustard
>layers of pasta and sauce/just sauce
>shitload of cheddar on top
>broil the fuck out of it

[Anonymous No.6776544]

>>6776537
Wholegrain mustard? I might try that, also was thinking lately of putting some type of smoked meat(s) in it

[Anonymous No.6776551]

>>6776544

I like to use disgusting amounts of cheese, the mustard just kind of brings it down and stops it tasting too sharp/greasy

[Anonymous No.6776555]

>>6776551
Ah, makes sense.

[Anonymous No.6776563]

>bechamel

If you're making a single serving sure, but why not just make a simple liaison: one pint of heavy cream with an egg yolk whisked in.

You can store it in the fridge, and when you're ready to make some food just saute up whatever you want to add in some butter (or don't), ladle in some liaison and heat it up, toss in whatever cheese blend you want and when it's all melted and emulsified add your cooked pasta and toss.

I like smoked gouda mixed with cheddar. Adding some blue cheese and buffalo sauce (with some cajun chicken) is pretty great as well.

[Anonymous No.6776570]

>>6776563
>blue cheese
>Buffalo sauce
>cajun chicken

why didnt I think of this

[Anonymous No.6776574]

>>6776537
that's pretty much how i do it as well. Sometimes ill throw in a little nice cheese, like gruyere, and put a little less of the shittier cheese if i'm feeling fancy. Also some finely chopped broccoli adds some nice color and a little flavor.

[Anonymous No.6776576]

>>6776537
>pre grated
ya blew it

[Anonymous No.6776585]

>>6776574
>Sometimes ill throw in a little nice cheese, like gruyere, and put a little less of the shittier cheese if i'm feeling fancy

Oh shit man I haven't had gruyere in ages, it's too good

>>6776576

I could start with nice fresh deli cheese but I'd only be fucking around looking for something to stabilize it with and ending up with basically the same thing. My patience for grainy bullshit separated cheese sauce is long gone

[Anonymous No.6776587]

>>6776576
that's true though. pre grated cheese has some non-stick powder on the outside that doesnt allow the cheese to blend into a sauce. better to buy a block and grate it yourself

[Anonymous No.6776590]

>>6776570

It wasn't always on the menu, but it's what everyone who worked there ordered, and should be brewpub 101.

[Anonymous No.6776601]

My friend makes a smile bechamel cheese sauce with gouda, pepper jack, and cheddar. Then he crumbles up Doritos and Cheetos mixed with breadcrumbs for the topping. At first I thought it was a stoner's paradise but it turned out good as fuck

[Anonymous No.6776603]

>>6776601
simple*

[Anonymous No.6776843]

Holy shit, Mac&Cheese. I love this dish; I haven't looked up how, but I have no inate idea on how to prepare it. I always just buy the shit that you just need to boil and add the pre-made cheese. I hate this, but it's what I'm down to. Anyone got a good recipe for this?

[Anonymous No.6777287]

What makes mac and cheese grainy, anyways?

I know not to use pre-shredded cheese instead of grating your own, but once even the grated shit gave me a gritty cheese sauce. Is there anything I did to fuck it up?

[Anonymous No.6777315]

>>6776843
1:1 butter and flour in a saucepan, heat that shit up, don't stop stirring

slowly pour in some (about .5 cups per tbsp of butter) preheated milk when the butter mixture turns golden

when that thickens, put in a couple big handfuls of cheese, 1 cup per tbsp of butter

cook that till it melts and thickens then pour over macaroni

[Anonymous No.6777318]

>>6777287
You're not cooking the flour enough. That shit needs to be cooked to hell and back before it's suitable for use in a sauce

Also: more milk

[Anonymous No.6777322]

>>6777318
Thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.6777358]

>>6776563
>egg
That's just a cheesy carbonara. :v

In all seriousness I may try this when I get home. Though I tend to just use bechamel since I'll make a large batch and portion it to eat with meals later in the week.

[Anonymous No.6777653]

>>6777287
also, not taking the sauce off the heat before melting the cheese in will give you a grainy sauce. don't let that shit bubble once the cheese is in.

[Anonymous No.6777717]

>hot roux, cold liquid
>cold roux, hot liquid
>warm roux, warm liquid

What do you guys do?

[Anonymous No.6777723]

>>6777717
hot roux, cold liquid, it's the easiest

[Anonymous No.6777767]

If you're gonna go the bechamel route, be sure to put in some lemon juice or acid to "cut through" the fat.

First time I made mac and cheese, I felt sick if I ate too much. Second time, put in some lemon and I could eat as much as I wanted.

How does that work? Does it predigest it?

[Anonymous No.6777907]

I made some shells and cheese recently with finely chopped kale in it. Pretty good.

Made a béchamel, whisked in egg yolk, dijon mustard, gouda, gruyere. par-boiled some shells and mixed with chopped kale, poured the sauce on top, sprinkled white cheddar and panko on top, and baked at 350 for however long, I don't remember.

It was really good. Helped to use up a lot of greens at once too, before they went bad.

[Anonymous No.6778043]

>>6777287
Melting the cheese too fast. Take the pot off the heat and let the cheese melt in slowly.

[Anonymous No.6778051]

>>6778043
just adding,

melting too fast with too high a temperature, melting too much at once, and also melting too much cheese into the sauce in total will all cause it break and turn gritty.

so basically, lower heat, melt less cheese at a time, and don't use too much cheese. salt and a dash of paprika do wonders to bring out the cheesy flavor without having to go overboard.

pre-grated/shredded cheese doesn't really make that much of a difference, honestly.

[Anonymous No.6778104]

Before I developed an allergy to dairy as an adult, I used to make a bad-ass mac and cheese, using bechamel and a carefully ratio-ed combination of gruyere, cheddar, and jarlsberg, with a little freshly grated nutmeg, mustard powder, black pepper, and baked with a topping mix of parmesan and panko with just a touch of paprika for color on top . Also, I found the best trick for a ooey-gooey baked mac and cheese is to use a little less than half the cheese in the sauce, and then layer the sauced pasta with the rest of the cheese.

Now, since I have a full on dairy allergy, (rashes on my inner arms, legs and chest, wheezing, swelling), I've had to resort to non-dairy mac and cheese, which has taken me over 2 years to perfect so that it comes out just like regular mac and cheese. Even my family likes it, even though they can eat regular mac and cheese. I'd post that recipe too, but I don't want to deal with the bitching.

[Anonymous No.6778140]

>>6777287

I'm surprised people are saying to use fresh cheese instead of pre-grated, I find it's the complete opposite and the fresh stuff always separates. Also I never make roux then add milk anymore, maybe I just suck at cooking but that always goes wrong for me. I just heat the milk, butter and a bayleaf in a saucepan then dump in flour and whisk the fuck out of it til it thickens, then add the cheese while taking it on and off the heat. Works perfectly every time and is a lot easier.

[Anonymous No.6778158]

>>6776517
I usually just go down to the grocery store and buy whatever cheeses sound good, grate it down, mix into bechamel and I also add some whole grade mustard

[Anonymous No.6778169]

>>6778104
> I'd post that recipe too, but I don't want to deal with the bitching.

Cmon thats just teasing

[Anonymous No.6778179]

>>6778169

I'd like to hear this also, having had vegan friends subject me to pasta covered in grainy off-white cashew-based ejaculate and saying 'it's just like mac n cheese!'

[Anonymous No.6778187]

>>6778140
Does your sauce taste like flour?

[Anonymous No.6778188]

>>6778140
hot roux and cold milk
Do you not listen to Chef John

[Anonymous No.6778191]

>>6778187

Not at all. It takes a few tries to get the hang of the amounts/managing the heat but once you've got it down it comes out like perfect bechamel.

[Anonymous No.6778229]

>>6778179
>>6778169
Okay, for you guys, I'll post it and await the shitty comments. :/
It's actually really easy, and it doesn't require anything like fucking soaked cashews or the horror that is nutritional yeast. But it does require fake cheese products, obviously. I figured this recipe out after trying so many horrible, shitty recipes that I just gave up for awhile, until I had been craving mac and cheese for so long I was determined to figure a good one out.

1 lb pasta of your choice (I like radiatore or shells, but whatever floats your boat)
1 tablespoon butter substitute of your choosing
1 pkg. Daiya cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Tofutti cream cheese
a couple of spoonfuls of Tofutii sour cream (optional, but I like the tangy flavor it adds)
1 cup pasta water (wait till the pasta is cooked, and then scoop out 1 cup water before you drain it)
1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) mustard powder (or you can use regular mustard as well)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
dash of hot sauce

Cook pasta until just barely al dente (since it's going to cook more as you make the sauce), reserve the 1 cup pasta water and then drain. Put pasta back in the pot, and add the butter substitute and stir till melted. Add the mustard powder, the garlic powder, the Daiya cheddar and the cream cheese and stir, stir, stir. Stirring for a long time is what is going to make the difference here. Slowly add pasta water as you stir, this will help make the Daiya and the tofutti cream cheese melt into a creamy sauce. If you decide to add some of the tofutti sour cream, add it now, and stir in well. Season to taste with black pepper, salt, and a dash of hot sauce.
That's it. It tastes closer to real mac and cheese than any other I've had. You can also sub the cream cheese for some Daiya mozzarella if you want more stringy-ness, but the fake cream cheese gives it a good creaminess.

[Anonymous No.6778241]

>>6778229
Sorry, that should have said
>1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

You just need enough to give it a hint of the flavor, because it helps build the savory flavor you'd get from real mac and cheese.

[Anonymous No.6778249]

>>6778229
>I'll post it and await the shitty comments. :/
Dude, this is an anonymous Mongolian tapestry forum.

Who cares.

[Anonymous No.6778257]

>>6778249
I thought it was an Armenian underwater basket weaving forum.

[Anonymous No.6778270]

>>6778229

sounds good to me. saved for the next time I have to cook for treehuggers

[Anonymous No.6778282]

>>6778270
There you go, they'll probably love it if they've been eating shitty grainy cashew based crap.
I hate having a dairy allergy. I miss blue cheese the most, particularly Blacksticks Blue. Or a nice soft D'affinois. Or even just some fucking nutty Jarlsberg with fruit and crackers....Ah well, as long as I never develop an allergy to meat and fish, then I'd have to kill myself.

[Anonymous No.6778292]

>>6778229
This recipe is bad.

[Anonymous No.6778312]

>>6778292
No, it's not. But you're free to think whatever you like.

[Anonymous No.6778322]

>>6778312
:^)

[Anonymous No.6778338]

>>6777717
Hot roux, cold liquid is easiest. But in the Larousse Gastronomique it's said it should be hot liquid and a cold roux

[Anonymous No.6778362]

For my mac and cheese I do the following:

Fry up some italian sausage and drain it, then saute some chopped onion, sliced mushrooms and red bell pepper with some red pepper flakes. Right at the end, I add some minced garlic and fresh oregano.

Make a mornay sauce with sharp cheddar and some cream cheese, salt, pepper, cayenne and a splash or worcestershire sauce.

Boil up some pasta. Cook until it's not quite done since it'll cook more in the oven.

Mix the sausage, onion mixture, pasta and mornay sauce together, dump it all in a baking pan, pout some more cheese on top, then put some buttered bread crumbs on top of that.

Stick it in the oven at 350 for 45-60 mins until it's all bubbly and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.

[Anonymous No.6778366]

>>6776517
Make your own pasta, swabian style!

Take a few eggs (a rough measure is 1 egg per person + 1 extra)
add a pinch of salt
add flour until you get a thick mass that flows very very slowly

get a pot of salted water to boil

spread a bit of your mass on a cutting board
with a spatula, gently shave off thin strips into the water
when they float on the surface they're done
remove with a scooping iron, rinse under cold water

see this video for how it's done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azaxChFUAUc

Mix pasta and sharp alpine cheese in a baking form and bake until crispy. Serve with roasted onions.

Alternatively, heat up pasta with butter in a pan, add cheese, let it melt while gently stirring. Try to get a bit of delicious crust on the bottom. Serve with roasted onions.

[Anonymous No.6778595]

>>6778366
Pretty sweet technique.

[Anonymous No.6778712]

>>6776517
It's all in the roux, my nigga. I like to throw a small quantity of cheese with a distinct flavor, something that can really change the dish up.

Last time I put in smoked gouda and crusted the top with a healthy butter/breadcrumb/baconbit mix. Smoky bacon grilled cheese man, it was fuckin' ace.

[CHAD PIFFINGTON No.6778783]

>Poorfag version
Boxed mac and cheese. pat of butter, milk, cream of mushroom soup. Pretty self explanitory.
>Piffington (have not made in a while measure could be off)
The cheese sauce will be 1 small heavy cream. I quart of milk. A lot of cheddar cheese, romano,and parmesian.Which should add up to 75% of the cheddar. melt all that shit together. Those Italian cheeses are for the flavor, and little brown spots. Really salty so dont add salt. Can add veggies or heat at this time.
>pasta
Barillo makes a campanele pasta I use that. but obvious use what you want. Under cook this pasta before you mix it.Like 80% cooked.Nothing is worse than mushy ass Mac and Cheese.
Mix the cheese sauce and pasta. Cover the top with Panko. It shit all over breadcrumbs when it comes to Mac and Cheese. Bake it for about 45 mins. @350? I think Im missing some shit here, but you good to go wit dis.

[Anonymous No.6779603]

[Anonymous No.6779615]

The secret is to avoid using a bechamel base for your sauce as it dulls the flavors of the cheese.

[Anonymous No.6779620]

im not the only one who loves the stouffers mac n cheese? i actually got laid because i made it before some chick came over and said i had cooked it earlier. she loved it.

[Anonymous No.6779701]

>>6778712
Smoked gouda is one of my favorite cheeses to use in mac. I like to throw in honey glazed smoked bacon and a bit of small diced jalapeños for just a little heat.

[Anonymous No.6779725]

Make some mac n cheese.
(Howeverthefuckyoulikeit)
Add some fucking peparoni.
God damn, you got some peparoni-macaroni, bitch! You're welcome.

[Anonymous No.6779796]

>>6779615
I made some with just 1/4 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of heavy cream instead of a bechamel, but it still didn't taste cheesy enough. I think I need to use different cheese.

[Anonymous No.6779820]

You guys should probably try Alton Brown's recipe. This is the classic way to do it, your changes are just variations of it.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html
watch the video for Baked Mac and Cheese.

[Anonymous No.6780567]

>>6779615
How does a bechamel dull the flavor of the cheese?

[CHAD PIFFINGTON No.6780882]

>>6779620
Nah, but the veggie lasagna they got is noice

[Anonymous No.6780894]

>ctrl-f cauliflower not found

wtf you guys cauliflower in mac and cheese is godly

[Anonymous No.6780944]

>>6780894
I like cauliflower cheese without the mac. Good stuff, it used to be one of the most popular sides in my mom's cafe.