The U.S.’s obsession with mac and cheese has a different story. Although it’s been served here as long as the United States has existed, it reached a different level of notoriety during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, when macaroni and cheese was frequently served at official state dinners. But while some credit Jefferson with the rise of mac and cheese, it was really Black chef James Hemmings, who was enslaved by Jefferson, who brought the dish to fame. Hemmings was sent to France to study culinary techniques and used those skills to later develop his own macaroni and cheese recipe. For a while, the dish was thought of as an elite, luxurious food. But as dried pasta and processed cheese became more available at a lower price, it morphed into the comfort food we know today. And once Kraft released their boxed mac and cheese at the end of the Great Depression in 1937, it was forever cemented as a cheap and easy American favorite. Usually, macaroni and cheese consists of elbow macaroni, a sauce made of cream and/or butter, and various cheeses. But all of that is up for experimentation. Elbow macaroni is the most common pasta, but any short pasta can be used, with more pockets and edges on the shape preferred to catch the sauce. Cheddar is the most popular cheese choice, but it can be substituted or mixed with other cheeses like mozzarella for meltability, parmesan for saltiness, and gouda for flavor. Traditionally, mac and cheese is baked in a casserole dish, but plenty of recipes are made on the stove top without use of the oven. Really, when it comes to macaroni and cheese, the sky’s the limit. Without further ado, let’s get to… Drummond’s “Sheet Pan Mac and Cheese” promises a dish only slightly more complicated than the boxed stuff, but baked in a sheet pan for maximum crispy baked cheese topping. It involves making a cheese sauce from evaporated milk, Velveeta, and grated cheese on the stove, mixing it with cooked pasta, then putting it in the stove to bake with extra cheese on top. Let’s see if this recipe delivered on the baked cheese goodness. Taylor’s “Baked Macaroni and Cheese” recipe, though, is all about classic flavors and nailing the cheese blend. Again, this recipe starts with making a sauce (including butter, heavy cream, half-and-half, grated cheese, and various seasonings) on the stove, mixing it with cooked pasta, and baking it. Let’s find out what happened when I tried it at home. That’s what first caught my eye in LaBelle’s “Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese” recipe: a two-page story about her friendship with Elton John, introducing him to her home cooking, and how he never returns her Tupperware. The recipe includes five different kinds of cheese, and LaBelle says that’s how many times Elton John went back for more. But did the dish send my tastebuds over the rainbow? Hall transforms classic macaroni and cheese into a filling one-pot meal with her “Meaty Tomato Mac and Cheese” recipe. It’s made entirely on the stove top in a large Dutch oven, from browning ground beef to cooking onions, garlic, and tomato paste to making a roux and finally mixing it all together. Did this one-pot wonder deliver on flavor? Kim’s recipe is perhaps the most unique in this challenge — “Mac and Corn Cheese with Jalapeño Bread Crumbs.” It’s a mashup of the Stouffer’s mac and cheese his family ate growing up and corn cheese, a side dish popular at Korean restaurants. It’s the only recipe I tried that called for a pasta other than elbow macaroni, instead using rigatoni. The creamy sauce also gets mixed with red onion, jalapeños, corn, and crunchy bread crumbs. Let’s see how this cheesy dish turned out.
Avoid pre-grated cheese — Although it saves time, pre-grated cheese has a coating added to keep it from sticking together and molding too quickly, which can affect the way it melts into a sauce. Get creative with your cheeses — The more cheesy flavors, the better! I found that recipes with multiple kinds of cheese led to a more complex and balanced flavor. Cook pasta to al dente or just under — Your macaroni will absorb some of the sauce if you’re baking it, so cook it to al dente or even a minute less so it doesn’t get too soggy in the end. The sky is the limit — I totally adored the recipes that got creative with add-ins. Anything can go in mac and cheese if you dare to dream!
Alright, let’s be real here. I made five mac and cheese dishes, and I enjoyed eating every one of them. I think there are two recipes here deserving of a crown. To that end, I’ve chosen one traditional mac and cheese winner and one more adventurous mac and cheese winner. We hope you enjoyed this installment of Cookbook Showdown! Check out some of our other culinary experiments: Cookbook Showdown: The Best Lemon Meringue Pie Recipes, Tested Cookbook Showdown: The Best Chocolate Cake Recipes, Tested Cookbook Showdown: The Best Iced Tea Recipes, Tested
