Welcome again to Cookbook Showdown, the place one courageous dwelling prepare dinner checks recipes for a similar dish from numerous in style cookbooks to search out out which one comes out on prime. They say eyes are the window to the soul, however I say macaroni and cheese recipes are the window to the cookbook. That’s why I examined 5 recipes for mac and cheese from cooks together with Ree Drummond, Carla Hall, Eric Kim, Patti LaBelle, and Nicole A. Taylor. Which tacky noodles melted my coronary heart? Read on to search out out!
The History of Macaroni and Cheese
How lengthy has macaroni and cheese been round? Well, since concerning the time pasta and cheese had been invented, individuals have been mixing them collectively to make a scrumptious casserole. The earliest identified recipe for mac and cheese dates again to thirteenth century Italy. It instructed cooks to chop sheets of pasta into 2-inch squares, boil them, and then combine them with grated cheese, most probably parmesan. Its recognition in Europe unfold rapidly.
The U.S.’s obsession with mac and cheese has a unique story. Although it’s been served right here so long as the United States has existed, it reached a unique degree of notoriety throughout Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, when macaroni and cheese was steadily served at official state dinners. But whereas some credit score Jefferson with the rise of mac and cheese, it was actually Black chef James Hemmings, who was enslaved by Jefferson, who introduced the dish to fame. Hemmings was despatched to France to check culinary strategies and used these abilities to later develop his personal macaroni and cheese recipe.
For some time, the dish was considered an elite, luxurious meals. But as dried pasta and processed cheese grew to become extra out there at a lower cost, it morphed into the consolation meals we all know in the present day. And as soon as Kraft launched their boxed mac and cheese on the finish of the Great Depression in 1937, it was eternally cemented as an inexpensive and simple American favourite.
The Basics of Macaroni and Cheese
Mac and cheese will be as easy or as difficult as you want. At its most elementary, it may be cooked pasta layered with cheese and baked. At its most extravagant, it might probably embrace substances like lobster and truffles and value lots of of {dollars}.
Usually, macaroni and cheese consists of elbow macaroni, a sauce product of cream and/or butter, and numerous cheeses. But all of that’s up for experimentation. Elbow macaroni is the commonest pasta, however any brief pasta can be utilized, with extra pockets and edges on the form most well-liked to catch the sauce. Cheddar is the preferred cheese selection, however it may be substituted or blended with different cheeses like mozzarella for meltability, parmesan for saltiness, and gouda for taste. Traditionally, mac and cheese is baked in a casserole dish, however loads of recipes are made on the range prime with out use of the oven. Really, relating to macaroni and cheese, the sky’s the restrict.
Macaroni and Cheese Cookbook Showdown
Now that we’ve caught up on the background, let’s get to the showdown, lets? I normally select 4 recipes for a Cookbook Showdown like this, however I can by no means get sufficient mac and cheese, and I additionally wished to present some extra nontraditional recipes a strive, so I examined 5 recipes whole. Three are extra conventional, specializing in the pasta and cheese, whereas two have fascinating twists. Which one was the cheesiest delight? Read on to search out out!
The Pioneer Woman Cooks—Super Easy!: 120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts, and More by Ree Drummond
Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman, has constructed a cooking empire round her approachable, tasty, family-friendly recipes. From her weblog to her Food Network present to her many cookbooks, you’ll be able to look to Drummond for scrumptious meals that isn’t overly pretentious or difficult to make. This specific cookbook is concentrated on shortcuts and fast, simple recipes with substances and substitutions present in loads of dwelling pantries.
Drummond’s “Sheet Pan Mac and Cheese” guarantees a dish solely barely extra difficult than the boxed stuff, however baked in a sheet pan for max crispy baked cheese topping. It includes making a cheese sauce from evaporated milk, Velveeta, and grated cheese on the range, mixing it with cooked pasta, then placing it within the range to bake with further cheese on prime. Let’s see if this recipe delivered on the baked cheese goodness.
How it Went
As promised, this was certainly a fairly simple recipe to observe. Drummond contains images of every step, which is certainly useful for visible learners. The evaporated milk was significantly sooner and simpler than making a roux or thickened cream sauce. Her technique of preheating the baking sheet for a crispy, tacky backside was profitable and helped the entire thing bake extra rapidly.
Ree Drummond’s Sheet Pan Mac and Cheese Scores
- Taste: 4/5 — The scorching sauce and dry mustard had been a pleasant contact, and the evaporated milk made for a fast sauce, nevertheless it ended up slightly dry total.
- Cheese issue: 4/5 — The Velveeta, cheddar, gruyère, and parmesan mixture was very nice and balanced. It delivered on crispy cheese on the highest and backside, nevertheless it misplaced a number of the creamy, saucy high quality alongside the best way.
- Difficulty: Easy — This was an ideal weeknight dinner as a result of it got here collectively actually rapidly, and the photographs make the recipe simple to observe.
- Overall: 4/5 — If you’re keen on the golden crispy topping on baked mac and cheese, this recipe is for you! But when you desire a creamy, saucy mac and cheese, it’d disappoint. The lack of sauce additionally meant this didn’t reheat very properly.
The Up South Cookbook: Chasing Dixie in a Brooklyn Kitchen by Nicole A. Taylor
Nicole A. Taylor is a house prepare dinner, meals author, and podcast host. She spent a lot of her youth making an attempt to distance herself from her Georgia upbringing, till she landed in Brooklyn and realized the facility of her Southern meals roots. In this cookbook, Taylor blends Southern classics with worldwide and fashionable substances.
Taylor’s “Baked Macaroni and Cheese” recipe, although, is all about basic flavors and nailing the cheese mix. Again, this recipe begins with making a sauce (together with butter, heavy cream, half-and-half, grated cheese, and numerous seasonings) on the range, mixing it with cooked pasta, and baking it. Let’s discover out what occurred after I tried it at dwelling.
How it Went
Making the cheese sauce went in line with plan. The creamy sauce appeared and tasted nice, particularly with the addition of pink pepper flakes, nutmeg, and mustard powder. But right here’s the place the difficulty got here in: Taylor instructs readers to combine two crushed eggs into the recent, drained pasta within the casserole pan earlier than pouring over the recent cheese sauce. Do you recognize what occurs if you add scorching substances to raw eggs? I certain do. They prepare dinner into eggy clumps! The taste of this mac and cheese was nice, however the texture was all improper. There’s a cause cooks are normally instructed to mood eggs in a sauce or casserole like this by slowly integrating a heat ingredient with the eggs earlier than whisking all of it collectively, and belief me, it’s value the additional step.
Nicole A. Taylor’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese Scores
- Taste: 3/5 — The seasoning mixture on this recipe actually units off the cheeses properly. But the clumpy eggs actually ruined the feel, which detracted from the general expertise.
- Cheese issue: 4/5 — The mix of sharp cheddar, manchego, and gruyère cheeses was scrumptious and properly balanced, however a smoother tacky texture would have put it excessive.
- Difficulty: Moderate — There’s a little bit of a roux shortcut right here of blending flour in after you’ve already blended collectively the butter and lotions, making it slightly extra approachable. But I’d quite take the additional step of tempering the eggs to create a greater texture in the long run.
- Overall: 3/5 — Great taste, dangerous texture. Always mood your eggs!
LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About by Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle is called the Godmother of Soul, and that applies to each her Grammy-winning music profession and her scrumptious meals. This cookbook was first launched in 1999, and this twentieth anniversary version has much more to like with new tales and recipes. LaBelle’s recipes for traditional soul meals are interspersed with pleasant (and typically fully wild) tales from her household and friendships with different celebrities.
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 dwelling cooking, and how he by no means returns her Tupperware. The recipe contains 5 completely different sorts of cheese, and LaBelle says that’s what number of occasions Elton John went again for extra. But did the dish ship my tastebuds over the rainbow?
How it Went
This recipe skips the step of creating a creamy sauce, as a substitute mixing the cooked pasta with melted butter, half-and-half, grated cheese, and chunks of Velveeta. While the extremely processed cheese product Velveeta generally is a controversial ingredient, LaBelle insists, “Ask anyone who makes incredible macaroni and cheese for their recipe, and I bet you that Velveeta will be in there.” (Of the recipes I attempted, Ree Drummond is the one different dish that included Velveeta.) It did give the mac and cheese creamy pockets of melted Velveeta, which additionally helped it reheat rather well.
Patti LaBelle’s Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese Scores
- Taste: 4/5 — This recipe depends on seasoned salt and the number of cheeses for taste, and it does ship. If something, it’s slightly dry as soon as the pasta soaks up all of the butter and half-and-half, however the Velveeta pockets helped.
- Cheese issue: 5/5 — The mix of gentle and sharp cheddars, muenster, and monterey jack cheeses plus the Velveeta created an amazing, balanced taste.
- Difficulty: Easy — Skipping the cream sauce stage completely made it slightly drier in the long run, however the course of was very approachable.
- Overall: 4.5/5 — It might have used a bit extra of a creamy saucy texture, however this mac and cheese would have been a success at any Southern potluck I’ve ever been to.
Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration by Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko
TV chef Carla Hall is beloved from her stint on Bravo’s Top Chef to internet hosting ABC’s The Chew and past. In this cookbook, Hall blends her soul meals roots from rising up in Nashville together with her veggie-forward, recent ingredient fashion. It’s a powerful assortment of principal dishes, sides, desserts, and sauces that may simply transition from on a regular basis meals to every kind of festivities.
Hall transforms basic macaroni and cheese right into a filling one-pot meal together with her “Meaty Tomato Mac and Cheese” recipe. It’s made completely on the range prime in a big Dutch oven, from browning floor beef to cooking onions, garlic, and tomato paste to creating a roux and lastly mixing all of it collectively. Did this one-pot surprise ship on taste?
How it Went
I liked the one-pot nature of this dish, and it labored rather well regardless of all of the completely different strategies and substances concerned. In addition to the basic pasta, cheese, milk, and butter, it included mustard powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper for seasoning, in addition to floor beef, onion, garlic, and tomato paste to make it a full meal. My style tester/spouse described the end result as “a really delicious fancy version of Hamburger Helper,” and I don’t disagree.
Carla Hall’s Meaty Tomato Mac and Cheese Scores
- Taste: 5/5 — Great taste, very satisfying as a meal, and the leftovers even reheated rather well.
- Cheese issue: 3/5 — The creaminess of the sauce was nice, however with sharp cheddar as the one cheese included, the tacky taste was slightly one-note. Luckily, it was properly balanced by the opposite seasonings and substances.
- Difficulty: Easy — The one-pot facet made the entire thing a breeze, particularly clear up. And I’ve by no means seen such a simple option to make a roux!
- Overall: 4/5 — I really like the simplicity of this recipe and that it’s received added substances to make it a complete meal. I might have used one other cheese or two to create a extra advanced taste, however I totally loved it as is.
Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim
New York Times meals author Eric Kim has spent years writing recipes that marry Korean and American flavors. For this superbly photographed cookbook, Kim spent a yr in Atlanta together with his mom creating dishes that completely mix his household’s conventional Korean recipes with the American consolation meals he loves. It’s a deeply private cookbook, stuffed with authentic dishes and touching tales.
Kim’s recipe is probably essentially the most distinctive on this problem — “Mac and Corn Cheese with Jalapeño Bread Crumbs.” It’s a mashup of the Stouffer’s mac and cheese his household ate rising up and corn cheese, a aspect dish in style at Korean eating places. It’s the one recipe I attempted that known as for a pasta apart from elbow macaroni, as a substitute utilizing rigatoni. The creamy sauce additionally will get blended with pink onion, jalapeños, corn, and crunchy bread crumbs. Let’s see how this tacky dish turned out.
How it Went
Cooking this dish on the range went completely in line with plan. It additionally included a separate course of to make a mix of bread crumbs, cheese, pink onion, and jalapeño which Kim describes as “savory, granola-like cheese clusters.” It was a bit messy, however turned out fully scrumptious, and it was nice to have a crisp topping on a mac and cheese that wasn’t baked.
Eric Kim’s Mac and Corn Cheese with Jalapeño Bread Crumbs
- Taste: 5/5 — The warmth of the jalapeños, chew of the onion, sweetness of the corn, and creaminess of the sauce had been implausible. I recognize the usage of rigatoni with extra ridges to cling to the sauce. And the bread crumb clusters had been a revelation.
- Cheese issue: 4/5 — The solely cheese on this dish is mozzarella, nevertheless it labored properly with the opposite flavors at play. It had an amazing melty texture, too.
- Difficulty: Moderate — Creating the bread crumb clusters was slightly uncommon, however Kim does an amazing job of describing the method within the directions.
- Overall: 5/5 — I liked the complexity of flavors and textures on this dish. It doesn’t really feel like a conventional mac and cheese, but when it’s cheese and pasta, who’s to say it’s not?
Lessons Learned
Before we transfer on to asserting a winner, I wished to share just a few suggestions I realized alongside the journey of this Cookbook Showdown:
- Avoid pre-grated cheese — Although it saves time, pre-grated cheese has a coating added to maintain it from sticking collectively and molding too rapidly, which might have an effect on the best way it melts right into a sauce.
- Get inventive along with your cheeses — The extra tacky flavors, the higher! I discovered that recipes with a number of sorts of cheese led to a extra advanced and balanced taste.
- Cook pasta to al dente or simply underneath — Your macaroni will soak up a number of the sauce when you’re baking it, so prepare dinner it to al dente or perhaps a minute much less so it doesn’t get too soggy in the long run.
- The sky is the restrict — I completely adored the recipes that received inventive with add-ins. Anything can go in mac and cheese when you dare to dream!
Without additional ado, let’s get to…
The Winner(s)
Alright, let’s be actual right here. I made 5 mac and cheese dishes, and I loved consuming each one among them. I feel there are two recipes right here deserving of a crown. To that finish, I’ve chosen one conventional mac and cheese winner and yet one more adventurous mac and cheese winner.
Best Traditional Mac and Cheese Recipe: Patti LaBelle’s Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese from LaBelle Cuisine
How can I not decide Elton John’s favourite macaroni and cheese because the winner? The 4 sorts of cheese plus Velveeta gave this dish an amazing taste, and the chunks of Velveeta helped it reheat superbly too.
Best Adventurous Mac and Cheese Recipe: Eric Kim’s Mac and Corn Cheese from Korean American
This was a good looking dish, with properly balanced flavors and a really satisfying texture due to the panko crumbles. It will not be what you anticipate if you hear the phrases “mac and cheese,” however don’t sleep on this recipe!
We hope you loved this installment of Cookbook Showdown! Check out a few of our different 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
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