Highest Rated Boxed Mac N Cheese

[rhinefire]

Kraft, Trader Joes, Sabatino Pronto, and Pirates Booty are the highest rated mac n cheese dinners. I have eaten Kraft and now am hopelessly compelled to try the others.

 

[azgreg]

Ever try making from scratch?

 

[Lutherf]

Ever try making from scratch?

So you've had Luther's Hatch Green Chile and Chicken mac & cheese? I sure hope that if you did you remembered to wear your stretchy pants.

 

[azgreg]

Here's and Alton Brown recipe I tried. Very tasty.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

 

[Militant_Vegan_]

the box tastes better than what's inside

 

[azgreg]

So you've had Luther's Hatch Green Chile and Chicken mac & cheese? I sure hope that if you did you remembered to wear your stretchy pants.

For a quick mac and cheese it's hard to beat Kraft. However, I'm always up for a mac and cheese recipe.

 

[rhinefire]

The point of the OP is ratings of "Products" available at stores, not your granny's recipes. Obviously most responders don't know the difference. To some Spam is the same as filet mignon.

 

[rhinefire]

Ever try making from scratch?

Where do I buy "scratch"?

 

[radcen]

Kraft, Trader Joes, Sabatino Pronto, and Pirates Booty are the highest rated mac n cheese dinners. I have eaten Kraft and now am hopelessly compelled to try the others.

Kraft is decent. Better than some of the cheaper store and off-brands. We usually have a box or two always on hand for those nights when I don't want to cook but need something quick and easy.

I also make this thing that I call Redneck Casserole...

- Kraft mac & cheese (prepared per usual)
- Cream of mushroom soup
- lots of shredded cheese
- meat of your choice

Mix together, bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

It's actually pretty tasty. My favorite versions are bacon cheeseburger and kielbasa. Chicken & mushroom is good, too.

 

[countryboy]

Kraft, Trader Joes, Sabatino Pronto, and Pirates Booty are the highest rated mac n cheese dinners. I have eaten Kraft and now am hopelessly compelled to try the others.

I've not tried the others, but Kraft doesn't even come close to Annie's. White cheddar shells are my favorite, but they're all fantastic. Annie's Organic & Natural Mac and Cheese - Annie's Homegrown

 

[Howler63]

I love the Kraft Velveeta and Macaroni. It's WAY. WAY better than the powdered kind.

 

[jamesrage]

Kraft, Trader Joes, Sabatino Pronto, and Pirates Booty are the highest rated mac n cheese dinners. I have eaten Kraft and now am hopelessly compelled to try the others.

I have only tried generic,Kraft and Velveta shells and cheese boxed macaroni and cheese. I like the Kraft. Generic brands are okay. I don't really care for Velveta Shells and Cheese because the first couple of bites are good and then it just becomes blah tasting.I like the concept of boxed macaroni cheese.Because you don't need to worry about having any milk or butter on hand.

Sometimes I add some cheddar to it for a cheesy texture amd extra cheese taste or sometimes I add tuna to it. When I was growing up my mom would sometimes take smoked sausage and cook it till brown, add it to some cooked kraft or generic macaroni,add some minced onion, and some cottage cheese slap it in a glass pan or a large cast iron skillet and bake it for ten or twenty minutes.

 

[radcen]

I have only tried generic,Kraft and Velveta shells and cheese boxed macaroni and cheese. I like the Kraft. Generic brands are okay. I don't really care for Velveta Shells and Cheese because the first couple of bites are good and then it just becomes blah tasting.I like the concept of boxed macaroni cheese.Because you don't need to worry about having any milk or butter on hand.

Sometimes I add some cheddar to it for a cheesy texture amd extra cheese taste or sometimes I add tuna to it. When I was growing up my mom would sometimes take smoked sausage and cook it till brown, add it to some cooked kraft or generic macaroni,add some minced onion, and some cottage cheese slap it in a glass pan or a large cast iron skillet and bake it for ten or twenty minutes.

Sounds along the same lines as my Redneck Casserole I mentioned above.

I used to like the Velveeta shells & cheese, too, but it's too rich.

 

[azgreg]

The point of the OP is ratings of "Products" available at stores, not your granny's recipes. Obviously most responders don't know the difference. To some Spam is the same as filet mignon.

Sure, because we always stay 100% on topic at DP.

 

[Helix]

i like the generic food club powdered mac and cheese. it's awesome.

 

[beerftw]

Kraft, Trader Joes, Sabatino Pronto, and Pirates Booty are the highest rated mac n cheese dinners. I have eaten Kraft and now am hopelessly compelled to try the others.

I do not like boxes mac and cheese, I am spoiled. I prefer the homemade method where cheese milk and flour are boiled together to make sauce, mixed with the noodles, then topped with shredded cheese and baked.

 

[Militant_Vegan_]

Is velveeta actually cheese?

 

[rhinefire]

In Houston when we have hurricane threats we spread Velveeta on the exteriors of our homes fro structural support.

 

[faithful_servant]

Where do I buy "scratch"?

You can find it in the cupboards at your grandmother's house...

 

[Ntharotep]

Ever try making from scratch?

I might be strange but I MUCH prefer boxed macaroni. That weird crusty stuff on top is a crime against nature. Mac n Cheese should be creamy not crunchy.

 

[radcen]

I might be strange but I MUCH prefer boxed macaroni. That weird crusty stuff on top is a crime against nature. Mac n Cheese should be creamy not crunchy.

:shock: Caramelized and/or crunchy cheese is da bomb!

But in mac & cheese, crunchy only on top. Not inside.

 

[PoS]

Growing up I used to love mac and cheese, nowadays I havent eaten it in years and stick with pasta carbonara instead.

 

[Rosie1]

If you want the powder in the box kind, Annie's is alright. But, if you want to splurge and get close to grandma's mac & cheese, Stouffer's frozen is really good.