I have a crazy idea, and I'm not sure if it will work. Need some advice.
I have been charged with cooking macaroni and cheese for 150 people (maybe more). Baked is going to dry out on me and then taste nasty, plus it's too much trouble in that quantity and way too expensive.
Here's my plan: I am going to pre-cook the macaroni al dente and bag it. The night of the banquet, I was thinking about using cheese sauce (like you'd get in those shells and cheese box mixes NOT THE POWDER JUNK but the liquid sauce), heating that up and then just before the banquet mixing that with the pasta in a couple of 19 quart roasters to heat it up, have the pasta finish cooking a bit, and serving it straight out of the roasters to keep it warm.
Has anyone else ever done anything like this? I LOVE those prepackaged shells and cheese dishes, so I'm no purist when it comes to cooking and eating. No Julia Child nonsense about fresh ingredients please ...
I have been charged with cooking macaroni and cheese for 150 people (maybe more). Baked is going to dry out on me and then taste nasty, plus it's too much trouble in that quantity and way too expensive.
Here's my plan: I am going to pre-cook the macaroni al dente and bag it. The night of the banquet, I was thinking about using cheese sauce (like you'd get in those shells and cheese box mixes NOT THE POWDER JUNK but the liquid sauce), heating that up and then just before the banquet mixing that with the pasta in a couple of 19 quart roasters to heat it up, have the pasta finish cooking a bit, and serving it straight out of the roasters to keep it warm.
Has anyone else ever done anything like this? I LOVE those prepackaged shells and cheese dishes, so I'm no purist when it comes to cooking and eating. No Julia Child nonsense about fresh ingredients please ...