Made a "viral" Mac and cheese with my own review!

[BAPyessir6]

So there has been a viral Mac and cheese on TikTok going around (funnily enough I don't have/use TikTok, but as it's food I still get food updates in my Google feed).

It's by a gal who was mentored by Gordon Ramsey, and everyone LOVES it.

It's an easy enough recipe. Spiced Mornay/roux cheese sauce mixed into noodles, but the odd/unique thing is layering noodles and cheese in a pan like lasagna. It also has 1 pound noodles to 2.5 pounds freshly grated cheese, so it's A LOT of cheese. Here is the recipe itself.

• 1 lb pasta corkscrew/cavatappi preferred
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb colby jack cheese
• 1/2 lb cheddar cheese sharp preferred
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 12 oz evaporated milk (1 can)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp mustard Dijon

So! My personal review! Is it good max? Yes. Is it worthy of the title "BEST ever Mac and cheese"? Surprisingly (for me at least). No.

My issues with the recipe are as follows:

1. It's a LOT of cheese. After you take it out and cool it, I saw a little bit of oil pooling in the bottom of the pan.

2. Her ratios of spices feel too much, specifically the dijon mustard. After trying the mac before baking, it tastes very very mustardy to me. Almost overpowering. After baking, it's still mustard forward, but a little less so. Still too much for my palette.

3. The cheese sauce. Though I was very careful to not overcook the cheese sauce (I never let the sauce get over 130F when melting the cheese into the sauce, which took me 10 minutes of stirring and now my arm is sore ). It's almost but not quite gritty/dry, just slightly. I personally love using (gasp) high quality Velveeta in combination to fresh cheese, specifically 50/50 ratio by weight. Then I get that butter texture and a great cheese forward flavor, and I can abuse the sauce itself more and not be as worried of it splitting/overcooking.

4. It's very rich. The cream is good, but man I was getting full just looking at it. I'd probably use less cream or some milk in addition. I love milk.

Personally, I realize I don't like using recipes, at least not for simpler dishes like Mac and cheese. I found myself wanting to change up lots of things in the recipe as I was making it, but I forced myself to not change anything. Though on that note, I did use different noodles.

Anyway, those are my personal thoughts. Good, but not amazingly great. I may take some ideas out of the recipe itself in future Macs (specifically cheese layering, but I'd do way less), but it isn't something I would call the best ever.

 

[Janet H]

Wow - waaaaay too much bland cheese in that recipe for me.
2.5 lbs total to a lb of pasta. Also waaay too much fat.
The whole point of making the cooked sauce is that you can avoid using cream and evaporated milk to enrich things and use the roux to thicken instead.

I like mustard in mac and cheese but prefer yellow mustard or mustard powder. The horseradish flavor in Dijon is not a good addition to the dish imo.

 

[dragnlaw]

If you want a Mac n Cheese to surprise your taste buds you can't beat Ina Gartner's "Grown Up Mac and Cheese". It is marvelous.

 

[caseydog]

If you want a Mac n Cheese to surprise your taste buds you can't beat Ina Gartner's "Grown Up Mac and Cheese". It is marvelous.

I've heard about her Mac-n-cheese being very good.

CD

 

[pictonguy]

Crazy proportions with questionable choices for cheese, yeah not going to happen in my world, sorry, don't like.

 

[taxlady]

If you want a Mac n Cheese to surprise your taste buds you can't beat Ina Gartner's "Grown Up Mac and Cheese". It is marvelous.

Thank you for giving me the name of that recipe. I have been looking for this recipe for years. Back in the 1990s there were some daytime, Canadian TV shows that often included a short cooking portion in the show. They had a guest chef. The chef said that she had her child had give her a note from school. There was going to be a potluck and she was supposed to bring mac and cheese. So, she made almost exactly this recipe to bring to the potluck. There was no bacon and no crumb topping. I made that mac and cheese and we loved it. But, stupidly, I didn't write down the recipe. I tried making it a second time from memory and it was horrible.

I have to admit that I have not eaten much mac and cheese in my entire life. All the mac and cheese that I remember smelling has smelled very unpleasant to me. I have felt that way about the smell of mac and cheese since I was in elementary school. But, as I mentioned, we really, really liked this one.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Crazy proportions with questionable choices for cheese, yeah not going to happen in my world, sorry, don't like.

What's a better choice for cheese? Sharp cheddar, Gouda, maybe even parm?

I myself always do sharp cheddar and Gouda. Maybe even havarti or something. Is gruyere good?

 

[Linda0818]

Well, I mean, upon first look at the recipe, it doesn't sound bad (with the exception of the slightly scary fat content). But the finished product doesn't look appetizing at all.

 

[caseydog]

What's a better choice for cheese? Sharp cheddar, Gouda, maybe even parm?

I myself always do sharp cheddar and Gouda. Maybe even havarti or something. Is gruyere good?

I've heard a lot of YouTube chefs say gruyere and cheddar are a good mix. I've also heard a small amount of parmesan adds something good, even though it is not a good melting cheese -- just keep it small.

I tend to think that using Velveta as a base, and adding other cheeses for flavor makes sense, as far as getting a creamy cheese sauce that is not likely to break on you.

CD

 

[jennyema]

I personally love using (gasp) high quality Velveeta in combination to fresh cheese, specifically 50/50 ratio by weight.

What is “high quality” Velveeta?

I agree with the others. Too much junk cheese in this recipe. Mac and cheese depends on the use of tasty, high quality cheese. Mozzarella is a total no-no for Mac and cheese.

Gruyere, good cheddar, Asiago are my main go-to cheeses. I use scraps from my charcuterie boards most of the time.

Also the use of both evaporated milk and cream makes no sense. As does paprika …

In general, a recipe I know I wouldn’t ever want to make.

P.S. regular crappy Velveeta is a good addition to Mac and cheese in very small quantities, IMO

 

[Steve Kroll]

So there has been a viral Mac and cheese on TikTok going around (funnily enough I don't have/use TikTok, but as it's food I still get food updates in my Google feed).

Nothing would make me run away faster from a recipe than the words "viral" and "TikTok."

 

[dcSaute]

I've tried the multi-blends many times - and I remain a luddite . . .
sharp cheddar , , , dry mustard , , , elbow macaroni

 

[Linda0818]

Nothing would make me run away faster from a recipe than the words "viral" and "TikTok."

The other ones I quickly pass by are the ones that say "I learned this in Italy" or "I learned this in France." Because then you see some goofball dumping cans of cream soups and/or whole bricks of processed cheese into a large foil pan (sometimes without even removing the glued-on label in the bottom of the pan) along with an array of other questionable ingredients.

Sometimes those videos can be good for entertainment value, though

 

[pictonguy]

What's a better choice for cheese? Sharp cheddar, Gouda, maybe even parm?

I myself always do sharp cheddar and Gouda. Maybe even havarti or something. Is gruyere good?

Good question. Over the years I've used "Mac & Cheese" as a special quite a few times and mostly up the luxurious factor to suit the menu's I normally provide using different animal proteins and certain mushrooms, truffles, roasted garlic, caramelized onion, sundried tomatoes and a variety of chili's etc.

Anyway, the cheese's I like to use in different combinations depending on the taste is gruyere for sure, comte, brie, parmigiana, taleggio, fontina and cheddar and probably a few I can't think of at the moment.

Also I make a bechamel using milk and not cream and the amount of cheese to actually add enough flavor for a lb of pasta would be approx. 8 ounces, 12 max and certainly not 40 ounces, I actually can't even conceive that amount unless it was for an anchor.

 

[dragnlaw]

I accidently made a mac once that had too much cheese and I could barely swallow it. My stupidity put me off mac for a long time.

@BAPyessir6 Once your bechamel is made - take it off the burner - add your grated cheese and stir. No worries about it breaking then! there is plenty of heat in the sauce to melt your cheese.

 

[BAPyessir6]

What is “high quality” Velveeta?

I agree with the others. Too much junk cheese in this recipe. Mac and cheese depends on the use of tasty, high quality cheese. Mozzarella is a total no-no for Mac and cheese.

Gruyere, good cheddar, Asiago are my main go-to cheeses. I use scraps from my charcuterie boards most of the time.

Also the use of both evaporated milk and cream makes no sense. As does paprika …

In general, a recipe I know I wouldn’t ever want to make.

P.S. regular crappy Velveeta is a good addition to Mac and cheese in very small quantities, IMO

Sooo, (time to flex/boast about my dad time) my dad actually worked in the processed cheese industry for about 30 years, at first Land O Lakes, then Bongaards, so he knows a LOT of secrets. He was RnD, developed recipes for bomb awesome jalapeno string cheese, a garlic white Cheddar processed slice, and matched some big product (and got the business) of places like Burger King, White Castle, and the New York school system. He's kind of a beast.

Anyway. The best Velveeta you can get is usually only sold to restaurants, and is only available in places like Restaurant Depot and. . .other places that sell to restaurants. I don't know why, but this stuff isn't in usual supermarket stores. It's specifically a 5 pound (don't know why, but it has to be 5 pound) cheese loaf, unsliced. Basically the actual cheese content of these restaurant loaves are wayyy higher (like up to 35 percent higher and minimum 28 percent) than the best you'll get in stores. Most all other processes cheese have rework in them, which means you throw cheese scraps and some fillers (cheap, think water, thickeners, etc) of anything leftover into a current batch/mix and heat it up, 2, 3, or even 4 times. (After 4 it starts to degrade, but think about reheating a chicken or something that many times. Obviously less quality by that point). You just gotta keep the emulsification and texture of the cheese there. It's such a learning experience.

It's honestly so fascinating and I love talking to my dad about it.

The only thing is when you buy it, it's like 4-5 bucks a pound, and you have to buy a full case, which is 30 pounds. I've done it and yes it is worth it, but it is a lot of cheese. Like. 30 pounds worth.

 

[BAPyessir6]

I accidently made a mac once that had too much cheese and I could barely swallow it. My stupidity put me off mac for a long time.

@BAPyessir6 Once your bechamel is made - take it off the burner - add your grated cheese and stir. No worries about it breaking then! there is plenty of heat in the sauce to melt your cheese.

Yeah, I realized that after my dad said that heating your cheese up to 160F or higher makes it much more likely to break. I was careful and only let it get to 140F.

I used to get worried about the cheese proteins getting granular/gritty from overheating, but now I'm realizing maybe I can fix it!

Ooooh. I should make a post on fondue and ask for help since I ALWAYS struggle with that. I've tried to make it like 3 or 4 times and it always goes grainy.

 

[BAPyessir6]

What is “high quality” Velveeta?

I agree with the others. Too much junk cheese in this recipe. Mac and cheese depends on the use of tasty, high quality cheese. Mozzarella is a total no-no for Mac and cheese.

Gruyere, good cheddar, Asiago are my main go-to cheeses. I use scraps from my charcuterie boards most of the time.

Also the use of both evaporated milk and cream makes no sense. As does paprika …

Yeah, I agree with you. The cream seemed needlessly heavy with all that fat, especially with all the cheese to boot. I'm happy to see nobody hating on me for using the dreaded Velveeta.

 

[dragnlaw]

Absolutely not! I grew up on Velveeta and Cheese slices. But for me it was the expense in the end. From what I can see you are paying about $5.00 a lb.? Where do you store it?
And again I repeat.. don't cook your cheese, take the pot off the burner and let the residual heat of the base sauce melt your cheese. Those cheeses you mentioined other than the Parmesan melt easily. A bit of Parm is OK and/or as a topping. But not too much.
This goes for fondue's as well. You should be heating it and serving it in a very heavy pot to retain heat. At the table the heat source is your little burner underneath only to keep the cheese dippable.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Absolutely not! I grew up on Velveeta and Cheese slices. But for me it was the expense in the end. From what I can see you are paying about $5.00 a lb.? Where do you store it?
And again I repeat.. don't cook your cheese, take the pot off the burner and let the residual heat of the base sauce melt your cheese. Those cheeses you mentioined other than the Parmesan melt easily. A bit of Parm is OK and/or as a topping. But not too much.
This goes for fondue's as well. You should be heating it and serving it in a very heavy pot to retain heat. At the table the heat source is your little burner underneath only to keep the cheese dippable.

It just keeps in the fridge for a year to 18 months. I was also able to sell half of it to friends at cost, so that's cool.