Above all things.... I choose mac and cheese.
ac and Cheese is one of life's greatest culinary treasures. I love mac & cheese, probably above all other comfort foods. It's my weakness. If it's on a menu- I have to get it. Every time. I know I'm not alone- it's one of the most frequently googled recipes on the internet! But you can stop the search – I have the best Mac & Cheese recipe you'll ever need!
I became obsessed with mastering the perfect Mac & Cheese back in 2005 . In one weekend I made 5 different batches…and none of them were keepers. And so the quest continued. It took over a year to find the right recipe to work with, and then I did. Life was now complete. Ok…that's a major exaggeration but, I started to breath a little easier.
What I discovered is that its all about the roux. Once you learn to get your roux just right, you're well on your way to gooey cheese heaven. To do this, I find slow and steady wins this race. You want to be sure to stir in the milk gently until it coats the back of a spoon nicely. Then off the heat you add the cheese and you have yourself a luscious, glorious cheese sauce.
All you need to start your Mac & Cheese quest is Ina Garten's Mac & Cheese Recipe.
Once you master that, you can create an endless amount of variations from it. You can compleatly change the flavor of the dish just by changing up the cheeses. However, what you don't want to change is the texture. So be mindful to use good melting cheeses to prevent your mac from becoming greasy instead of gooey. Some of the best melting cheeses include asiago, cheddar, colby, fontina, gouda, gruyère, havarti, monterey jack, and muenster. Stay away from cheeses such as manchego, roquefort, and feta that tend to expel oil and will ruin the texture of your dish.
The best part of this mac & cheese is that it can be made in advance and even portioned into individual servings if you wish to. Prepare the recipe entirely and refrigerate until ready to heat. Take it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before you are ready to put it in the oven and bake accordingly.
This mac and cheese does not reheat well. The fats will break and it will be oily so only bake as much as you need at a time.