White dude here. Growing up, my mom always baked it like the left one. She would drop pieces of bread on top so it would toast up. It’s still the best mac and cheese I’ve had to this day and now I need to make it. RIP mom.
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The left one for sure. If it ain't baked, hit the breaks.
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Huh?
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...i don't like mac and cheese bakes. I'm so sorry.
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I make it my goal in life to defy the white people can't cook stereotype. My wife's family is the epitome of this, so I'm the designated chef for a lot of our family dinners. My Mac n Cheese is stupid good though.
Freshly grated cheeses (sharp cheddar, gruyere/fontina, smoked gouda, parmigiano reggiano) and a bit of American for that sodium citrate emulsifying power, melted into a piping hot beschemel with Dijon, mustard powder, paprika, a pinch of thyme, and a hit of cayenne. Mix in some drained elbow or penne pasta, cooked to just al dente in well salted water, in a baking dish. Depending on my mood/desire for texture, either top with reserved cheese or some seasoned, buttered, well-crushed Ritz crackers. Bake until browned nicely.
Been making Mac like this for a few years and it is regularly the favorite of the meal. Gotta use a variety of cheeses that give you strong cheesy flavor, creaminess, smokiness and nuttiness. The mustard is also important to cut the richness of the cheese.
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Just so everyone here knows, these pictures do not need to be mutually exclusive. You can do both.
I don't know why I think this way, but the left image looks too hot to eat while the right image looks too cold for it to taste good.
I fuck with both macs. I will say though, I'm noticing there are no (apparent / obvious) spices/herbs.
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Baked Mac and cheese is the only Mac and cheese. I miss my mom's so fucking much it's crazy. I can make it, but nobody made it like her.
am i the only person who finds them both appetizing
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For the record I like no1 the best.
But what if I told you that you could make no2 in less than ten minutes with only three ingredients?
https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe
(if you slightly undercook this you could still bake, just add breadcrumbs, sprinkles of some hard cheese, and herbs on top of it and back for about 10 minutes on 180c/350f)
Every single time someone tells me they put their heart and soul into something like the left one full of ingredients that sound magic,I take a bite and it's hella mid.
Dickeys BBQ makes the best version of the one on the right of any chain I've been to. Dip waffle fries in it for majesty.
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People dont put veggies in mac n cheese? Maybe im just coping hard.
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The one on the right is still good, and better for mixing with other stuff on the plate, like mashed potatoes and gravy.
How do I make the left one?
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Joke's on you, I prefer cheese soup with noodles.
The right one still looks plenty creamy. You could easily just bake it for a bit with some extra cheese and maybe some cracker crumbs on top, and it'd be just as good as the left.
Not sure what a Juneteenth is, but everything is better when gratinated.
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You need to get it with chicken or pulled pork in it. Mmmmmm
I'd rather have macaroni salad. Mac and cheese is too formal for a picnic
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Dumb question but what’s the difference? As someone who grew up on the orange stuff from a box, and learned to make the one on the right in recent years, what am I looking for? Is the left just baked? I’ve done that. Is it a topping or spice that encourages browning?
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One of these is macaroni cheese and the other is not
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