Just cooked some mac and cheese, need tips

[coldhand25]

But because cheddar is not that popular here I used trappist and emmental cheese instead, and it tastes so bad I literally can't eat it no matter how hungry I am. I tried seasoning it with a little bit of pepper, salt and even with some italian seasoning mix and mustard, but it's just bad. Seems like I'm not cut out to make macaronis. Gonna have to cook some eggs, in which I'm good at least.

Any pro-tips for making mac and cheese? I'll probably gonna buy some cheddar in the coming days, and will probably try again, for I cannot accept this failure.

[Dragoncat]

Shredded cheese in general never works for me. Processed cheese works better. It melts good and coats the noodles, whereas shredded cheese does not and just gross.

What I do:

Cook the macaroni in boiling water, drain the water.

Add just enough milk to cover the bottom of the pan, and some butter.

Add some Velveeta, cut into little cubes.

Mix it up while cooking it again.

Bone appetit.

[Espurrhoodie]

Lots of cheddar.

Mmmm.... cheese.

[EricaofRenais]

Velveeta.  Just Velveeta.  It works every time I try it, while if I use cheddar I have to use milk as well and it doesn't taste as good as Velveeta.   

[Espurrhoodie]

1 minute ago, EricaofRenais said:

Velveeta.  Just Velveeta.  It works every time I try it, while if I use cheddar I have to use milk as well and it doesn't taste as good as Velveeta.   

Velveeta is good cheese.

[eclipse]

Try a recipe instead.  This may need a couple of substitutions, but I think it'll work (it's cheddarless).

Or, add bacon to it.  That should compensate for the lack of smoky depth that emmentaler has.

[XRay]

2 hours ago, eclipse said:

Or, add bacon to it.

Pro tip right here. Bacon makes everything better.

Got a premium cut of meat but do not know what oil to cook it in? Cook some bacon to render out that good old bacon fat, and then snack on that bacon while you cook that nice juicy meat in the bacon grease.

Need to make a roux to make a gravy, sauce, or soup? Compliment that butter-flour mix with some good old bacon grease.

Got a bland dish that also needs some salt? Cook some bacon until it is dark and crispy, then crumble it up and mix it into the dish as if the bacon is salt.

Need to keep something moist and juicy in the oven? Slap some bacon on top to cover whatever you are baking, and the bacon will slowly leak fat to moisten the stuff underneath and protect it from drying out.

[Karimlan]

15 hours ago, eclipse said:

Try a recipe instead.  This may need a couple of substitutions, but I think it'll work (it's cheddarless).

 

I'm wondering if I can substitute the truffle oil with sesame oil (same logic: both used sparingly) and how it would taste like.

[eclipse]

On 11/29/2019 at 2:55 AM, Karimlan said:

I'm wondering if I can substitute the truffle oil with sesame oil (same logic: both used sparingly) and how it would taste like.

Possible?  Yes.  Will it taste the same?  Probably not.  Sesame oil is pretty strong and distinct.  But you can give it a whirl!

[Dragoncat]

You guys are making my simple recipe look bad.

[XRay]

20 hours ago, Dragoncat said:

You guys are making my simple recipe look bad.

Just edit and add bacon in to it.

And maybe some kind of meat for more heartiness. To make it look pretty, you can garnish it with some croutons or dried breadcrumbs for some crunch, and some hot sauce for some kick.

[Dragoncat]

Just now, XRay said:

Just edit and add bacon in to it.

And maybe some kind of meat for more heartiness. To make it look pretty, you can garnish it with some croutons or dried breadcrumbs for some crunch, and some hot sauce for some kick.

I don't care if my food looks pretty or not. It's going in my stomach anyway.

Never tried bacon in mac n cheese. Maybe I will someday.

[XRay]

5 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

Never tried bacon in mac n cheese. Maybe I will someday.

You are missing out! In fact, you should try putting bacon in everything. Probably not in ice cream or juice, but you know what I mean.

5 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

I don't care if my food looks pretty or not. It's going in my stomach anyway.

Sexier looking foods taste better subconsciously. It also helps impressing people or at least show how much love you are putting into your dish.

Edited December 2, 2019 by XRay

[NinjaMonkey]

1 hour ago, XRay said:

You are missing out! In fact, you should try putting bacon in everything.

Especially if you want a heart attack before you reach fifty.

Edited December 2, 2019 by NinjaMonkey

[coldhand25]

Hey, thanks for all the answers (and sorry for such a late response, been busy with school and whatnot)!

On 11/28/2019 at 2:20 PM, Dragoncat said:

Shredded cheese in general never works for me. Processed cheese works better. It melts good and coats the noodles, whereas shredded cheese does not and just gross.

What I do:

Cook the macaroni in boiling water, drain the water.

Add just enough milk to cover the bottom of the pan, and some butter.

Add some Velveeta, cut into little cubes.

Mix it up while cooking it again.

Bone appetit.

On 11/28/2019 at 4:10 PM, EricaofRenais said:

Velveeta.  Just Velveeta.  It works every time I try it, while if I use cheddar I have to use milk as well and it doesn't taste as good as Velveeta.   

Sounds awesome, alas I think we don't have Velveeta here, but I should be able to find something to use instead.

On 11/28/2019 at 10:37 PM, eclipse said:

Try a recipe instead.  This may need a couple of substitutions, but I think it'll work (it's cheddarless).

Or, add bacon to it.  That should compensate for the lack of smoky depth that emmentaler has.

Mushroom sounds really nice, might as well try this one in the coming week.

On 11/29/2019 at 1:48 AM, XRay said:

Pro tip right here. Bacon makes everything better.

Got a premium cut of meat but do not know what oil to cook it in? Cook some bacon to render out that good old bacon fat, and then snack on that bacon while you cook that nice juicy meat in the bacon grease.

Need to make a roux to make a gravy, sauce, or soup? Compliment that butter-flour mix with some good old bacon grease.

Got a bland dish that also needs some salt? Cook some bacon until it is dark and crispy, then crumble it up and mix it into the dish as if the bacon is salt.

Need to keep something moist and juicy in the oven? Slap some bacon on top to cover whatever you are baking, and the bacon will slowly leak fat to moisten the stuff underneath and protect it from drying out.

Oh yes, it does make everything better! I can't even imagine my morning scrambled eggs, or my over-medium sandwiches in the afternoon without some crispy bacon! I have to try out the bacon-salt method though, it sounds awesome!

8 hours ago, NinjaMonkey said:

Especially if you want a heart attack before you reach fifty.

I mean, you are not wrong. I should've expected this answer though, but I admit, it still made me laugh harder than it was supposed to.

[eclipse]

On 12/1/2019 at 3:58 PM, NinjaMonkey said:

Especially if you want a heart attack before you reach fifty.

Do you speak from personal experience?

[NinjaMonkey]

14 hours ago, eclipse said:

Do you speak from personal experience?

I was just saying that the amount of salt and fat a person would intake as a result from eating bacon with everything, would in all likelihood significantly increase the risk of a heart attack. There's absolutely no need to be like that to me.

Edited December 3, 2019 by NinjaMonkey