Two winning recipes – from Cooks Illustrated and Alton Brown are nearly identical except for the amount of evaporated milk. Or, for instant gratification, crumbled crackers.
Top with toasted buttered breadcrumbs or Panko if you like a bit of crunch. The Cooks Illustrated version has more sauce (here still hot and a bit soupy).Įither way, a double batch fits nicely in a 9″x13″ baking dish for serving. The sauce will be thin and soupy at first. Wait for the mixture to get hot, then turn off heat and add cheese. Melt a knob of butter in the hot drained macaroni.Īdd the milk/egg mixture and stir over low heat. I always want to add a dash of cayenne or hot pepper sauce, but for the kids I usually leave it out. Dry mustard brings out the tanginess of the cheese, but be sure to dissolve it in a bit of water before adding to the mix. While you boil water and cook the macaroni (remember to salt the cooking water and don’t overcook the macaroni) mix the evaporated milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Fortunately a double batch is no more work than one. But make extra, as I find creamy macaroni and cheese attracts adults as much as kids, no matter what else is being served. This is a great kid-friendly option for Easter dinner, where the traditional ham or lamb options may not appeal to young ones. I prefer the extra gooeyness of Cook’s Illustrated’s version, but for those who prefer less cheese sauce, the Alton Brown version is a good variation. This approach is faster, easier and simpler.Īlton Brown’s macaroni and cheese is almost identical to Cooks Illustrated’s, with half the milk for a drier texture. A roux can help stabilize the cheese as well as thicken the sauce, but if not cooked properly it can leave a floury taste. Heating cheese can be dicey – it can get grainy, stringy or oily – which is why processed cheeses like American cheese and Velveeta exist. The genius of the Cooks Illustrated recipe is using evaporated milk, with 60% less water than regular milk, instead of a flour-butter roux for thickness. Don’t panic that the sauce looks soupy let it cool a few minutes and watch it turn deliciously thick. Rush the cheese with heat and it gets grainy, but stir it gently without flame and it melts smoothly on its own.
When the macaroni is ready, pour it together and stir. While you wait for the water to boil, grate a pile of cheese and mix a can of evaporated milk with a couple of eggs.
#Baked creamy mac and cheese with evaporated milk series#
Cooks Illustrated ended my disappointing series of dry baked macaroni efforts when it published years ago a blessedly simple recipe for super-creamy macaroni and cheese made in minutes on the stovetop.īoxed macaroni and cheese is convenient, but this recipe comes close on time and wins by a landslide on taste.
It’s not hard to make a cheesy macaroni and cheese, but making a creamy one is trickier.
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