Broccoli Bacon Macaroni & Cheese | Easy Mac n' Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does adding more milk to mac and cheese do? ›

Sauce too thick? Stir in a splash of milk and mix until the sauce has loosened up. (This is also a great trick for reheating mac and cheese - if you're microwaving leftovers and the sauce seems to have dried up, stir a splash of milk or half-and-half into the pasta to bring the sauce back to life!)

There are a few different ways to keep your macaroni and cheese moist, from adding a solid layer of shredded cheese on top to holding back on the cream when making your sauce.

Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

Water actually works perfectly well as a milk substitute in mac and cheese. It adds all the liquid you need, though it doesn't have the creaminess or flavor that other substitutes add. However, if you add a little pasta water, instead of plain tap water, to your cheese sauce, you might get better results.

Dry, crumbly cheeses like feta or cotija are not ideal.

To summarize, rinsing your cooked pasta would be detrimental to your final dish because that excess starch is instrumental in providing some structure and flavor to the pasta sauce that you're creating. In fact, that's the logic behind using pasta water instead of plain tap water in a pasta sauce.

Great mac n' cheese needs one or more cheeses that melt well, and one or more cheeses that bring the flavor. The best melters include monterey jack, fontina, baby swiss, asiago, provolone, mozzarella, and alpine-style. Cheeses for flavor: cheddar, havarti, smoked gouda, gorgonzola, feta and any other of your favorites.

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

How do you make mac and cheese creamy again? ›

The #1 secret to creamy reheated mac and cheese

"Stir in about 2 Tbs. of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese and reheat," he says. The milk loosens up the pasta and helps create the creamy sauce as it's reheating. Heavy cream works well in this case too and adds an extra touch of richness to the mac and cheese.

Cayenne pepper is a classic seasoning that adds warmth and enhances the flavour of the cheese.

Add 1 tablespoon of milk per cup of mac and cheese.

For baked mac and cheese, I'll generally cook the pasta for about five minutes in boiling, salted water, before I mix in the cheese sauce and bake. It will absorb all that creamy goodness and fully cook in the oven. It will never be al dente, but it definitely should not be mushy, either.

Heat it longer: If your mac and cheese is too runny due to the excess milk, you can heat it a bit longer until some of the liquid boils off and the sauce thickens up again [1]. Add flour: Another option is to add a little bit of flour to help thicken the sauce.

Unsalted Butter + All-Purpose Flour: The combination of these creates a roux, which thickens the cheese sauce. Milk: The base of the cheese sauce! I recommend using whole milk for a richer, thicker sauce, but 2% will also work. Cheese: We use a combination of American and cheddar cheeses for a classic, creamy flavor.

Milk fat is extremely important in the cheesemaking process, as the triglycerides contain 98% of the overall milk fat, and they will be broken down to free some of those fatty acid compounds which help cheese develop to its full flavor potential.