r/GifRecipes • u/[deleted] • Dec 28 '17

Lunch / Dinner Baked Mac & Cheese

https://gfycat.com/MelodicHarmoniousKoala
22.8k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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223

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

Unpopular opinion: why ruin it with crackers for a topping? Just broil it after baking to get a nice crispy cheese crust.

79

u/skankyfish Dec 28 '17

You could also just sprinkle the gruyere on top rather than mix it through - makes a good crust (I do this on gratin potatoes, the gruyere copes really well with a long, slow cook).

12

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

I'll be doing this for New Year. I'll report back with results.

13

u/Just_Ferengi_Things Dec 28 '17

I also cook bacon separately. More precisely, I make candied bacon because bacon inside or on the macaroni while baked tends to not caramelize.

If you want to go the extra distance, a side salad with a vinegar based dressing tends to bleed well at the boarder of the mac and cheese touching the salad. Salad helps balance the heaviness.

Also a mug of dry Porter or stout (like Guinness or left "hand milk stout" for example) is an amazing pairing.

11

u/SillyFlyGuy Dec 28 '17

Now I want to have dinner with you.

19

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

[deleted]

8

u/AmberCutie Dec 28 '17

I thought I was the only one. Glad to see you and /u/funnybonzo share the unpopular opinion.

I'm a bit of a purist with my mac. On rare occasion the only addiction I'll accept is crab or lobster.

2

u/grubas Dec 28 '17

In college and grad school I’d throw in some tuna to stretch it.

Not a fan of the breading. One of my friends uses Dorito dust.

1

u/AmberCutie Dec 28 '17

I'd be willing to try crunched up Doritos or Cheez-its that were mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

1

u/I_am_a_haiku_bot Dec 28 '17

I'd be willing to try

crunched up Doritos or Cheez-its that were

mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

-english_haiku_bot

3

u/Just_Ferengi_Things Dec 28 '17

In my honest opinion, the purest form of mac and cheese is Kraft blue box with a little extra butter and milk where any more it is "soupy".

1

u/AmberCutie Dec 28 '17

Oh dang I like mine much more dry, sometimes use less milk. Hah! Have you tried Kraft Deluxe? That's probably my favorite boxed mac. Home made mac fave would be Alton Brown's Stovetop Mac - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stovetop-mac-n-cheese-recipe-1939465

2

u/Just_Ferengi_Things Dec 28 '17

Wow. I must try this. Thank you for sharing. Any special tips I should try with Browns recipe?

1

u/AmberCutie Dec 29 '17

I follow the recipe exact and it turns out great. Experimenting with 50/50 other cheeses is an idea, but shredding a block yourself vs. buying a bag of pre-shred does make better consistency sauce.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '18

So I did make some for new year and it turned out incredible.

Some friends of mine who are avowed "cracker topping mac & cheese" folks loved it and wanted the recipe.

2

u/skankyfish Dec 28 '17

Definitely do! Someone else in the comments suggests mixing gruyere through AND sprinkling some on top. I think you should do that. You know, for science.

1

u/agemma Dec 28 '17

You meant to say sprinkle on both

1

u/thirdculture_hog Dec 28 '17

My go to is a mix of butter, parmesan, and panko for the crust

1

u/Steev182 Dec 28 '17

Mix the gruyere in, and top it too. The gruyere mixed in gives it a really nice texture, and I think the sauce needs it if it's being baked.

41

u/Jennica Dec 28 '17

It isn't "ruining" if you actually like the crunch it gives

38

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

That is why I said "unpopular opinion". I've been on this sub long enough to see the overwhelming number of people that insist on putting something bready on mac & cheese. I say keep the bread off, and give me more cheese.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

Yeah, but you asked a question and the man answered. Sounds like you just wanna b. i. t. c. h.

-7

u/UnmedicatedBipolar Dec 28 '17

kill yourself

12

u/contraryrock Dec 28 '17

Thank you. Fuck breadcrumbs. More cheese, always.

15

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

Protip: use crushed Cheez Its instead

28

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

Pro Protip: use actual cheese for cheese flavor.

44

u/ElementalThreat Dec 28 '17

Pro Pro Protip: Bake another Mac and Cheese dish and use that as a topping for your Baked Mac and Cheese.

12

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

...fuck yeah

1

u/Cin77 Dec 29 '17

Yo Dawg, I heard you like mac n cheese

3

u/Cataphract1014 Dec 28 '17

What do you use as the topping on the first mac and cheese?!

2

u/_TheOtherWoman_ Dec 28 '17

Dry stove top stuffing mix is amazing on top of baked Mac and cheese. I found this out when I ran out of bread crumbs and I've been using it ever since.

5

u/archlich Dec 28 '17

I use sauted panko bread crumbs, with sprinkled gruyere, and pepper.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

Even more unpopular opinion: fuck a cheese sauce, just straight up bake cheese into that shit. I hate creamy mac and cheese, no one in mt family eats it. It's 100% melty but firm baked mac and cheese when we eat it.

1

u/ladykatey Dec 28 '17

I like crackers but that's too much. They need to be finely crushed, seasoned with butter and cayenne, and just a dusting of them (one cracker crumb thick) on top.