I Tried Ina Garten’s Famous Mac and Cheese Recipe (& Here’s What I Thought) (2024)

FAQs

Why is mac and cheese bad? ›

Are mac and cheese healthy, yes or no? Unfortunately, traditional mac and cheese tends to be unhealthy because it contains high amounts of saturated fats and sodium from butter, cheese, and milk. Additionally, it is calorie-dense and not ideal for those trying to lose weight.

Ina's Famous Mac & Cheese

Upon arrival, store in the refrigerator or freezer. Mac & Cheese lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Yep, Nutmeg! I know it may seem odd to add nutmeg to a cheese sauce. But, it brings out the nuttiness of the cheeses and gives the sauce that extra hint of deliciousness. Nutmeg is traditionally added to a “Béchamel sauce” (or white sauce), which consists of butter, flour, and milk.

Potentially harmful chemicals called phthalates have been banned from children's teething rings and rubber duck toys for over a decade, but have been found in high concentrations in macaroni and cheese mixes using powdered cheese.

1. It takes two cheeses to tango with mac. For really great macaroni and cheese, you need a cheese that melts well and a cheese that packs a punch. A few cheeses do both (that's a shout out to you, cheddar, emmentaler, and your other alpine-style, fondue favorites).

Cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Fontina, and Gouda cheese are good options.

For a mac and cheese recipe, consider the combination of sharper cheddar cheeses and a flavorful Parmesan. This cheese adds a boost of fruity, nutty notes to your favorite macaroni recipes. Parmesan is also ideal for grating on top of mac and cheese before you bake it to add golden color.

Macaroni absorbs moisture from the sauce as it freezes and thaws, so the best recipes for freezing are those that start with a big pot of creamy, cheesy sauce. If using a baked mac and cheese recipe, freeze the prepared (unbaked) mac and cheese, then bake once thawed and ready to serve.

What's the best way to freeze homemade macaroni and cheese? ›

To freeze, transfer the macaroni and cheese to a buttered 9-by-13-inch freezer-to-oven baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Bake, frozen and covered with foil, at 350°F, for 1 hour.

You have two options to prep mac and cheese for the freezer. You can bake the pasta dish first and let it cool completely before covering it and then storing it in the freezer. You can also prepare all the ingredients ahead of time, and place them in an oven-safe dish without baking.

If your mac and cheese tastes bland, it's either because it's under-seasoned, you didn't use flavorful cheese, or you didn't use enough cheese. Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it.

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

Our answer. Nigella's Sweet Potato Macaroni Cheese (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) has pasta and a cheese sauce that is bolstered with earthy cooked sweet potatoes. Mustard is added to the sauce to give it a little extra piquancy and to cut through some of the richness.

Obviously, mac-and-cheese isn't poisonous on its own, but the yellow food colorings #5 and #6 have been shown to cause hypersensitivity in children, which is why the countries of Finland, Norway, and Australia have banned manufactures from using artificial food coloring.

The small intestine then absorbs the nutrients from the food before passing it onto the colon. However, the high amounts of fat and lactose in mac and cheese can slow down this process and cause digestive discomfort such as bloating, gas, and indigestion.

No. Traditional mac is high in saturated fats and sodium due to the amount of butter, cheese and milk it contains, which makes it a relatively unhealthy dish. This means it is also likely to be very calorific as fats are calorie dense, so it is not great for a weight loss diet either.