Cooking Techniques

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

kjosc — Sat, 05 May 2007 12:41:46 GMT

Hi!! Hmmm - try this method. Works for us quite well. Instead of using pre-shredded cheese, use block cheese, cutting it yourself. Generally on sale they're about $1.50 for 8 ounce block, so much cheaper than pre-shred. I've always found pre-shred to be dry, even fresh from package.

Combine the milk/cheese in a bowl and heat in microwave until cheese begins to melt (3-4 minutes, depending on your brand microwave). Proceed with recipe directions.

My husband likes macaroni/cheese that's a little lumpy with cheese (LOL - he finally told me this after 32 yrs. marriage).

Good luck, and congratulations!!

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

MissEllie — Fri, 04 May 2007 16:51:06 GMT

I've found (through not-so-good experiences) that the pre-shredded cheese has some anti-caking agents in it that affect the way it melts. The best luck I've had is buying blocks of cheese and shredding them myself.

I usually add more cheese than a recipe calls for when making M&C, purely because I'm a cheese junkie. LOL

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

char3bc — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:28:50 GMT

I don't know what type of cheese was in that bag, but there is a big difference between sharp cheddar and just the regular. The regular won't give you much taste.

I have never made a homemade mac and cheese that my kids would eat. For them, it must come from a box.

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

deedal_ON — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:35:51 GMT

You might like to try this recipe; it's very creamy; I make it a lot. It freezes well but, as it cools, the macaroni absorbs a lot of the liquid so you have to add a bit of milk when you reheat.

CHEESY MACARONI & CHEESE
Adapted from: posting by dowie, 3/3/2005

2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 can undiluted Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup
2 cups milk
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided into 2 separate cups
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp Creole/Cajun spice
¼ tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp Spanish paprika
1/8 tsp Hungarian paprika

Preheat oven to 375º.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water with 2 smashed cloves garlic. Drain
Mix together all the other ingredients except 1 cup of the grated cheddar cheese.
Mix cooked, drained, macaroni into this mixture.
Pour into a lightly buttered casserole dish.
Sprinkle evenly with remaining cup of cheddar cheese.
Sprinkle lightly with Cajun Spice (for color)
Bake, lightly covered, at 375º until bubbling – 20 to 30 minutes
Freezes well; thaw and reheat in microwave
Makes 5 – 6 servings

One roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped adds color and a bit more flavor

OR: Pour mixture into lightly buttered individual casserole dishes.

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

StrugglingChef — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:21:32 GMT

Wow! What a great suggestion. I used the generic "Kroger" brand cheese for all of the cheeses in the recipe except the Muenster. I reheated some today for lunch, and was disappointed again. It tasted more like macaroni and butter - very little cheese flavor. I will give it a try. Thanks so much for the tip!

RE: Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

MOMTLJK — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:55:22 GMT

Hello! I haven't tried the recipe you've mentioned,but i think its possible the reason your cheese was clumpy could've been the brand of cheese itself.A lot of the cheap brands will not melt smooth and creamy. I use Kraft cheese in my mac n cheeses recipes,after having that problem.It always works well.

Contest Winning Recipe - TROUBLE!

StrugglingChef — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:44:44 GMT

Hi, all!

I am fairly newly married, and am somewhat new to the cooking scene. I decided to make the Over the Top Macaroni and Cheese (posted in the Contest Winning Recipes). I wish I could contact the person who made it. The sauce was creamy enough after I melted the ingredients together on the stovetop. I then mixed in the macaroni, and added to a casserole dish to bake in the oven for the suggested time. Well, the recipe was alright, but it didn't turn out great. For some reason, the cheese cooked a little clumpy as opposed to creamy. I expected the top to be brown and crunchy, but the inside was a little dry. The cheese taste wasn't quite as strong as I would like. Any ideas? Any experience with this recipe? I followed it pretty closely - only thing I did differently was I used a bag of mixed cheese. It was a bag I bought of mild cheddar and monterey jack. The recipe called for 1/2 cup each, and I did 1 cup of the mixed bag. Wonder if this would make a difference?