The Perfect Mac and Cheese (According to My Dead Dad)
My dad (or as I and my family called him, Lala,) had a lot of experience with making mac and cheese from a box. While he had cancer, he ate a lot of mac and cheese because most foods didn’t taste good to him because of all the stuff in his body to fight the cancer. One day, when he was too tired to make it himself, he told me how he always makes it. He, quite honestly, made the best box mac and cheese (and just straight up mac and cheese- I’m not a fan of the homemade stuff 99 times out of 100) I’ve ever tasted. Nostalgia bias? Perhaps. But it’s still really good, as it had about 55 years of perfection under its belt.
The following is taken directly from the notes of my phone that I wrote that day because he told me that this is exactly how he wanted mac and cheese. I’ve made a few edits to make it easier to understand, but it’s pretty much exactly what he told me.
Recipe
You will need
- Butter
- Cream, preferably half and half (or milk, if you must)
- Box mac and cheese (KD, Annie’s, President’s Choice, whatever, etc…)
Directions
Boil some water
When the water is fully boiling add the pasta
Cook for around nine minutes - do not use a timer (i don’t remember exactly why)
Test by eating - should be a little past al dente
Pour the pasta into the strainer
Rinse any foam out of the pot
Put the pot on low heat
Put a large tablespoon of butter in the pot
Wait until the butter is mostly melted before adding the pasta back to the pot
Pour the cheese powder into the pot
Add a good splash of cream to the pot.
Stir well over heat
Add more cream as needed
Done!