I prefer to prepare my own meals. Eating out all the time isn't healthy. I'll take that expense and apply it to a better room anyday.Your cheap ass employer ought to be forking over a few bucks for a restaurant meal.
Trader Joes Mac and Cheese
- Thread starter Red Rabbit
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ramen
Right... I forgot that little distinction where personal opinions somehow relate to the similarity between products...Ummm... Noodle's and Co. mac and cheese is not so good.
Listen, man - if you said Leinenkugel was almost as good as PBR you'd get a similar response.
Agree to disagree.Listen, man - if you said Leinenkugel was almost as good as PBR you'd get a similar response.
Try out the Mac and Cheese at Whole Food (the fresh stuff they sell at lunch time) Awesome.
6 pages of mac and cheeze? 
You people are either snobs, have waaaaay too much time on your hands or both.
It's frikkin mac N cheese fer goodnessakes! You all get this uppity about your Cap'n Crunch and your PBNJ? It's not like we're talkin steak here.
Also, many of us don't have the time or care to prepare mac N cheese from scratch. Personally I prefer to spend that time drinking beer.
You people are either snobs, have waaaaay too much time on your hands or both.
It's frikkin mac N cheese fer goodnessakes! You all get this uppity about your Cap'n Crunch and your PBNJ? It's not like we're talkin steak here.
Also, many of us don't have the time or care to prepare mac N cheese from scratch. Personally I prefer to spend that time drinking beer.
6 pages of mac and cheeze?
You people are either snobs, have waaaaay too much time on your hands or both.
It's frikkin mac N cheese fer goodnessakes! You all get this uppity about your Cap'n Crunch and your PBNJ? It's not like we're talkin steak here.
Also, many of us don't have the time or care to prepare mac N cheese from scratch. Personally I prefer to spend that time drinking mead and polishing my chainmail.
fixed
Definitely good stuff.
Annie's Shells and white cheddar. Good stuff there. New KD, easy-mac cup with the three cheese, more goodness....
My personal favorite recipe:
1 Box KD traditional
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Miracle Whip (not the light/low fat/no taste crap either)
Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste.
Not true - egg yolks add richness and prevent coagulation during baking.serves no purpose
I have to admit, one of the only convenience foods I ever eat is a box or two of Annie's mac 'n cheese every now and then. But there is no comparison to the real deal. And frozen m&c just scares me.
I see eggs used fairly often, usually in recipes that omit the roux, like this award-winning ridiculousness with 7 different cheeses from Delilah Winder:
2 pounds elbow macaroni
12 eggs
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
6 cups half-and-half, divided
4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup grated Asiago
1 cup grated Gruyere
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1 cup grated Muenster
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.
Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.
Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.
Serve hot.
I see eggs used fairly often, usually in recipes that omit the roux, like this award-winning ridiculousness with 7 different cheeses from Delilah Winder:
2 pounds elbow macaroni
12 eggs
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
6 cups half-and-half, divided
4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup grated Asiago
1 cup grated Gruyere
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1 cup grated Muenster
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.
Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.
Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.
Serve hot.
Don't be scared its good.
uh yeah ok...If you need the eggs for richness then learn how to make a proper sauce...and exactly how does eggs PREVENT coagulation?...since it's a binder and all...D
^^Oooo, Chef Smackdown.
I am not professional chef and I am clearly not a purist. But in addition to adding eggy flavor and helping create the sauce (as in carbonara :beerjam: ), I find that eggs in mac n' cheese help to add a certain airiness/lightness that makes a ridiculously cheesy and fatty version better. I've seen it done fairly often as an alternative to using a roux. As for preventing coagulation, not sure what SM meant but if you don't have a bechamel or mornay happening, the eggs will help distribute the cheese, encourage even melting, and prevent clumping.
It might not be a classic bechamel/mornay or other "proper" sauce but come on, it's mac 'n cheese. And anyway the difference in taste and texture you get with using eggs is worth checking out.
Culinary quality and health concerns be damned, I am total whitetrash about my choice in mac-n-cheese! The lower brow the better! My ultimate fav is King Kullen brand. My runner up is Stop N Shop. Annies, TJ's, and all the other glitzy brands are just an insult to my palate. If they don't require boiling the mac, adding 1/2 stick butter & 1/4 cup milk, and a packet of flouro yellow "cheese" then they aren't mac-n-cheese to me.
-ska todd
-ska todd
I hear ya, but I think this Trader Joes M&C warrants at least a taste. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Should I make a separate forum for discussing M&C related issues? Seems like a popular topic.....
rep given!
Oh I believe you that from a foodie perspective it might be all the glam, but it's like buying expensive ramen or making Beefaroni from scratch. Some foods are better off dumbed down, hell dumbed completely off the chart. If a box of mac-n-cheese costs any more than 69¢/box it might be too good. If it's more than 89¢/box it certainly is!
-ska todd
All this talk about Trader Joe's fozen mac and cheese I just had to try it. So last night I picked up a few boxes and had one for lunch today. Wow, pretty impressive. I practically licked that thing clean. Tastes better than most restaurants.
Oh, and why isn't this thread in the new mac and cheese forum? Isn't this the thread that started it all?
Oh, and why isn't this thread in the new mac and cheese forum? Isn't this the thread that started it all?
I tried this thing on my lunch break a few days ago...an hour later i had to run to the bathroom in the middle of helping a customer. Salesguys be warned, will cause failure of sale to occur.
Yea, it gives you horrible diarrhea and gas but its worth it. It is that good. What are you crazy? Do you really think all these people would like it if it had these effects? It was probably something else you ate or a bug.
Me being lactose intolerant probably helped a bit.
