Mac and cheese recipe?

@Pegeen, using sodium citrate results in a mac and cheese where the cheese used dominates the flavor. Bechamel sauce is great for some things, but it dulls the cheese flavor.The sod citrate allows you to use any cheese you want-blue,goat, cheddar, etc, and IT NEVER BREAKS!!!I think it lowers the PH, and emulsifies it so that the texture is as smooth as velveeta cheese and shells, but so much tastier, based on the quality of cheese used. The result is so much better, that I will never make mac and cheese again. I'm a culinary professional and can make bechamel w/ my eyes closed but I will only use sodium citrate going forward. It's easier and better. I live in Jupiter, Fl, there's an excellent restaurant that the NY Times has profiled called the Food Shack that makes a mac and cheese w/ chicken and roasted garlic called Indorini that is one of their most popular dishes. It took a lot of research (and spying) to figure out how they prepared it.

Hi, I asked a question about the use of evaporated milk and macaroni and cheese. I've been told it provides a rich, cheesy texture that a bit different than starting with a béchamel. Untraditional way, I've been told to make an authentic macaroni and cheese, but it was rich, creamy and delicious - and so much easier! Here's the questions and answers from the hotline post: http://food52.com/hotline/21624-evaporated-milk

Hi, Here is a twist on Mac&Cheese, not too greasy, very cheesy and a bit less calories than most of the others. https://food52.com/recipes/21122-mac-cheese-bundt

Do you grease the dish? I never do, because I find there's always plenty of butter in the recipe. It's never stuck to the casserole dish, even without the extra layer of "insurance."

Do you grease the dish? I never do, because I find there's always plenty of butter in the recipe. It's never stuck to the casserole dish, even without the extra layer of "insurance."

For a quicker stovetop mac and cheese, I use a recipe that was posted a comment on Serious Eats: whisk together 1 can evaporated milk, 1TB cornstarch slurry, & 2 eggs. Whisk and cook until the mixture thickens, then add 1lb grated cheddar cheese. Option add-ins to increase cheesy-ness: 1tsp dry mustard powder and some hot sauce (like Frank's). Add cooked macaroni, stir gently to combine. Here's the link to 'recipe', http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2011/12/gimme-some-gooey-mac-n-cheese-recipes-please.html?ref=search

It's the comment by J.Kenji Lopez-Alt (the Food Lab guy).

I don't make my mac and cheese w/ bechamel anymore, I use a pinch of sodium citrate. It's much easier and I like the flavor and texture better. modernistcuisine.com explains the method. I purchased the sodium citrate from Amazon, but I think pharmacies sell it too.

The greasiness is most likely coming from separation within your cheese sauce not necessarily the cheeses themselves. As MTMichell suggests you have to start with a good bechamel first. The starches in the flour will bond with the fats in your sauce. You don't need a lot of butter for the bechamel. Once it is uniform and creamy slowly add your cheeses.

My mom used mac-and-cheese as a way to use up whatever bits of cheese she had hanging around. She always started with a bechamel and added cheese to taste and based on what was on hand (except the pre-grated stuff - to the point above). I do the same thing now and it always turns out well (ie not greasy or oily). It's a little different every time but we like that in my house. The Martha Stewart recipe referenced above is also delicious (I've made it for company -- more reliable than the "what's in the cheese drawer" method for guests).

This is hardly a recipe, but I make mac and cheese for my kids all the time, by making a pot of elbow macaroni, draining and putting back in the pot, on the burner but with heat turned off (I have a gas range) and then adding a knob of butter, splash of milk, and grating cheese to taste. (And by that I mean a ton of cheese). I use whatever cheddar I have on hand, usually pretty good Grafton cheddar. It's not, like, ready for company in it's presentation but I honestly think the flavor and consistency of the creamy/cheesiness is much better this way than when I do it the complicated way.

I like the Martha Stewart mac and cheese recipe on the food52 site.

http://food52.com/recipes/14671-martha-stewart-s-macaroni-and-cheese

Aside from the proportions of butter/oil you are using, take a look into the types of cheese. Many pre-shredded supermarket mozzarella cheeses tend to be uber-processed and yield a very high amount of oil when melted. Shredding your own ball of mozzarella will cut down on this. The same goes for cheddar. Pre-shredded cheddar mixes from a bag will again be greasy, so consider just buying the block of sharp cheddar and taking an extra minute to shred it down yourself.