I have two young children (3 and 4.5), who both love Kraft Macaroni And Cheese, or similar variants. As a child, I also loved it, and between the two I've made a few hundred batches, at least.
However, I don't know that I have found the optimal method for making the sauce at the end, despite all of that practice. I've at different times thought that each of the following was correct:
- Add the milk, then the powder, combine, then add softened butter
- Add the butter, mix thoroughly until melted, then the poweder, combine, then the milk
- Add some milk, then the powder, then some more milk, then some more milk, then softened or melted butter
- Remove the macaroni, just add butter to the warm pan (but not on the burner) until melted, add the powder, combine thoroughly, then the milk, then the macaroni (This is the "Annie's" box method)
Yet, I don't think ultimately it's ever really made a significant difference. You always end up with a sauce that's so-so at first, a bit grainy and liquidy, and only after it's sat for a while (10-15 minutes) does it end up perfect – which for a 3 or 4 year old is eternity when faced with their favorite dish.
Is there an optimal way to make Macaroni and Cheese box mix? If the ingredients need to be altered slightly, I'm fine with that, though it needs to stay close still to the original – no adding significant amounts of cheese or Velveeta.
Best Answer
The 4th version you gave is optimal from a chemistry standpoint; the process of using heat to melt a soft fat and dissolve a powder into a liquid by stirring is going to be at it's most efficient when the ingredients can fully interact with each other without all that pasta in the way.
It seems the main issue at hand here is the 10-15 minute wait for perfection that you mentioned. The thickening agents in the cheese powder need a few minutes to do their molecular bonding magic, and there's nothing we can do to speed that up. All 4 methods you mentioned are going to force this wait for creamy goodness because you aren't starting the sauce until after the macaroni is done.
While I don't have impatient kids to cook for, I do have an occasionally 'hangry' wife so I understand the value of efficiency here. What I would highly reccomend you try (and the method I use at home) for Kraft mac & cheese is basically the 4th one in your question, but instead of waiting until the macaroni is done and using the same pan for the sauce, just grab a second pan and prepare the sauce while the macaroni is cooking.
Put the second pan over med-low heat and throw in your butter (hard or soft, doesn't matter). After the butter has melted, add the cheese powder and stir until it's mostly wet clumps instead of dry powder. Then add your milk and stir everything together until the powder is dissolved. Just keep an eye on it and occasionally stir while the macaroni finishes cooking. You'll definitely notice it thickening up after a few minutes. When the macaroni is done, drain it and return it to the pot like normal, and stir in your sauce; by this time it should be the perfect consistency or very close. Voila, mac & cheese "aged to perfection" without actually having to wait.