Sure, chefs whip up elegant dishes like dry-aged Wagyu beef with trumpet mushrooms or caviar-topped blini at their restaurants. But when some of the country’s best culinary pros clock out, they’re not too proud to admit that they bust open a box of macaroni and cheese. In fact, Ian Boden, owner and executive chef of Maude & the Bear, tells us that occasionally, “mac and cheese is an after-work dinner for me.”
For many of the other chefs we spoke to, their affinity for the blue box started early. “As a kid, boxed mac was my weekly victory dinner, eaten with a wooden spoon the size of a canoe paddle,” jokes celebrity chef George Duran. “If there were peas nearby, they ‘accidentally’ fell in. That was my first lesson in vegetable by stealth. Thanks, mom!”
These days, Duran and his kids still eat boxed mac and cheese regularly, similar to Audrey Plant, co-founder of Winn Winn Café. Plant snags a box whenever it’s on sale—”probably once a month. It’s an easy side dish that reminds me of my days savoring Easy Mac while watching the Disney Channel. Peak childhood!”
Recipe developers Lindsey Baruch and Jamie Milne say that boxed macaroni and cheese was one of the first things they both learned to cook as kids. Baruch reminisces about how she often made a batch for her younger sister and brother, and the simple saucy pasta “still brings back special, nostalgic memories to me to this day,” Baruch explains.
It’s clear that these culinary experts have put in the reps with this beloved semi-homemade staple, so we asked them to spill their tips for how to make boxed macaroni and cheese (and how to avoid three of the most common mistakes).
Our Panel of Macaroni and Cheese-Savvy Chefs
- Lindsey Baruch, content creator and recipe developer of Lindsey Eats in Los Angeles
- Ian Boden, owner and executive chef of Maude & the Bear in Staunton, Va.
- George Duran, celebrity chef and TV host based in New York
- Jamie Milne, a recipe developer, content creator, and author of “Everything Delish” who splits her time between Toronto and New York City
- Brian Mooney, owner and executive chef of Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen in Hoover, Ala.
- Audrey Plant, co-founder of Winn Winn Café in Columbus, Ohio
The Biggest Boxed Mac and Cheese Mistakes To Avoid
Before we dive into the method for your best batch of boxed macaroni and cheese yet, we asked the chefs to dish on the potential pitfalls so we can steer clear.
- Forgetting to salt the pasta water. Sure, the cheese powder (or sauce) contains a good amount of salt. But “you will add significantly more flavor to your mac and cheese by salting your pasta water before cooking the pasta in it,” Baruch says. By salting the water, you’re able to “season the noodles from the inside out,” Plant notes.
- Overcooking the noodles. Boiling the noodles too long “makes them mushy and mealy,” Plant adds. Instead of following the box instructions to the letter, “always cook to the lowest time suggested on the box. For example, if it says 10 to 12 minutes, pull them at 10,” Plant recommends. Or even pull them a minute or two prior to that, “since the noodles will continue to cook a bit more as you mix them with the cheese and milk to finish the dish,” Baruch tells us.
- Adding cold milk to the cheese mixture. “Temperature control is paramount with mac and cheese,” Duran says. This is true regarding the pasta and the sauce, he and Plant agree. “Dumping the cheese powder straight into cold milk or onto the pasta leads to lumps. No one wants dry clumpy boxed mac and cheese,” Plant admits. For the smoothest sauce, “warm your milk—or milk plus reserved pasta water—over low heat, then whisk the cheese powder in until it is completely dissolved and smooth. Only then fold in the pasta,” Plant says. If there’s a slight delay between when you finish the recipe and the time you plan to eat it, keep in mind that it’s normal for the macaroni and cheese to solidify a bit as it cools. To counteract this, Duran recommends that we “re-hydrate it with more milk right before serving so the consistency is perfect.”
The Best Way To Cook Boxed Mac and Cheese, According to Chefs
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All six chefs we consulted agree with Boden, who says, “stovetop is the only way.” That’s because “the flavors combine well and it cooks more evenly than in the microwave,” adds Brian Mooney, owner and executive chef of Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen. In a skillet or a saucepan, stovetop mac and cheese “is easy to control and the cooking time isn’t wild,” Plant says.
In fact, it takes just a few minutes longer than microwave mac—and the creamy, flavor-packed results speak (okay, taste) for themselves. Here’s how to make boxed macaroni and cheese like a chef:
Directions
- Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Season the water with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Once boiling, stir in the pasta. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, just until al dente. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Do not rinse. Dump the noodles into a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter so the pasta is coated and glossy.
- In the same saucepan over low heat, combine the reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup whole milk. Whisk in the cheese packet until the sauce is smooth.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and fold in the pasta until it is well coated. If the sauce seems too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thin, turn the heat on to low and simmer the macaroni and cheese a bit longer. Finish with coarse black pepper, if desired, and serve warm.
More Chef-Approved Tips for Boxed Mac and Cheese
This technique for how to cook boxed mac and cheese stays very true to the package instructions—just with a few subtle chef upgrades for better texture and flavor. However, if you’d like to stray even more from the brand’s steps, here are a few pro-recommended ways to give your boxed macaroni and cheese an easy gourmet upgrade:
- Cook the pasta in bone broth instead of salted water. (Milne says, “This is such an easy way to sneak in more protein for my son—and me!—and it seriously takes the flavor up a notch!”)
- Brown the butter before tossing it with the pasta for a subtle nutty note.
- Add a few dashes of hot sauce or a spoonful of chili crisp (Duran and his oldest son dig Fly by Jing.) for a pleasant amount of kick and some bonus brightness.
- Use half-and-half or heavy cream instead of whole milk for rich, luscious results.
- Sprinkle in a pinch of nutmeg to the cheese sauce to offer a warm, slightly sweet undertone.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon of fish sauce to the cheese sauce for additional umami.
- Fold in a small handful of freshly-grated Parmesan, Gouda, or Cheddar cheese to amp up the cheesy flavor and make the consistency creamier.
- Brown 1/3 cup toasted breadcrumbs in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Stir in dried herbs if you like, then shower some on top of each bowl for a crunchy topping.
- Transfer the finished macaroni and cheese to a baking dish and top with extra freshly-grated cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and golden, for an ultra-easy baked mac, Milne recommends.
