Best macaroni cheese recipe?

[goldfinchonthelawn]

I really want to make a good mac and cheese. Most people seem to create these lovely glossy silky sauces. When I do it, I spend ages making a perfect roux, adding cheese and subtle flavours, then I put it in the oven to brown off and it comes out dry with the sauce almost grainy. How do I get it to keep that silky texture?

For 4-6 servings, what proportion of sauce to pasta would you use? If I follow recipes, there never seems to be enough sauce.

I don’t know how I got here but I now cook the macaroni on the hob in milk (or a mix of milk and water) adding a tsp of Dijon mustard to taste then stirring in cheese & seasoning at the end. Finish under the grill.

I don’t oven bake it because I imagine it would dry out, cook on the hob then get a crisp top under the grill.

Placemarking

I don’t have a recipe as such though, usually a roux plus a mix whatever cheeses we have, breadcrumbs on top. If you asked my American raised DD though, she’d say Kraft for the nostalgia factor!

smittenkitchen.com/2018/02/quick-essential-stovetop-mac-and-cheese/ this doesn't go under oven or grill but my god is it good. But for me the best part of mac and cheese is creamy sauce on chewy pasta - the crispy bits I could do without. Definitely use macaroni. Other pasta shapes don't have enough bite to them.

i hope someone comes up with a definitive recipe as mine always ends up a pile of stodge too. I quite like it tbh but nobody else does.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-macaroni-cheese-recipe/ although I don't bother with the baguette on top

This one when I need to change things up a bit www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/southern-style-mac-n-cheese

How I make mine

Fresh pasta boiled in salted water
Make a roux
Add half a tub of marscapone (or however it's spelt)
A shit tonne of sharp cheddar
A shit tonne of grated mozzarella
Paprika
A small amount of truffle oil
A handful of whatever cheese on top (Red Leicester is nice & mozzarella)
Some fresh parsley
Crumble up some crisps (any really) doritos, cheese an onion or whatever and spread on top.
GRILL - don't oven bake as it dries out. 10 minutes.

Perfect every time.

Not so perfect on the Calorie side of things but who wants healthy max & cheese!

I use creme fraiche for the sauce. It's much nicer imo.

And easier.

Delia every time. You can leave out the leeks/bacon if you want.

I use macaroni pasta, use cornflour for the roux rather than flour, a dollop of Dijon in the sauce and lots of cheese. Also make more sauce than I think I need. Brown under the grill. My family also like it with diced onion and bacon through it, and then sliced salad tomatoes on top with the cheese sprinkled over them before going under the grill.

Definitely not the healthiest but no fail, Bisto cheese sauce make double the amount suggested on the tub with semi skimmed milk & also grate some cheddar into it. Mix through your cooked macaroni & sprinkle plenty of cheddar cheese on the top & bung it under the grill for 5 minutes or so.

I use the BBC best ever recipe linked above. I use breadcrumbs on the top rather than baguette. I also add garlic and lardons.

But I've pretty much followed that BBC recipe before and come out with dried up stodge. I am looking for a recipe that oozes silky sauce. I even tried doubling the amount of sauce last time. It helped a bit but only a bit.

I am definitely going to take the advice to finish under grill not in the oven.
And I fancy trying @SirChenjins suggestion of cornflour not flour. Whenever I use cornflour things seem to go well.
And I will make extra sauce and add more cheese.

Thank you all.

Update to say it was a massive improvement on my usual.

I used cornflour not real flour - so no faff making a roux. Way more cheese than usual and grilled it instead of baking to finish off.

Really happy with it. Thank you all for your advice.

Thanks for this thread OP, I have the same issue! It sounds like it’s the oven time that’s been causing the drying out problem- will ditch and swap to grill only.

Perfect, glad it worked out!

www.recipetineats.com/baked-mac-and-cheese/

This one, hands down.
I always use gruyere as suggested, makes a difference.

www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Southern-Style-Macaroni-and-Cheese/
i've got this one saved for a reason.

Place marking

I cheat. To serve 2 I use half a tub of philadelphia cheese and a generous splash of milk - about a small teacup worth. Warm in a pan. Add a big pile of grated mature or extra mature cheddar and stir til the cheese melts and it's smooth.

Don't let it get too hot, and definitely don't boil it. Slow melt all the way!

I then stir in my fresh pasta until it's all well-coated, and transfer it to an ovenproof dish. My topping is ready-sliced mozzarella (pizza type not fresh) and another handful of cheddar. Bake in a hot oven (at least 180°) for about 10-15 mins til the cheese melts and is golden but not too brown.

For a more substantial and balanced meal I add finely chopped onion and peppers, frozen sweetcorn and thinly sliced Herta (or similar) hot dog sausages.

Loads of extra mature Cheddar in the sauce, good dollop of English mustard, extra cheese and breadcrumbs on top, whack under the grill to brown.