For The Best Box Mac And Cheese Results, Oversalt Your Water
Who doesn't love the comfort and taste of hot buttery noodles, milk, and melted cheese? While you can sometimes carve out an extra hour in your evening to make your family's age-old baked mac and cheese recipe, there are times a box of your favorite pantry variety satisfies that nagging craving. According to Statista, in 2020, roughly 23 million Americans claimed to devour at least one or two packages of Kraft boxed mac and cheese each month.
Even though packaged mac and cheese was birthed out of a need for convenience and also a way to give consumers an affordable, yet delicious, dinner option in the midst of the Great Depression, powdery orange cheese and whimsically shaped noodles still remain a favorite meal for many Americans. Over time, this pantry staple has transformed into a sort of indulgence for many foodies, not to mention many of us can make it in our sleep given the easy-to-follow directions. There aren't many meals that provide the same level of reliability that comes with sitting down to a hot bowl of boxed macaroni and cheese. How psyched would you be to discover that the easiest way to upgrade this beloved staple was simply more salt? Interestingly enough, extra salt in your pasta water may make for a tastier box of this processed American classic.
Why dousing your pasta water with extra salt is so important
For the most part, you know what you're getting into when you prepare another box of macaroni and cheese. You need to cook the noodles, make a slurry with that signature powdered cheese, mix well, and enjoy. Simple enough, right? Yet, there may be times you wish your favorite variety had a little more oomph in the flavor department. You might have not known that it's critically important to salt your pasta water to enhance the development of flavors in your overall meal. Salting (or over-salting) cooking water ensures your noodles will impart a delightfully seasoned taste from the beginning. As you add the remaining ingredients to your boxed mac and cheese, the mixture of salted pasta and cheesy sauce will develop into a perfectly seasoned dish. In regard to measurements, while America's Test Kitchen recommends using just one tablespoon for every gallon of boiling pasta water, Bon Appétit recommends adding one full tablespoon for just six cups of water to give your boxed mac and cheese a noticeable upgrade.
Smithsonian Magazine suggests you may not want to drain all of the pasta water after your noodles are finished cooking. A little extra liquid in your final dish can actually help sauce (milk-based cheese sauce in this case) stick to noodles more thoroughly. Apart from properly seasoning your pasta water, what else can you do to upgrade your favorite brand of boxed macaroni and cheese?
Creative ways to upgrade boxed mac and cheese
There are many ways to upgrade a standard box of beloved mac and cheese. Pasta water isn't the only element of this American staple worth a few extra shakes of seasoning. Beyond salting pasta water, The Pioneer Woman adds warm spices like paprika, dried mustard, and cayenne pepper to their homemade version of mac and cheese. Why not try adding your own variation of spices to your favorite boxed variety? Ree Drummond also has a Tex-Mex-inspired recipe that features poblano peppers and shredded pepper jack cheese, which can also be adapted to a boxed version of mac and cheese.
While you can always crack a raw egg into boxed mac and cheese for an effortless upgrade, you may be looking for more simplified ways to level up this convenient meal. Adding extra cheesecan amplify the overall flavor of the dish if you sprinkle a variety on top other than American cheese, like sharp cheddar. You can also try browning butter before making the powdered cheese sauce: browned butter imparts a distinct nuttiness to dishes, which will cause the overall flavor of your boxed mac and cheese to become more complex. Whichever option you choose, just be sure to add enough salt to your pasta water. Even with no other additions, perfectly seasoned noodles are a must for shelf-stable mac and cheese.