Ina Garten's Ratio Rule For A Gooey Mac And Cheese

When it comes to amazing mac and cheese recipes, it's all about the cheese. This comfort food is meant be creamy, cheesy, and satiating. That's why if you are going to make your favorite recipe, you should consider adopting Ina Garten's cheese-to-noodle ratio. The Barefoot Contessa's go-to recipe calls for 6 cups of cheese for every 1 pound of pasta. Following this simple proportion rule is not only how you make perfect mac and cheese, but it will give you the cheesiest, gooeyest forkful of pasta you can imagine.

In a Food Network episode of "Barefoot Contessa" from years past, Garten explains, "To make real mac and cheese, as opposed to the stuff in the box, the first thing I'm going to do is make a béchamel sauce, which is really just a fancy word for 'white sauce." To do this, she recommends using a combination of Gruyere and cheddar. Gruyere is rich, nutty, and velvety smooth when it melts, while cheddar is sharp and savory. Together, they form a balance that your taste buds appreciate. 

As convenient as those pre-shredded packs of cheese can be, Ina Garten urges home cooks to use a food processor or grate their cheese with a good old-fashioned box grater. A food processor will definitely do the job quicker than grating it by hand. Those anti-caking agents used in pre-packaged cheese to prevent it from becoming one big clump also inhibit its melting. These powdery substances will also make your bechamel sauce a little gritty in the mouth. But whatever you do, don't wash pre-packaged shredded cheese because it is a waste of time. It won't remove anything.

Because 6 cups of cheese will make a lot of cheesy sauce, your pasta choice is also important. You want a noodle that will allow the cheese to cling to it. For this reason, skip the spaghetti and fettuccine, and instead opt for elbows, shells, rigatoni, or fusilli. These shorter cuts will cradle the cheese so you get plenty of it with each bite.