With the changing of the seasons the doors open for a whole new world of baked goods. At the tippy top of my list is macaroni and cheese. Ooey, gooey, macaroni and cheese. It's probably on your list too, but did you know you could make it in half the time? Here's a little trick...
While reading a recipe over at Macaroni and Cheesecake I stumbled upon this interesting trick to making your favorite cheesy pasta dish.
Instead of boiling your noodles and making a separate sauce, then combining the two, why not simmer your noodles in the milk mixture before adding the cheese? Sure you'd have to watch the heat to make sure it didn't scald and it would create a slightly thicker sauce (from the starch usually drained off with the pasta water), but for those in a hurry, this might be a great way to make mac and cheese in a single pot without any extra hassle.
It also might be a great way to get more seasonings besides salt into your pasta; you could add everything from pepper and mustard with your milk before tossing in the cheese to give things a little extra dimension.
• Read more: Revolutionary Mac and Cheese at Macaroni and Cheesecake
Are you on board with the suggestion or will you be sticking to your tried and tested ways?
Related: Mac and Cheese and More: 10 Cheesy Dinners
(Image: Flickr member The Hungry Dudes licensed for use by Commercial Commons)
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Interesting idea! Did you actually try it? I might give it a whirl. I recently made mac and cheese in the crockpot and it was heavenly. Another way to save time (and dishes :)
http://www.twobedroomsandababy.com/2011/08/crockpot-macaroni-and-cheese-with.html
Why not just boil the noodles while you make the sauce and they are both done at the same time and you have mac and cheese. Having to stand there and watch the sauce doesn't scald is more hassle.
I don't see how this cuts the time in half...
Just as Jeepyj said, they don't have to be done separately from each other.
Er, separately in time I mean.
MamaGigi - That mac and cheese recipe looks amazing (and I have a new slow cooker). I'll add that to the list of things to try in it.
This clearly sounds from the description like it wasn't tested out.
When I make mac and cheese I use a pound of pasta and make a casserole dish worth. I don't use enough milk to cover that much pasta (doubt anyone does!) so in no way is this realistic.
Besides, I didn't realize mac and cheese was such a time consuming meal to create. Its boil noodles, make sauce while you boil noodles. Bake or not. Done.
I agree with Gary - I think it's more like "half the dirty dishes" rather than "half the time." I'm always for minimizing the amount of cleaning by reducing the number of bowls/pots/etc. used, but on the other hand, a pot used to cook pasta is perhaps the easiest, fastest thing to clean.
I think you'll find, if you do this, that the pasta takes at least twice as long to cook. This is definitely not a time-saver.
I've done this before with great results: http://thymeandreason.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/simple-stove-top-mac-and-cheese/
My favorite mac 'n cheese recipe requires no boiling of the noodles, and it's baked in the oven. Comes out with a pretty firm texture, and it's super-cheesy, with a nice crunch on top. So. Good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/dining/041wrex.html
To cover the noodles well enough, I'd think you'd have to add in a lot of cheese to make it the consistency of a cheese sauce. Plus that uses a lot of milk, which is way more expensive than water! I think someone has probably already thought of this and has done it. If it worked, I'm sure everyone in America would be making it like that right now.
Concur. This is not a good tip. Sorry.
Seriously. Try it first and then tell us about it.
Hum, agreed. You waste the gallon of milk and then tell us how it worked....
I have use a variation from a Patricia Wells cookbook and has you cook the pasta in milk for "tenderness" but it doesn't proport to save time. But I've never been willing to waste that much milk for "tenderness."
I tried it once and it was semi-disasterous - al dente noodles, scalding milk, etc... Just messy and not one of the better Mac and cheeses I've made.
I probably do use that much milk in my mac and cheese, but I also make the kind of mac that could give you a heart attack just from looking at it.
Darn fine mac & cheese, though. :D
Agreed. This didn't save time. Took too long/was a pain. I like Alton Brown's Stovetop Mac and Cheese. Easy and VERY good:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe/index.html
No need for evaporated milk; whole or even 2% work just fine.
I think mac'n'cheese is one of those thing where I don't care if it takes that long, it's worth the wait!
kitchen test or it didn't happen...er, I mean, why would you recommend this without trying it first?
as someone else astutely pointed out, if you boil your pasta at the same time as you're getting the sauce together what time is saved?
Don't knock it unless you've tried it. I've been cooking pasta in milk for over 10 years and it is incredibly delicious. The milk becomes its own cheese and imparts a sweetness that can be complemented with a sharp cheddar or some Parmesan. You can also add spices to the milk to infuse even more flavour. My favourite is lemon pepper.
Making and eating macaroni and cheese from scratch is not something I connect with doing in a hurry. It just doesn't compute. Homemade macaroni and cheese is something for snow days, or 'turn off the phone after a crummy week' Friday nights. The whole process it soothing to me. Especially since I developed the knack for making non-grainy white sauce.
i guess no one ever taught me how to make mac n' cheese, but i've never made a seperate sauce. vegan or otherwise. and it always turns out awesome. try it!
Why wouldn't you just boil the pasta on another burner while you make the cheese sauce?
I've done this before, not for mac n' cheese, but for a different pasta dish. The noodles get way too mushy.