How to Make Perfect Mac & Cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese rich and creamy on the inside with that crunchy breadcrumb topping .

It might just be the most perfect comfort food ever invented .

Ready while boiling the pasta for the macaroni and cheese .

Go ahead and toast the bread crumbs that are gonna go on top .

So I'm gonna melt two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over like medium heat .

You don't want it to brown .

Then I'm gonna add some panko .

So panko are Japanese bread crumb and , and make an awesome crunchy topping and I'm toasting them first on the stove top because they're not really gonna be in the oven long enough to get that nice golden brown .

OK ?

So see , my bread crumbs are really pretty golden brown .

Now , that's what we want for the topping .

OK ?

And now I'm gonna mix in our first cheese , a little Parmesan for like nutty saltiness and then some fresh thyme gives a little fresh hit and also some nice green color .

So just give that a mix with my hands and then give it a little salt .

OK ?

That's good to go .

So the key to a creamy macaroni and cheese is the best .

It's like the base to your cheese sauce .

So to make it , I'm gonna melt two more tablespoons of butter in a medium skill .

Again , over like medium heat .

You don't want it to get too hot .

And then for extra flavor , I've got some grated onion and some grated garlic .

These give great flavor .

But also since I grated it , it's gonna keep the sauce really silky smooth and I'm just gonna cook those down a little bit to keep my sauce creamy , not watery .

Ok .

Now I'm gonna whisk in some flour .

This is the base of a roux , basically Sprinkle that in and use a whisk to incorporate it into the butter and onions .

So I'm gonna cook and whisk the flour for like at least a minute .

That's gonna cook out that raw flour taste .

And next , I'm gonna add some warm milk .

This one I just stuck in the microwave .

So a little bit at a time and whisk it in to incorporate and when it's smooth , you're good to go add some more milk .

If I added the milk cold , the melted butter in here would seize .

And that means clumpy sauce .

I'm gonna bring this to a simmer and let it cook until it's a little bit thicker .

And I'm gonna whisk every once in a while just to make sure it stays creamy .

So we've got no lumps .

Now , time for the cheese , I'm using three different types .

I've got fontina .

It's an awesome melter .

It's gonna keep that sauce really rich and creamy and then some sharp white cheddar and these are a little bit sharper .

They're gonna add great flavor to the sau .

So then I'm just gonna whisk those in until they're melted and smooth .

And I'm gonna add some ground dried mustard powder .

It's classic for macaroni and cheese and helps cut the richness in the cream sauce and just a pinch of cayenne .

A little bit of heat helps to wake up all those flavors .

Whisk close in until smooth .

Now time to add the pasta .

At this point , my sauce is perfect .

So I'm gonna pull it off the heat when I add the pasta because I don't want it to cook anymore .

So these are kata , they're short and curly .

They're cute , but any short pasta will work .

So noodles into the sauce .

I'm just gonna fold them in till everything's coated with the cheese sauce .

So now into the baking dish , I'm gonna bake this in two stages into the oven .

So I'm gonna bake it about halfway for 10 minutes or so and then add the bread crumbs .

That's why we toasted them first .

Ok .

So this has been baking for about 10 minutes .

It's nice and hot .

Now the bread crumbs back in the oven .

Ok .

This looks great .

Golden brown and crunchy on top .

Rich and creamy inside .

Let's give it a try .

Oh , wow .

Look at that creamy center .

Pretty good .

Perfect for this delicious mac and cheese and more comfort food classics go to dot com back slash comfort .

See you next time .