Macaroni and Cheese is an American staple, but its history is an interesting one, as is how it fits into various subcultures in the US across racial and economic lines.
A Brief History of America’s Appetite for Macaroni and Cheese
Popularized by Thomas Jefferson, this versatile dish fulfills our nation’s quest for the ‘cheapest protein possible’
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Best mac n cheese I have ever had was in Appenzell, Switzerland.
+Cindy Brown Did you get the recipe?
In a great marketing coup, it's called "Kraft Dinner" or just KD in Canada. It barely says macaroni and cheese on the box. (Google Kraft Dinner Canada images 😉
+Linda Tewes Made with local cheeses. The mac was regular elbow pasta and there was fried onions sprinkled on top, and served with a side dish of applesauce, also made with local apples.
In fact, most things I ate in switzerland, even the quick foods, the local source of the ingredients was a major feature wherever possible.
(OMG the bread… wonderful, and all of it baked fresh every morning o.O)
+Cindy Brown What kind of local cheeses?
+Cindy Brown So… not a great week to start a low carb diet? 😉
You know what? I ate all the chocolate, cheese, and bread every day I wanted in Switzerland for two weeks. I also tromped up and down every hiking trail I found, or through every Altstadt section of each city I was in. :-9
Net: loss of 5lbs…
+Linda Tewes I would guess Gruyère for the most part. Really decadent, but not drowning the pasta either.
Best non alcoholic drink: Shorley, which was basically apple juice with mineral water — not very sweet at all, holy hell was that stuff good.
and yes, I got some genuine fondue — yum 🙂
+Cindy Brown I made some really good Mac n Cheese in my instant pot. Now I’m ready to experiment with the cheeses.
I am the only one in my extended family who hates macaroni and cheese. that stuff's disgusting.
There are any number of fine pasta + cheese recipes, using a variety of both ingredients, some pricey, some cheap, with various flavor add-ons (e.g., a childhood favorite we still eat, https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/margie/macaroni-monterey.html).
At some point, one has to treat the most commercialized cheezy-mac foods as some separate item (like canned vegetables or frozen orange juice) that has to be treated as its own thing, not based on the original.
+Dave Hill Like White Castle is fine but they’re not hamburgers. Same goes for Taco Hell, tasty but not Mexican.
+Linda Tewes Precisely.
Thus, I don't mind my son, +James Hill, enjoying the ersatz orange goo that passes for mac & cheese in the Kraft world. If it brings him culinary joy, more power to him.
+Dave Hill Happy dorm food.
Comfort food is as comfort food does 🙂
Grew up eating Stouffers Mac and Cheese. So any Mac and Cheese I make has to taste better than the Stouffers to make it worth my time. Never a fan on the box stuff though.
I do enjoy the Thomas Jefferson Mac and Cheese when we go to the Fort.
I actually grew up with Krafts Mac N Cheese, which was okay (not really my fave, though give me the white cheddar version, please). Had a southern style mac and cheese later on with a roommate from the south. That was good, but really rather overwhelming. I liked the Swiss version: enough cheese (and high quality at that) to be tasty & cover the pasta but absolutely not drown it. The crispy onions and applesause were good additions.
It's not my own favorite food (I very rarely make it myself) but when presented as a local dish, I had to try it 🙂