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jsomae ,

They made the right call. Macaroni and cheese is definitely that good.

ColeSloth ,

Not the Mac n cheese for the last like 20+ years. It used to use real cheese and really did taste better. I know the internet got all uppity against kraft a while back, claiming they started making the noodle portion worse somewhere around 2016 or something, but that's nothing compared to the big taste difference that happened when they stopped using real cheese.

heavy ,

Sorry what? You know you can make Mac and cheese from scratch right? It's not too difficult.

krashmo ,

Are you telling me that simply dumping the contents of a cardboard box into some hot water is not the best way to cook a meal? I'm shocked

flambonkscious ,

It gets even better though, 'cos you can get all deviant and start adding to the recipe with a few bits of mushroom, bacon or maybe even chorizo

krashmo ,

My man, chorizo is the best meat there is. It makes every meal better

Facebones , (edited )

This little honduran spot near me offers this breakfasty eggs and chorizo meal and my wallet still hasn't recovered

MrVilliam ,

Being right isn't cheap.

Lost_My_Mind ,

I like to add mini pizzas, corndogs, a bowl of solidified soup, and 87 cans of beer.

flambonkscious ,

That is an absolute shocker, how dare you?!

Jekyll ,

Bell peppers, salami and smoked chili powder

Potatos_are_not_friends ,

Bro eww that's disgusting.

You add the whole box into some hot water. The cardboard is protein.

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot ,

It provides much-needed roughage and essential inks.

jsomae ,

The thing you're talking about is not Mac and Cheese.

eatham ,
@eatham@aussie.zone avatar

Make it yourself, obviously ready made meals are gonna taste bad if they are cheap (which they are)

agamemnonymous ,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

Look, some people just can't digest it. As you get older, your ability to process mac'n'cheese without dire intestinal consequences drops off substantially. The pros just simply aren't worth the cons, not by a long shot.

Doesn't stop me tho

jsomae ,

Huh, I didn't know about this. What ingredient(s) cause(s) the problem?

agamemnonymous ,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

Lactose

Lost_My_Mind ,

Why must some people be so intolerant of the lactose people??? Racists....

jsomae ,

Does everyone become lactose intolerant with age?

Halosheep ,

Lactose intolerance is more common than lactose tolerance globally. In the unites states, something like 1 in 3 people are lactose intolerant.

It's largely genetic. Lactose tolerance can be traced to nomadic tribes that kept milk producing animals as a food source, adapting to tolerate lactose in their diet over time.

jsomae ,

But I didn't know it happened with age

EnderofGames ,

Of course it is with age. No mammals are born lactose intolerant. We drink milk as infants.

Almost universally, all adult mammals become lactose intolerant. We humans are lucky for those of us who tolerant.

jsomae ,

Sure, but I figured that lactose intolerance would typically manifest before the age of, say, 20. I didn't realize that people could become lactose intolerant as seniors.

Lost_My_Mind ,

Your poor toilet bowl.....

jaybone ,

as you get older

As you get older, you develop taste and stop eating garbage.

agamemnonymous ,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

There are varieties of mac'n'cheese other than Kraft

Kusimulkku ,

Lmao gourmet mac n' cheese 😍

huquad ,

Oven baked Mac and cheese with bread crumb topping really is that good

Mac ,

that doesn't make it not good though.

agamemnonymous ,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

Note "Doesn't stop me tho"

chemicalwonka ,
@chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

I can't understand why Americans love industrialized cheese so much. It's horribly, full of salt. Unbearable!

Jax ,

I can't understand how non-Americans have gone their entire lives without witnessing macaroni and cheese that exists outside of Kraft.

helpmyusernamewontfi ,

brother I'm American and I didn't even know you could buy waffle maker machines until a few months ago, I thought they were all frozen

enleeten ,

They have unlocked the secrets of the waffle melange!

tooclose104 ,
@tooclose104@lemmy.ca avatar

It puts the homemade chilimac into the waffle iron

redhorsejacket ,

You deserve the hose for this, because now I can't stop thinking about it.

dankm ,

Need more context: Are you also 15? If so then this might be acceptable anywhere.

But... how'd you think the got made? Had you never had a decent one at a restaurant?

MehBlah ,

Don't kid yourself. Many of us make our own with real cheese.

Hootz ,

But was the cheese made in America?

Checkmate American.

Jax ,

So do many Americans, and yet I didn't invoke their name first.

luckystarr ,

Maccaroni and cheese were really meant to be Käsespätzle but for some reason didn't.

AngryCommieKender ,

Look at Mr moneybags over here putting bacon and onions in his pasta and cheese

Xanis ,

There is a place nearby where you can buy 5 boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese for $5. Used to be a box for $.50-75.

When your next stubbed toe could require you to sell an organ, cheap Kraft seems perfect.

Hootz ,

2010 Honey look, KDs on sale it's $.50 a box
2019 Honey look, KDs on sale it's $.50 a box
2024 Honey look, KDs on sale it's $1.75 a box

Kusimulkku ,

But isn't that the most popular one?

Jax ,

It's cheap.

Kusimulkku ,

Yeah but it's the most popular one right?

Jax ,

What's your point?

Kusimulkku ,

If it's the most popular one then it makes sense others would of course associate you with that one.

Jax ,

The most popular boxed mac n cheese, again boxed mac n cheese is not the only kind to exist.

That would be like associating all Ramen with 'Top Ramen'. Does that put in perspective how wrong* what you're suggesting is?

*Edit: I'm trying to be nicer.

Kusimulkku ,

The most popular boxed mac n cheese, again boxed mac n cheese is not the only kind to exist.

So are the other forms more popular or is boxed the one people make more often?

That would be like associating all Ramen with ‘Top Ramen’.

So, exactly what people do..? lol. If it's by and far the most popular option then of course people are going to associate the generic term with that.

Maggoty ,

Make yourself some home made Mac and Cheese someday. Then make sure to burn the recipe so you can save yourself from that daily temptation.

Edit to add, whatever you do. Don't add chili. Real ChiliMac is a level 5 paranormal entity that will haunt you the rest of your life.

TubularTittyFrog ,

because we grow up on it. it's a comfort food.

like mcdonalds and all that other super process crap.

EnderMB ,

A good macaroni cheese is built from a roux, and uses several cheeses to get that flavour.

With that being said, I don't get why Americans lose cheese so much. It's fine, I guess? I would much prefer most other pasta sauces over cheese, because cheese alone is just a bit bland.

NauticalNoodle ,

don't worry, you can still melt some cheese on top of the "other pasta sauces" to get the best of both worlds.

AnUnusualRelic ,
@AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world avatar

It's like Oreos. I think it's things that are cultural. You probably can't get into it once your taste has already been shaped. But if you grew up with it, it's different. We probably all have such things at home. Although typically not from the horrifying US big food conglomerates, which maybe makes them a bit less atrocious.

dejected_warp_core ,

Wait, Oreos are actually bad?

AnUnusualRelic ,
@AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world avatar

I found them atrocious, but maybe it's me. The cookies don't taste like anything really identifiable, the paste is just sugar.

TurboHarbinger ,

It smells like feet, or used socks. Can't stand it.

CanadianCarl ,

Leave the socks or feet out of your macaroni and cheese. It will make a world of difference. Only requires macaroni, butter, flour, milk, cheese, seasonings.

TurboHarbinger ,

Bro, feet and socks spawn inside of it.

johannesvanderwhales ,

If you're talking about the box, understandable. If you're talking about actual mac and cheese, maybe you just don't know anyone who knows how to cook.

Kusimulkku ,

Ah yes, the culinary skill needed for making macaroni with cheese

johannesvanderwhales ,

That's kind of my point...if you can't manage a decent mac and cheese, you pretty much can't cook at all.

Kusimulkku ,

I just don't feel like there's any cooking skill involved in making macaroni and cheese to begin with lol

johannesvanderwhales ,

Well, I mean, I can think of several different variations of a stovetop version (bechamel, the sodium citrate, or the condensed milk version that's been gaining popularity), a question of whether to bake it or not, endless add-ins, choices of cheese to use, choice of pasta to use. Making a bechamel without lumps is not hard but it does require some knowledge of basic technique. And it is actually conceivable that someone would use fresh pasta, which is a whole different ballgame. So while macaroni and cheese in its most basic is not at all a difficult dish it leaves tons of room for putting a personal spin on it...which means it has plenty of ways it can go wrong, too. I've certainly had plenty of disappointing mac and cheese in my life, sometimes at restaurants that really should be able to do better.

Kusimulkku ,

...you've ordered macaroni and cheese at a restaurant?

johannesvanderwhales ,

Yeah? Fancy baked mac and cheese isn't uncommon at all, sometimes dressed up with stuff like lobster and truffle oil, or sometimes as some sort of baked Wisconsin three cheese deal with crispy bread crumbs. Or it's a staple side at BBQ restaurants, and a lot of people people will judge a place harshly on its quality. I've also seen a lot of fried mac and cheese wedges on pub menus (which I do not recommend, just fill your wedges with cheese instead, the extra carbs add nothing).

tortillaPeanuts ,

Go to Applebee's and order Four-Cheese Mac & Cheese with honey pepper chicken tenders. The chicken tenders are excellent but the Mac and Cheese is the most watery garbage I've ever eaten. Then you will understand the true skill of making delicious Mac and Cheese.

FarmTaco ,

do you... think restaurants don't have macaroni and cheese?

Kusimulkku ,

They don't where I live. It just doesn't seem like a restaurant-y thing to me.

FarmTaco ,

bro thats a super weird thing to say, macaroni and cheese gets served at Michelin star restaurants.

Kusimulkku ,

Haven't been to any iirc

EvolvedTurtle ,

You'd be surprised
There is a definite difference between Mac and cheese from someone who can cook vs someone who can't

Ofcourse you can mess up the basic like the milk and butter ratio and for more advanced stuff you can always have add ins like more cheese or some seasoning

Hell have you ever had Mac and cheese with some caramelized onions. Idk if I'm crazy for that but damn it's good

thefrankring ,
@thefrankring@lemmy.world avatar

How dare you!?! Everybody knows that spaghetti is better.

KillingTimeItself ,

honestly this stands.

You deserved it. Whoever you are.

CptEnder ,

Yeah, justified.

PopcornPrincess ,

Looks like Rocket League. If so then this would be a highly offensive thing to say. Most of the players in casual are about 10 years old 😂

Lost_My_Mind ,

The few times I played rocket league, I played casual, and got my ass handed to me.

Maybe theres a casual mode for casual players. I'm looking forward to losing to a 3 year old. Apperently those 10 year olds are way outta my skill range!

Oooooh, maybe we can find a player who's just learning their colors! Maybe thats more my speed.

Obi ,
@Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

You just gotta stick to it, the rocket league progress curve is incredibly steep at the beginning, but if you just brute force through it for a bit you'll reach the first plateau where you actually manage to touch the ball once in a while. Getting over that plateau is a different story and the progress curve is much slower after that.

Also go and do the training sets, start with the easiest ones until you nail them then move on to the next one, etc.

RL is pretty much the only game I still play regularly because I've been playing it for a long time and I can just do one game if I don't have much time, most other games require too much of my very limited free time.

MrVilliam ,

Same. I started with a couple of friends around when it became F2P. They live in another city, so that plus voice chat is just how we catch up and chill, usually with a few drinks and with some dumb jokes here and there. We're familiar with the controls and systems and everything, so doing anything else has the barrier to entry of learning a whole new thing. R6 Siege looks cool but complicated. I don't get Destiny 2. FC24 is pretty good but I'm not sure it has the same staying power for us as RL.

MufinMcFlufin ,

Even in casual mode, you have a (hidden) rank which does go down the more you lose. If you keep getting demolished in the game then I'd recommend doing the training, playing against bots, and/or continuing to play in casual mode until your rank starts placing you with other players you can better contend with.

There's also a distinct possibility you were against someone smurfing as some people like to do that either for content or just for kicks and giggles. The very lowest ranks are probably where the most egregious smurfs like to keep their ranks, so unfortunately you can have some of the widest swings in actual skill levels.

Unfortunately the devs don't really seem to care much about the smurfing problem in the game because it's been pretty rampant for a very long time and some of the changes they've made have actually made it even easier to get away with.

JargonWagon ,

The smurfing has gotten so bad...

MufinMcFlufin ,

Discussion about it on the subreddit was insufferable back in the day. All the fanboys would show up in every thread complaining about the problem saying stupid shit like "well Psyonix has the data to judge if it's working or not and since you don't that makes your argument invalid"

Iron_Lynx ,

He's right though.

Mac & cheese really is unimpressive. Spaghetti Carbonara is way better, even with inaccurate ingredients (e.g. using bacon instead of guanciale or even pancetta).

Though if you do insist on making it 'Murican style, try melting the cheese into a bechamel sauce and adding some diced ham or cubed bacon. The former makes it way creamier, even if it ends up standing for a while, and the latter just adds some neat flavour and texture. Stick with ham and/or bacon, or maybe very few other things, otherwise it stops being mac & cheese imo.

I saw a story once of someone who asked internet strangers whether they were the asshole because they hated someone's mac & cheese. When they described what went into the stuff, it was full of added things, a quarter of which would already stop it from being mac & cheese, and half of which either conflict with each other, or are stuff which if they were the sole additive would give me a reason to nope out of the dish.

With both mac & cheese and spaghetti carbonara, I'd say less is more.

LazerFX ,

Max and cheese has two ingredients. Good, quality cheese melted into fresh macaroni.

I challenge anyone to dislike that, with a good fresh salad (I like a chopped salad with a drizzle of oil and balsamic with a sprinkle of salt). The great thing is - there's a cheese for everyone (except lactose intolerant, and what a shame for them) so this works on so many levels.

unreasonabro ,

i mean, there's a game that's worth not playing

MufinMcFlufin ,

Why's that?

cevn ,

It was a lot better in the past before Epic bought Psyonix. Now enshittification is in full swing. Competitive integrity is dead. Smurfs in every queue, 30% of games. At higher levels you may deal with DDoS, Bots, or the enemy car is literally invisible. Epic simply doesn’t care about this game outside of advertising for Fortnite.

JargonWagon ,

Yup. Shit's out of control now. Can someone just make an equally competitive car soccer game to act as a competitor?

ShadowCatEXE ,
@ShadowCatEXE@lemmy.world avatar

I had always disabled chat in RL. Nothing good really ever came through it.

JargonWagon ,

There's too much toxicity in RL these days.

JargonWagon ,

You know, if they were talking a player named that, someone could have reported it, and this comment could have just been the straw that broke the camel's back to get the ban.

Dave ,
@Dave@lemmy.nz avatar

Are we talking kraft or made from scratch?

Ejh3k ,

Doesn't matter. Mac and cheese ain't anything special.

variants ,

Anything with that much cheese isn't going to be good

Sotuanduso ,
@Sotuanduso@lemm.ee avatar

What is with you people?

hoch ,

Right? We're surrounded by lunatics

Sotuanduso ,
@Sotuanduso@lemm.ee avatar

I know... Anyways, I'm looking forward to going home this weekend. Maybe I'll make myself a cold hotdog with the works when I get there, that's always a good choice.

TheBat ,
@TheBat@lemmy.world avatar

Disagree.

Your mom is like 70% cheese and she's so good. 🥰🥰

Obi ,
@Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

Fondue savoyarde enters the chat.

Mbourgon ,

Alton Brown’s with Gruyère Is fantastic. The funny thing is, kids don’t like it because it’s got too much flavor or something. Lol.

barsoap , (edited )

At the point of putting Gruyère in it you better be calling it Macaroni au Gratin Mornay.

Following Escoffier (as is proper and yes I know these aren't home kitchen amounts do the ratios yourself):

For the Bechamel: Steam in butter until white 300g finely diced lean veal, two small finely chopped onions, a bit of thyme, pepper, nutmeg, 25g salt, add it to a base of 650g roux and 5l milk. TBH that's too complicated for me, I put meat extract, thyme, pepper, and onions into cold milk, slowly bring it to temperature, then add cold roux and nutmeg. Also I don't pass it through a sieve do I look like a French Chef chunks are fine.

To turn that into a Mornay, add fish fonds (fish sauce works well use the good Vietnamese stuff), for 1l Bechamel melt in 50g "Swiss cheese" and 50g Parmesan, 100g Butter. Gruyere has become standard for the Swiss part of the cheese and works on its own, often people also use an egg yolk to aid emulsion. Especially useful if you have less aromatic cheeses and want to add more, it's not like you can't do this with Gouda.

Oh, and you might want to reduce the salt in the Bechamel if you add fish sauce.

If you're putting the whole thing in the oven to make a gratin (also consider throwing some veggies in, peas, carrots, nothing special the sauce is already fancy) adding the egg white is fine no harm done and extra protein, otherwise things can get complicated in actually getting it denatured properly. Without producing scrambled eggs, that is: Mix in the yolk once the sauce is cold enough to not instantly denature it, melt in the cheese, now it's even colder, add the white and mix it well, pour over stuff, then into the oven to finish up.

Mbourgon ,

Shit. Didn’t expect Escoffier to get pulled out here. I thought it was this recipe, but I just checked and there’s only cheddar. So now I feel like I ripped you off. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe-1939524.amp

But thanks for sharing the recipe! I’ve been looking for an excuse to do a Moreau sauce for a while. I don’t think it’s an actual “mother sauce”, but still one I haven’t made. Appreciate it!

barsoap ,

Bechamel is definitely the mother sauce here, yes. The general Mornay scheme could be called the mother of all cheese sauces, though, and after seeing Escoffier add fish I've never gone without it just harmonises so well and you can increase the total amount of umami because it's backed by more broad-spectrum subtle aroma than cheese alone.

Side note if you're cooking for vegetarians replace fish and veal / meat extract with mushrooms. Different, but hits just as good as the carnivore variant. Never managed a proper vegan version, the milk isn't the problem the problem is limited choice of different sources of umami. It's not supposed to be a yeast sauce, after all. Make Ratatouille instead never had one complain about it.

crmsnbleyd ,
@crmsnbleyd@sopuli.xyz avatar

It is really good though guys

Hadriscus ,

you can stay

HawlSera ,

I'm criticizng fucking mac and cheese and nobody can stop m.... Grrrhhh.. Damn it!

superfes ,

Sorry bro, I don't really like Mac & Cheese either.

TheSlad ,

Reported.

kersploosh ,
@kersploosh@sh.itjust.works avatar
HowManyNimons ,

Thanks for coming, kersploosh.

Nurse_Robot ,

You're really tempting the mods on this one. Not that I don't agree with you.

blanketswithsmallpox ,

Reported.

InEnduringGrowStrong ,
@InEnduringGrowStrong@sh.itjust.works avatar

This has been reported to your ISP for abuse, expect a vaguely worded letter in the mail that's meant to scare you into reaching out and settling.
— Oh wait, that's only for pirates

play You-wouldnt-download-a-mac-n-cheese.mkv

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