The common thread among some of the most beloved mac and cheese recipes out there is a combination of at least two different types of cheese—and as many as four. The thinking behind the double (or triple, or quadruple) dose is based on the fact that different cheeses have different strengths. Macaroni and cheese is a favorite comfort food of many, served as both a main dish and a side. Just thinking of that ooey-gooey cheese makes me want to go bake some right now! What is it about the. The best types of cheese for mac and cheese. For the creamiest, most delicious mac and cheese, use a blend. Try Gouda and Sharp cheddar, Brie and Gouda, or pretty much any combination of these perfect cheese choices. Origin: England. Made from: Cow’s milk. You might say sharp cheddar is the king of all melty cheese options.
- Best Types Of Cheese For Mac N Cheese Sandwich
- Best Cheese For Mac And Cheese Baked
- Best Cheese For Mac N Cheese
- Best Kind Of Cheese For Homemade Mac And Cheese
Because customizing your mac is half the fun, from here, it's time to mix in the different flavorful cheeses based on your taste preferences. Gruyere is a classic addition because it melts much.
Instant macaroni and cheese might pass the college dorm test — and we all know there's a time and a place for that blue box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.
But we all learn eventually that nothing beats the real stuff. When it's done right, homemade mac and cheese has the potential to be truly transformative — the stuff dreams are made of. If you don't agree, then you haven't had the good stuff.
Luckily for all of us cheesy carb lovers, this meal is simple to whip up from scratch. Like most dishes you'll cook, half the battle is won (or lost!) when you're choosing your ingredients in the grocery aisles. Whether it's baked for an irresistibly crunchy top, or cooked on the stovetop for maximum creaminess, this perennial comfort food requires the right cheese in order to fulfill its dinnertime destiny. To help you get started on your mac game, here's a down-and-dirty guide to the major players at the market.
These are the best cheeses to use in your homemade mac and cheese.
Classic sharp cheddar in mac and cheese is always a crowdpleaser
Firm, rich, and relatively mellow, cheddar cheese gets its name from the English town where it originated. One of the most popular varieties of cheeses in the U.S., it is beloved for its melting powers and smooth flavor.
While this cow's milk cheese is an ideal choice for grilled cheese sandwiches and general snacking, cheddar has also made quite a name for itself as the go-to choice for traditional all-American mac and cheese. You simply can't go wrong.
Gruyere cheese adds mature flair to mac and cheese
Made from cow's milk, Gruyere borrows its name from a village in Switzerland. This hard cheese is prized for its complex flavor profile.
With subtle sweet notes that complement earthy, nutty ones, Gruyere easily adds depth of flavor to a variety of dishes. From gratin and fondue to burgers and grilled cheese, this winning Swiss cheese delivers the goods. It lends mac and cheese just the right touch of grownup sophistication.
Smoked Gouda lends meaty flavor (minus the meat) to mac and cheese
Named after the Dutch city it hailed from, Gouda is a semi-soft cheese appreciated for its smooth, creamy texture and mild flavor.
While a majority of Gouda is made with cow's milk, some types are made from sheep's or goat's milk. Young Gouda is rich and mellow, while aged varieties possess a deeper, more pungent flavor. If you want to infuse robust, bacon-adjacent notes to your mac and cheese, try using smoked Gouda. You will not be disappointed.
Best Types Of Cheese For Mac N Cheese Sandwich
Monterey Jack creates creamy mac and cheese
An American cow's milk cheese with origins in Monterey, California, the aptly named Monterey Jack is easy to love. At once firm and creamy, it melts like a dream, making it the perfect choice for all your gooey cheese needs. Buttery in texture and very mild, like cheddar, Monterey Jack is an easy choice for mac and cheese that both children and adults can get on board with. For deliciously melty, smooth, velvety mac and cheese, we highly recommend you try some Jack.
Brie is creamy, decadent, mac and cheese dream come true
Named after a region in France and literally eaten by kings, soft-ripened Brie is buttery, runny, and creamy like you wouldn't believe. Its flavor ranges from mild to extremely nutty and tangy, depending on what you get your hands on at the store.
This creamy wonder is the right way to go if you're looking to make mac and cheese that's sure to impress. Luxurious and decadent, this rich cheese promises to instantly take your humble mac and cheese to the next level.
Aged cheddar and Parmesan team up to make perfect mac and cheese
The sharper, more complex flavors of aged cheddar team up well with salty Parmesan cheese. This combo is amazing in grilled cheese sandwiches — and the same goes for mac and cheese.
Italian Parmesan's slightly fruity, subtly nutty notes and grittier texture pair beautifully with the smoother, creamier mouth feel of cheddar. Make this mac and cheese. Your stomach will thank you.
You'll go gaga for goat cheese mac and cheese
Whether it's used as the star attraction, or to complement other cheeses, nothing puts a 'what is that flavor?' zing into your homemade macaroni and cheese quite like goat cheese can.
Goat cheese (called 'chevre' when it's from France), comes in many varieties and can range from a creamy tanginess to a crumbly grassiness that is beloved by cheese lovers across the globe. Try melting it into a classic stovetop cheese sauce for a macaroni and cheese that can go straight to your plate, or into the oven for a bronzed crunch.
Fontina makes fabulous mac and cheese
Hailed for its unique versatility as both a table cheese and a cooking cheese, fontina is a crowd-pleasing, melty cheese that will work beautifully in many macaroni and cheese recipes.
Fontina is a cow's milk cheese that has been crafted in Italy since 1477 but is also widely available in both Swedish and Danish styles which are recognizable by their red wax wrapping. Skip the pricier varieties that are more suitable for serving on a cheese board, and instead opt for a mid-priced fontina that is ideal for cooking. With a flavor that balances earthiness with a buttery mouthfeel, fontina is a cheese you'll definitely be reaching for again.
Havarti creates heavenly mac and cheese
Havarti and cream havarti are cheeses that, like fontina, are also prized for their versatility as a slicing cheese and a cooking cheese. The semi-soft cow's milk cheese, cream havarti, was developed in the 19th century in Denmark and can often be found blended with herbs and spices like dill, caraway, or even jalapeno peppers.
Aged for three months, havarti's flavor can range from mild to strong and is often seen on dessert cheese plates. Its buttery meltiness makes havarti a welcome addition to a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese.
Cream cheese makes delicious mac and cheese
A true American invention, recipes for cream cheese filled American cookbooks and newspapers as far back as the 1700s. In 1872, an upstate New York dairy factory that was manufacturing the lighter French variety of cheese known as Neufchatel, decided to shake things up a bit by adding cream to the cow's milk cheese recipe. The rest is history.
Though many store-bought brands contain gums and stabilizers to preserve the stability of the fresh cream cheese, purely crafted artisan brands are available in specialty markets that will send you straight to cream cheese heaven. The USDA mandates that cream cheese be at least 33 percent fat, making it a fantastically creamy choice for your mac and cheese. Try blending its creaminess with a cheese of a bolder flavor for delicious results.
Cottage cheese is surprising and economical choice for mac and cheese
Cottage cheese is a fresh, unripened curd cheese that is valued for its high protein content and mild, sweet flavor. Often used as a lower-fat substitute for heavier cheeses in many recipes, cottage cheese's unique texture has also found a place in more decadent recipes.
Try the New York Times' recommendation for a mixture of cottage cheese and sharp cheddar for a classic elbow macaroni and cheese dish, or consider adding in some sour cream for a tangy kick.
Raclette is made for melty mac cheese
The very name 'raclette' is used to describe the famous dish of gooey cheese, scraped onto a waiting mound of bread or potatoes, as well as the cheese itself.
Made with cow's milk from the grasslands of the French and Swiss Alps, raclette is similar in texture to Gruyere cheese, with a distinctive aroma. Like Gruyere, raclette does not separate when melted, making it a great cooking cheese and one that would lend a nutty and refined flavor to any mac and cheese recipe.
Boursin makes a brilliant mac and cheese
Sometimes called Gournay cheese, boursin is a French cream cheese that can readily be found in your supermarket's appetizer section. It's a buttery and easily spreadable cheese that's brilliant on bread, crackers, and crudite, and comes in a vast array of herb and spice infused flavors.
Highly meltable, boursin will add a pop of intense, complex flavor to your homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. Suffering sticker shock from your grocery store's boursin price tag? Try your hand at making it homemade: cream cheese, butter, and your choice of herbs and spices can be blended for a more economical version.
Best Cheese For Mac And Cheese Baked
Mascarpone creates magnificent mac and cheese
Mascarpone is an Italian double- or triple-cream soft cheese that is often the shining star of dessert dishes like Italian cheesecakes or tiramisu. Its high fat content, however (it's been likened to a cross between cream and butter), makes mascarpone an excellent choice for savory dishes as well.
Celebrity chef Michael Symon makes his mouth-watering mac and cheese with a blend of mascarpone, cheddar, and half and half. Over at The New York Times, Melissa Clark combines mascarpone with Brie and cream cheese for a mac and cheese with an undoubtedly velvety finish.
Best Cheese For Mac N Cheese
Best Kind Of Cheese For Homemade Mac And Cheese
The common thread among some of the most beloved mac and cheese recipes out there is a combination of at least two different types of cheese—and as many as four. The thinking behind the double (or triple, or quadruple) dose is based on the fact that different cheeses have different strengths. Some—such as Gruyère, Emmental and Comté—are known for their superior meltability. Others—think Parmesan, smoked Gouda and any kind of cheddar, whether white or orange, sharp or aged—have deep flavor. Play your cheeses right, and you'll end up with a dish that's silky, smooth and richly flavored.
Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery, a company in California known for its artisan cheeses, models her mac on an Italian dish known as Quattro Formaggi ('four cheeses'), using Parmesan, Gorgonzola dolce, provolone and fontina. This quartet makes for a dish that's got some kick to it, but still oozes with familiar comfort. In general, Conley recommends grating two, three or four cheeses together using at least one from each of the following categories: a good melting cheese (e.g., Gruyère, provolone), a tangy cheese (cheddar, cantal) and a soft cheese (Tallegio, Caerphilly). Conley says she and Cowgirl co-founder Peggy Smith also always put a little blue (such as Gorgonzola or Roquefort) in their mac and cheese; they like its pleasant bite. And just a note of a caution if you're using a really robust-tasting cheese, says Conley: 'Remember: If the cheese is a strong one, reduce the proportion so one cheese doesn't dominate.'
If a mix of the right cheeses accounts for 90 percent of an incredible mac and cheese, the other 10 percent is made up of a few other important factors. For the mac, the best shapes are medium-sized ones that hold sauce well, such as penne, elbows, mezze rigatoni or shells. The big 'don't' here is to not overcook the pasta when boiling it (drain it just before it's al dente), since it will continue to cook once you've added it to the cheese and bake it. And a little finishing crunch is always welcome; Conley and Smith mix Parmesan with bread crumbs to sprinkle on top before baking.
As to why the dish isn't actually called 'mac and cheeses,' well, you've got us there.