And there was the alarming ingredient of a dash of “tobacco,” although we’re sure it was supposed to be “Tabasco.” There were shots at elegance with additions of vermouth, white wine and truffle oil (we can tell you now that truffle oil, much too overworked by chefs, does nothing to improve macaroni and cheese). There were odd add-ins: chopped pecans and chopped pimento, mayonnaise, frozen spinach, a can of diced tomatoes, hot dogs and cubed tofu. Some recipes felt a need to soup up their sauce with canned chicken, celery or mushroom soups. Some recipes called for unusual cheeses (ricotta, mascarpone, cottage cheese, Cheez Whiz and canned nacho cheese sauce) and exotic (gorgonzola and Roquefort) and even disarming (“rat” cheese). We knew we’d get plenty of submissions (more than 100) but we weren’t prepared for the variety of interpretations of what readers considered classic macaroni and cheese. We knew that going into our macaroni and cheese throwdown, a friendly competition among our readers for the best macaroni and cheese recipe.
Like recipes for homey favorites such as pot roast, lasagna, chili and apple pie, macaroni and cheese is a treasure not something to be trifled with (or truffled with - more on that later).
Our mac and cheese allegiances are steeped in oven-baked tradition and formed by bonds far stronger than the elastic pull of molten cheese.