This recipe for my Finest Crock Pot Mac and Cheese creates a thick, creamy, velvety, mac and cheese that isn’t grainy. Plus, it’s loopy straightforward!
What number of instances have you ever been to a potluck and gone to scoop out an enormous ol’ serving to of mac and cheese from a sluggish cooker and located a gloppy, grainy, oily mess? My guess is greater than as soon as.
The issue with most sluggish cooker recipes for macaroni and cheese is that folks have taken conventional recipes for mac and cheese and simply dumped them within the crock pot. And that simply doesn’t work.
Of us, your seek for the proper sluggish cooker mac and cheese ends right here. Or no less than mine has. And I’ve been looking out for a very long time!
Sluggish cookers are an odd (albeit useful) beast. They’re a moist warmth that works nice for some issues, however not for others. Plus, each sluggish cooker cooks in a different way. So, it’s actually exhausting to create a recipe that works effectively in each equipment.
However, let’s begin on the high and work our approach by this…
What’s the distinction between a Crock Pot and a sluggish cooker?
Nicely, not a lot. The truth is, all Crock Pots are sluggish cookers, however not all sluggish cookers are Crock Pots. Do I’ve you totally confused?
Crock Pot is only a model of sluggish cooker. However as a society, we’ve colloquially used that model to consult with the equipment. It’s type of like how we name all adhesive bandages band-aids, even though Band-Help is a model title. Or how we name these little cotton swabs that we clear out our ears with q-tips, when Q-Tip is definitely a model of cotton swab. See the place I’m going right here?
Within the meals world, we frequently use the phrases sluggish cooker and crock pot interchangeably. They’re the identical type of equipment. It’s simply that a number of totally different manufacturers make sluggish cookers.
Why does sluggish cooker mac and cheese curdle?
Nicely, just a few various things trigger this to occur. Eggs, pre-shredded cheese, and warmth can all trigger cheese to separate and lead to a curdled texture.
So, we’ve obtained to do just a few issues to forestall this from occurring.
To begin, this recipe doesn’t use any eggs. There’s simply no want for them on this recipe.
Subsequent, we shred our personal cheese. Sure, it’s somewhat additional work, nevertheless it works. The cornstarch and cellulose that’s typically used to maintain pre-shredded cheese from clumping collectively within the bag could cause a bizarre texture. So shred your individual. Belief me on this.
Subsequent, we face the warmth subject. This one is a bit more durable as a result of each sluggish cooker cooks in a different way. Like I shared on my Sluggish Cooker Ham and Beans recipe, typically even the very same model and mannequin of sluggish cooker will cook dinner at totally different temperatures.
Cooking the mac and cheese on low with frequent stirring is how we preserve these edges of the mac and cheese from getting too sizzling and scorching the cheese.
Can I make substitutions with this recipe?
Look, I can’t inform you what to do in your kitchen, however I HIGHLY suggest you stick with this recipe as written. I need this to prove completely for you and with a number of room for error right here, I recommend you stick with the unique recipe.
In the event you learn nothing else on this put up, learn this!
Expectations are essential in the case of recipes. So, I wish to ensure I offer you acceptable expectations with this one. I need you to know what you’re getting right here.
Firs of all, methodology is essential with this recipe.
This isn’t a dump and stir and stroll away for 7 to eight hours recipe. Your mac and cheese shall be absolute mush and also you’ll come again and inform me what a horrible cook dinner I’m. Let’s not have that.
In all of our testing, we discovered that the cook dinner time wanted to be proper at 2 hours on low for completely al dente pasta. However that may range based mostly on the precise pasta you select in addition to your particular sluggish cooker. So, you’ll have to stir it extra steadily than different sluggish cooker recipes and also you’ll have to style it typically so that you just get the pasta cooked completely. As soon as it’s tender to your liking, change the sluggish cooker to heat and serve fairly rapidly. It’ll proceed to cook dinner and can finally get mushy.
In the event you discover the dish too thick, stirring in some heat milk will assist.
What sort of mac and cheese does this make? Is it creamy?
The tip product on this recipe is a gooey, velvety, easy mac and cheese that’s loopy creamy. It’s going to be quite a bit like the feel of frozen or refrigerated mac and cheese you discover within the grocery retailer. In order for you that intense cheese pull, stirring in some extra shredded cheddar proper earlier than serving and even sprinkling some on high and permitting it to soften gives you extra of that texture.
How do I make this work for a pot luck?
Due to the various cook dinner time, I strongly recommend testing this recipe on household along with your particular sluggish cooker earlier than taking it to one thing like an enormous household gathering, reunion, or pot luck. It’s simply safer to know prematurely how lengthy it would take to cook dinner.
Just below cooking your pasta and permitting it to proceed to complete cooking in your option to the occasion will assist to maintain it from overcooking.
Let’s discuss just a few of those substances…
Sharp cheddar cheese – shred your individual. The bagged, pre-shredded stuff is tremendous handy for some recipes, nevertheless it comprises cellulose and cornstarch, each of which might spoil the feel of this mac and cheese.
American cheese – this helps to make for a brilliant creamy mac and cheese. I usually purchase the slices (these aren’t wrapped in plastic) and thinly slice them. However the plastic wrapped slices will work, too. I’m already ready for a few of these “that’s not even actual cheese” feedback, however right here’s the deal… it really works. Use it.
Elbow macaroni – I simply use common ol’ elbow macaroni. Nothing fancy. And sure, it goes in raw. It cooks within the sauce and the starch from the pasta helps to thicken the sauce.
Evaporated milk – a MUST! There’s no substituting the creaminess evaporated milk provides this dish.
Complete milk – I’ve solely examined this recipe with entire milk. I believe you want the richness and fats. I imply, it’s mac and cheese. It’s not likely meant to be wholesome.
Dry mustard – It’s generally present in a number of mac and cheese recipes and it provides it some nice depth of taste and that little little bit of sharpness that it wants.
Recipe Card
The Finest Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Notes
PLEASE take a couple of minutes to learn the weblog put up with this recipe. I need this recipe to be an absolute success for you and there’s beneficial info within the put up that may assist to make sure that!
