Types of Macaroni and Cheese
Its origins trace back to cheese and pasta casseroles dating to the 14th century in Italy and medieval England. The traditional macaroni and cheese is put in a casserole and baked in the oven. The cheese is often first incorporated into a Béchamel sauce to create a Mornay sauce, which is then added to the pasta.
Pasta other than macaroni are often used: almost any short-cut extruded pasta and many of the decorative cut pasta will do, particularly those with folds and pockets to hold the cheese. When made with conchiglie the dish may be referred to as "shells and cheese".
While cheddar cheese is most commonly used for macaroni and cheese, other cheeses may also be used — usually sharp in flavor — and two or more cheeses can be combined. Other cheeses can be used such as Gruyère, Gouda, Havarti, and Jarlsberg cheese.
Macaroni and cheese can be made by simply layering slices of cheese and pasta (often with butter or evaporated milk) then baking in a casserole, rather than preparing as a cheese sauce. Also, some like to include a crunchy topping to their baked macaroni and cheese by topping it off with bread crumbs or crushed crackers, which also keeps the noodles on top from drying out when baking.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Southern Macaroni and Cheese
Southern-style mac and cheese is typically made with a milk-and-egg base rather than a roux. Here, the milk component is an infused milk-and-cream mixture reserved from cooking the noodles (which adds even more richness to the dish). The finished macaroni and cheese is firm enough to slice into solid squares.
forgoes a roux-based cheese sauce and instead mixes a stick of melted butter, a pint of half-and-half, a couple of beaten eggs, and five types of cheeses into the cooked pasta. Once baked, the mac and cheese had that sort of curdled look that eggy mac and cheeses get; it’s definitely a style that many people love.
Three types of cheese — extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese — go into this impossibly decadent recipe. Mild Colby-Jack contributes superb meltability; extra-sharp cheddar imparts a distinctly cheesy flavor; and cream cheese bestows a luscious, velvety tang. For the smoothest texture, purchase block cheese for this recipe, not the pre-shredded kind
