How to Make the Best MACARONI AND CHEESE in Your City
Your City: There's nothing like pulling a bubbling dish of macaroni and cheese from the oven — golden crust on top, molten cheese pull underneath, and that first scoop steaming on the plate.
What Most People Don't Know About Making Macaroni and Cheese
- American cheese is the secret stabilizer. Aged cheddar tastes incredible but breaks into a greasy, grainy mess when heated — it lacks emulsifying salts. Blending in a small amount of American cheese adds sodium citrate, which binds the fat and protein in your cheddar into a permanently silky sauce. You get all the flavor of the good cheese with none of the breakage.
- Toss your shredded cheese with cornstarch. A light coating of cornstarch on the cheese before it hits the sauce does two jobs: it prevents the proteins from clumping into strings, and it thickens the sauce as it melts. This is why your sauce stays creamy instead of splitting when it bakes.
- Undercook the pasta by a full 2 minutes. The macaroni keeps cooking in the sauce during the bake, drinking up liquid the whole time. Pasta boiled to al dente going in comes out bloated and mushy. Pull it 2 minutes shy of the package's minimum time — it should still have a chalky bite in the center.
Ingredients
For the pasta and sauce:
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded from a block
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded from a block
- 4 oz American cheese, torn into pieces
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp Bald Buck Seasoning
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
For the topping:
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp Bald Buck Seasoning
Instructions
- Prep the oven and cheese. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack with the cornstarch in a large bowl until evenly coated. Set aside a heaping cup of the mixture for the top layer.
- Undercook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the shortest time on the package — the center should still be firm and slightly chalky. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.
- Build the roux. In the same pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 90 seconds, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty and looks like wet sand. Do not let it brown.
- Make the base. Slowly pour in the warm whole milk while whisking, then the evaporated milk. Whisk until smooth and bring to a bare simmer. Cook 3-4 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Melt the cheese off the heat. Remove the pot from the heat entirely — cheese added over active heat is how sauces break. Whisk in the American cheese first until fully melted, then add the cornstarch-tossed cheese one handful at a time, whisking each addition smooth before adding the next. Stir in the Bald Buck Seasoning, mustard powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.
- Combine. Fold the undercooked macaroni into the sauce until every piece is coated. The sauce will look loose — that's correct. The pasta absorbs it during the bake.
- Assemble. Pour half the mixture into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish. Scatter the reserved cup of cheese across the middle, then top with the remaining pasta.
- Top and bake. Stir the panko with the melted butter and Bald Buck Seasoning until evenly coated, then scatter over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown.
- Rest before serving. Let the dish sit for 10 minutes out of the oven. The sauce thickens to its final creamy texture as it cools slightly — scooping immediately gives you soup, not mac and cheese.
Make-Ahead Option
Assemble the dish completely through step 7, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days — hold the panko topping separately in a zip-top bag. When ready to bake, add the topping and bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes from cold, tenting with foil for the first 20 minutes if the top browns too fast.
Enjoy Your Macaroni and Cheese!
Golden on top, silky underneath — this is the dish that empties the pan before anything else on the table.
For a smokehouse version, fold in 8 oz of chopped smoked brisket or bacon before assembling — it pairs perfectly with the cayenne.
