if you're curious, the box recipe probably uses that method because, simply, it's more reliable, and less likely to produce tough dishes to clean, with even the worst treated kitchenware. In the US the number of people who know the basics of sauces are pretty few, and overall, there was a huge reduction in the overall number of people who knew advanced techniques throughout the 80's and 90's. While, luckily, the US is gaining many new and aspiring cooks in the last 10 years thanks to information sharing on the internet, and a reevaluation of home life and quality of life, kraft mac and cheese has not changed. so yeah, that's what I think about it. In no way is this a scientific take on the subject, but kraft mac and cheese was probably targeted at parents of toddlers to preteens-who can't always watch dairy on the stove- so by having the noodles boiling in water, and the sauce added off the heat, you ensure that you cannot burn the sauce if you need to run after a kid suddenly, there's no dairy to boil over so you reduce possible cleanup needs both for the pot and stove, and as for the cheese- well it's no secret- people are actually surprised to learn it's not completely artificial - we all proper cheese to it so you totally made it in the US way XD as for good mac and cheese- I make it with real cheese, then keep the kraft mix around when I don't have the right kind of cheese. I add that to it, and a little less of the wrong cheese and it evens out the flavor nicely. I also use wondraflour, because there's something really nice about some slight gritty texture in thick cheese sauce. mix in nutmeg to taste, and top it with oil-soaked panko and put it in an air-fryer in the bowl you'll use to eat if you have one bowl's worth. if you can't find elbow macaroni- shell pasta is also VERY good for macaroni and cheese.

In the UK we have “best before” (after which product may be going stale but isn’t going to be dangerous to health) and “use by” (usually for fresh products that could become nasty after this date). This US made box says “best if used before”, which mixes both those concepts.

@@broadsword6650 in the US that's generally for non-perishables- but we technically, outside of medicines and baby formula, don't necessitate out dates. Most companies do provide them, though- especially companies that sell food that, as you say, could really mess someone up, or for international trade. "best if used before" is NOT a safety date, it's literally just the "best before" date. individual states are free to have their own rules, and most companies DO test their packaging and provide extremely conservative (very beginning of degradation) out dates as the "best before" or "best by" dates, while most farm-fresh things like eggs and meat will have a packaging date for reference. But, as it says on the US food and safety service website, "Food products are generally safe to consume past the date on the label, and regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food product prior to its consumption." and I honestly think it's for the best. It's in a company's best interest to overestimate food quality, so even in the case of regulation, you should be checking- and in the US, food safety is really commonly taught. I had to get a food service license because I worked a booth that sold novelty lollipops once. annoying, but informative. I still follow it in my home kitchen.

@@broadsword6650 In Switzerland we, too, have these "best before" and "use by" concepts. Although the "best before" is called "Mindestens haltbar bis ..." (in German, or the equivalent in our other national languages), which translates to "will keep at least until ...", so it's not quite the same as "best before". Using your senses and common sense, you can usually tell whether your food is still good. Natural, unsweetened yoghurt, for example, will usually be perfectly fine to consume for weeks after the "best before" date, if properly chilled.

£3 3 course meal

Don't tempt him 😆

@@slickl9608 Do tempt him!

@@slickl9608 id pay to see that

I’d love to see that challenge

dont temp him also hi

Home made is always superior

Adding cheese to it fixes most everything. Note that the Kraft instructions are dead wrong as well. It comes out much better (at least double) if you make the sauce separately and pour it on the pasta.

@@plektosgaming Like the Kraft Deluxe,which I don't know if they still sell.

@@plektosgaming It also comes out better if you use way more butter than the box says.

@@patricialavery8270 yeah... Mac & Cheese in a box was designed for camping, cabins, and emergency supplies, but caught on when people realized you could put things in it like mustard, hot sauce, hot dogs, bacon, and more. It really is more like cheap ramen in that it's a base to add things to.

i remember seeing a video of a culinary fair. some guy offered mcnuggets as high class cuisine to fool the experts there. worked pretty good to ground them when he told afterwards.

You certainly can, if it's really good fast food. Most fast food is disgusting to me though, but good fast food certainly exists.

in all fairness, pimping a deep-fried pizza with extra cheese and meats and spices is technically kind of that too, isn't it? sure, noone is going to assume you actually made the pizza from scratch, but it'll still stand out

I was half-expecting a reference to XKCD.

SEYMOUR!!!

Yep, also impossible. One pint equals about 473 mls!

@@archiebald4717 1 pint is 568ml

@@archiebald4717 incorrect. A British pint is 568ml...20 floz as opposed to 16

@@archiebald4717 UK pint is significantly larger than a US pint

So what you're saying is, if you're a brit and you've had 5 pints of bitter, you're a pint drunker in the US

Agreed, even if you don't like mustard. Avowed mustard haters will eat it in mac & cheese and be none the wiser.

@@Arismas Yes its a cheese enhancer rather than a flavour, i also add a shake of Wostershire sauce.

Mustard and cheese together 😩😩including Dijon mustard

Onion sizzled in the fat before you add the flour if you can't find a chicken 😉😋. Must have the mustard too. Amazing how mustard changes when heated.

This I didn't know, going to do it the next time

I love how you wear that bordering-on-authoritarian-leftist political compass like it's something to be proud of..

@@Fr33zeBurn looking at your subscription list is like looking at me 10 years ago. I used to be an edgy "skeptic" like yourself, drifting ever further right. I escaped, and so can you. And trust me, you'll be so much happier for it. These people thrive on feeding your fear and anxiety. I recommend watching Shaun and Hbomberguy, their videos really helped me (and many others) escape the mind prison built by people like Sargon and Shapiro. Don't get me wrong, it's hard. You'll feel like you're cutting off part of yourself. But it's worth it. I'm not saying you'll turn into an ancom like me (although that would be cool), just that you'll be free of the fear that these grifters peddle.

@@RaunienTheFirst I'm a few squares lower than you on the centre line maybe a touch left. I used to think I was a communist/socialist then events in my life (outside of KZfaq), including learning a bit more about political history and witnessing leftists in action, made me realise that it destroys almost everything it touches. I also had a dream that I feel was a vision, of what a world in anarchy would actually feel like. Anyway now I'm a centre Libertarian, live and let live type of guy. Unless you're a commie revolutionary, or an actual Nazi then I would prefer not to let you live.

@Tony Benn (Real) Communism is the antithesis of meritocracy so I don't need to read theory to know it's shite. Have you heard of the great purge? The Great leap forward? Fuck the theory bro look at what they do in practise.

Still about 650g short compared to my recipe lol

I always add real cheese to Kraft Mac & Cheese box mixes that use the powder. Now if it is one of the boxes that has a packet of soft cheese I don't add any extra cheese.

Perfectly put. Thank you! 👍🙂

even when scambaiting people it still retains that vibe 🤣 never change mr shrimp, never change

This is a very kind yet extremely accurate description of what keeps me returning time and again. And, mostly, really glad I found the channel in the first place. I find AS very relatable, being a fellow Brit - speaking of which, Atomic, if you do happen to find urself or are planning a trip to the (mid-) Northern Climes, well, East Midlands, drop me a line and would be glad to host ur good self & companion(s). In the meantime, keep on keeping on and I’ll keep watching.

😭😭😭

That is very beautifully put 😍

💛 NICE 💛 I wish I had commented this😂

Kraft and LIDL don’t go over or above, And it’s home-made I LOVE…

Ha ha I like it.

you could use even less actually

I grew up with any kind of white base sauce made without a roux, I’ve tried it but just can’t get it to work lol, a couple of tbsp of cornflour and dried milk powder mixed to a paste with cold milk, then keep adding the rest of the milk and some water bit by bit and a knob of butter as it warms up or whisk in hot milk to get it going faster. It’s foolproof (which is always a bonus where I’m concerned) I never get even the tiniest of lumps, it’s so much easier and I think it tastes creamier due to the milk powder, is smoother and tastes better without regular flour but that’s just me 😁

We call it bechamelle sauce in Italy and that’s actually what’s put on lasagna, even tho so many Americans and Brit’s think that we use ricotta instead ( ricotta is used only for cannelloni)

@@HAIRHOLIC_1 you know I've never personally liked lasagna here in the U.S. because of the ricotta cheese (I've even seen someone use cottage cheese) but now that you've mentioned using a bechamelle I think I'll try that next time I get the urge to cook Italian for dinner.

@@necroticneurons9555 yes it taste weird with ricotta cheese, I had American lasagna too (if I can call it that) and it was disgusting, they use the ready made tomato sauces with sugar which gives the whole lasagna a weird taste. You need to use plain passata which is just smoothies tomatoes, you can buy the canned tomatoes and then use the food processor to mush it up. Here is a really good authentic Italian recipe if you’re interested, you can skip the home made pasta and just use ready made ones, the fresh sheets work better, and don’t even need precooking, enjoy and please let me know how you like it. The video has English subtitles you just have to activate them. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rd6ie5CIuJudhac.html

Still definitely does

Mushroom soup was the only one I knew ,lol

Wow! That's mind-blowing. I was born in 1981, the Romanian currency was really strong too, unfortunately we had mostly empty shops

Yeah add sliced hot dogs in it too!

oh definitely! you can add all sorts of stuff to blue box and make it really filling

Sending hugs your way, I hope you are well 💗

Is that still available though? I know what you're talking about, not seen it on shelves for a long time though and seems to have been replaced with this blue box stuff that has bigger macaroni and without all the delicious chemicals. As you say, Cheesy Pasta was the same as KD.

“Emmymade,” she did a video recently comparing Canada’s KD to the US Kraft Mac&cheese. It was interesting because she had about five different Canada KD Booster packs that are made to add to the KD. Though one was cotton candy, making it sweet and pink in color, yuck. But, other packs were poutine, and a spicey hot one, etc.

macaroni and cheese is a side dish, not an dinner.

@@stapuft maybe where you're from

@@NunontheRun naah m8, everywhere, its nothing but noodles and cheese sauce... that is nowhere near a complete meal....anywhere, except maybe prison......or north korea...

@Lenia Carter My mom used to add tuna and peas. Wasn't too excited about that as a kid, but now I get a craving for it from time to time.

yeah im one of those serious people. i have a method that makes it taste cheesier without any added ingredients. and as it were, we were also latchkey kids.

While the flavor is, at best, an acquired taste, one thing I like about the Deluxe option is that no milk or butter need be on hand... just water and the box (well, and a pan and a spoon). Homemade is far superior, of course, but... when one doesn't live within easy walking distance to a grocery store, it can be nice to have something 100% shelf-stable. And yeah, tuna and peas can be nice.

Food is commonly used as an insult or classism to separate oneself from "the poor people" who eat the stuff. People call food like Spam, instant box dinners, etc. trash food and turn their noses to it not because of taste, but because of what it means socially. Its very similar to the practice of hunting in the US. In the US, hunting is more associated with poorer folk and looked down upon by the middle class (I know its different across the pond). I still enjoy a box of kraft mac and cheese sometimes, maybe once every couple months. Its simple and its nostalgic for me.

Ijs we to love KD with cut up hotdogs and small squirt of ketchup.

Even the generic store brands tend to have very similar style packaging so its obvious what's inside, its that common

What the hell

In the UK our largest mac and cheese brand is 'Batchelors' they're known for instant soups and pastas. But I think their biggest seller is broccoli and cheese pasta, I see it more often than mac and cheese.

At my university in the UK I live with a Canadian it's pretty much all he eats I had one once and what Americans consider Cheddar astounds me. Mind you im from Cheddar in the UK

@@blaser80 broccoli and cheese bachelor's is good

??? As a Canadian i did not know this. They aren't????

I was about to comment this exact thing.

Used to make Kraft Deluxe with pan fried kielbasa sausage. Yum!!!

Kraft has a "thick and creamy" version which remedies the issue of the runny, grainy sauce. Makes it very smooth as like Atomic's homemade. But I'm sure the similarities end there 😁

kraft deluxe tastes like shit

@@pppantz yep it's so nasty

@@wendylissolo9783 me too!!👨‍🍳

Well, I don't scambait myself but still watch his videos 🤣🤣🤣

It's about the only thing we are bilingual at.

@@jca111 sprich für dich selbst, matey.

@@pittibarlin8692 ja ich cola trinken and Fortnite spielen yippie!

When he's stirring the home-made sauce, you can see he's in his shorts and stocking soles! Soooo laid-back, yet packed with interesting & useful information & skills. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

which kind of makes me think about the question "how can mcdonalds be so successful, despite the customer service being so gash (for US standards) and them literally doing research on how to make it just shitty enough so the customer leaves soon after the purchase" not that i hate mcdonalds with a passion or anything, but it's rarely great, now is it? gotta get them young lol

I've yet to find Kraft dinner in the imports section in Germany. I've had a craving for it for months now and it's been torture, so glad you've been able to get some. It seems the UK has quite a bit more in terms of US import products than here. But maybe I've just had terrible luck!

@@PoptartParasol nah i think you may be right, as a dutchman we lack quite a bit of the imported stuff too my only guess is because germany is alwyas a huge industrical/economic powerhouse of western europe, it does most of the things in-house in the netherlands the competition between grocers is insane, so you'd find a knock off of an american product first before finding the real thing or you'll pay out of the ass for the actual thing in some highly specialized import shop is it irony that kraft is a german brand and you can't find it in germany? :D

I can eat it anytime honestly, even while I'm an adult

@@PoptartParasol Käsespätzle should be easier to find, especially in the south. In my experience the rough surface holds more sauce.

You sound like a fan of Chef John. Remember, the roux can sense fear 😎

Chef John fans unite!!

Warm milk, like 30-45 secs in a microwave or 45-60 if you have a clove stuffed onion for making bechamel. Never fails. Helps to sieve the flour too but isn't essential if you know what you're doing. Using cold milk will just slow down the whole process meaning you could totally overcook the flour for a really glutenous, foul tasting sauce as well as double your time thickening it. Not so bad for home cooking, but not when you're prepping a base white for 50+ covers. I'm a fully qualified chef btw.

@@pittibarlin8692 I was just about to say that, I find that my trick in not getting a lumpy bechamelle sauce is to use the right amount of butter per flour and cook it thoroughly before adding the milk, I also like to put a drizzle of nutmeg in my bechamelle 👌

You could also carry a bit of oil.

I always take the Velveeta mac and cheese just because the cheese sauce doesn't need dairy added

When we hiked and brought Mac and cheese we usually added anout 1/4 of powdered milk to the cheese powder. And these sprinkles called butter buds not sure you can buy the butter buds any longer. But I agree we did usually grab the Mac and cheese deluxe instead when we could afford it.

It's the one thing that is weirdly cheap here in the UK, even though people in the states can grow/farm/make the food on massive scales super cheap, our food prices are actually really cheap. It's something I've seen come up a few times on Reddit

@@ryanmg92 part of the benefit of colonizing dozens of countries

@@ryanmg92 a lot of it is because we use ethenol in our fuel. So a goodly percentage of our best cropland is used to grow fuel corn. A lot of the rest is sold to other countries who come in and farm whatever to ship home while we import a large percentage of our food instead. This in turn leads to us farming places like california for a good percentage of our other food and tbis is further compounded by just how much of our good crop land is owned by the government as government lands and is not allowed to be farmed. Additionally we allow a lot more chemicals in our food which lets them be cut a lot further which further makes things more expensive. Granted thats a gross oversimplification but its the nut shell version. There are also a ton of tax and water rights issues mixed in there as well.

Cheese isn’t that expensive where I live.

Don't know where you're shopping, but a pound of cheese shouldn't cost $10+. I get 1 pound blocks of cheese for around $5 and I don't even live in a dairy state.

Wisconsin here, for Kraft M & C, I skip the milk, one tablespoon of margarine, and two tablespoons of Merkt's Sharp Cheddar cheese spread. Perfect thick sauce every time. You can skip the milk, because of the cheese spread. We usually don't have milk around our place, so I improvised one day and it actually turned out great. Now, I make it this way every time. I usually put a little Tabasco sauce on mine, but not while cooking, only to taste as you eat it.

"American style cheese sauces (like Nacho cheese/Queso)." LOL nice try

@@YourWifesBoyfriend Central America is still America ... and USA cheese sauces are orange, becuase USA style cheddar is coloured orange. :)

@@YourWifesBoyfriend i wasnt aware that the united states encompased the entire western hemisphere.

@@amcconnell6730 Mexico is technically North America anyway

Stilton, nooooo!!! 😅

Wow! I'd have never thought of using those cheeses in macaroni and cheese, I'm a cheese board enthusiast. Was it delicious?

@@sandgrownmanc6614 my exact initial reaction

My Husband (a time served Chef) always adds a small amount of blue cheese, mustard and nutmeg to cheese sauce for macaroni cheese, which is always made using plenty of butter and very mature cheddar. Incomparable!

Ooo, you are quite saucy, aren't you? 😘

Midwestener here. Try using velveeta as your cheese instead. Also, a tiny amount of mustard in the whole batch brings out the cheese flavor. Kinda how coffee makes chocolate taste more chocolatey. Thought for food.

also from the midwest! i like to add broccoli and chicken to mine 😄 i also agree with the mustard thing! it works so well!

Hamburger helper is like that too

Yeah, I bought it quite a while ago when it was in date (although not by much)

@@AtomicShrimp Oh wow you replied before I even finished the video. Was this project intended to be done much earlier and got pushed back?

Velveeta is awesome!

Agreed! Velveta mac is WAY better, I should admit though, I've never liked kraft mac n chesse lol

You can't call it mac and cheese if it's using velveeta, as i recall it's not really cheese.

@@TheErador Yup, I was like "Hold on a minute. Velveeta makes cheese now?"

A bay leaf in the white sauce too adds a nice depth to the finished cheese sauce!

That’s taken me back to the advert with Worcestershire sauce atop cheese on toast bubbling under the grill.....

Hi , my daughter in law loves lavender tea , it that just the dried flowers or do they do something else to the lavender , please ,

@@christinebeames2311 I have seen recipes for a butter cake that has lavender leaves in it. Oh, and as for the tea, you can use the lavender either dried (leaves and/or flowers) both fresh and dried. If you use fresh use twice as much (maybe a tablespoon per 8 oz. cup give or take for strength/taste...

And, you are a fantastic mother-in-law!

It’s one of those things I see recommended a lot that every person should have

That's what happens here. You put the empty bottles out on the doorstep at night (like Fred Flintstone!) and in the early hours the milkman uplifts them and replaces them with full bottles. Milk floats are usually electric, mainly to minimise noise in the early hours, so pretty green in that regard also.

Do you mean glass bottles in general or the ones for milk specifically? Because here in Germany, glass bottles for drinks are pretty common, they get washed and reused multiple times.

What is Kjøttsuppe? Just curious

@@NHarts3 hearty stew made with root vegetables and meat (my mormor used to make it with reindeer when I’d visit her in Trondheim) it’s great

@@Aenima308 oh indeed it is, can absolutely attest to the method of keeping peels for stock making.

Ooh sounds great. I've never eaten reindeer but we make stew with lamb and veggies every week. So interesting to hear about reindeer stew

@@NHarts3 if you ever get a chance to try it, I highly recommend it. I’ve never gotten any here in the states, but my mormor used to always have loads in her freezer. It’s extremely lean, but surprisingly tender. Kinda tastes like a mix of lamb/beef.

look for shell shapes pasta. it also does not form rafts, and even if your recipe calls for draining, it will keep some pasta water, allowing some very nice sauces all around.

Only of you're microwaving it. Cold for hob, hot for microwave

@@sully4576 Nope. I've just checked the packet, and you are wrong. Take 100ml milk and 250ml cold water. Bring to the boil, then add contents of packet.

My mom put bacon (American style)on top when she did homemade mac n cheese. Also crushed potato chips (crisps for UK audience) are nice or French's fried onions as a topping. You are spot on about the relationship of mustard and cheese. Always a great combo.

Vomits a little

Very subtle, aren't you?

Honestly tho- I kinda was like what!? When he said it was bland and salty because I honestly think it tastes really good- but again with what you said I might just be so used to it, and he isn't

I definitely have a lower preference level for salt than some other people, probably even compared to my local peers. I used to buy Smith's Salt& Shake potato crisps, then eat them without adding the salt, so I could taste the potato

@@Farquad76.547 maybe-

Oh Thai basil is wonderful!

@@maxinecalyptus1639 It is :) Have you tried lemon basil? It really is shockingly lemony, amazing smell just brushing one's hand over the plant. Smaller leaves than other varieties but they really pack a punch!

@@Farquad76.547 Yes, I'm a terrible parent. I'll tell my kids.

Add a little hot sauce or mustard and it's extremely good.

Yeah red and yellow box says kraft on it in the uk, exactly the same bit there is no equivalent.

Edit: When making the instant junk I use some of the pasta water instead of the milk and it helps to thicken the sauce.. Also mustard helps with the blandness.

Always been Macaroni Cheese as far as I remember but I was produced in the mid 80s so who knows what happened before that

@@TheErador thanks Fleming you've helped me get a little closer to this as I'm from the mid 70s. Where did it go wrong?

@@terryostype9099 In the US at least, back in the probably late '80s-early '90s, Kraft had commercials where they bragged about the amount of cheese in their mac and cheese and called it "cheese and macaroni". Although I can't be certain if it ever said that on the box itself. I've never been to the UK so idk if they ever showed a commercial like that there, though. edit: I found one! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jrl7aNpkv6evqqM.html (this is for a white cheddar version. I do pretty clearly remember one for the "regular" version, though. Pretty sure the ad contained cartoon dinosaurs)

If you live in pretty much any large UK town or city you can get milk delivered. They will even deliver to my folks farm literally miles from anywhere.

Why does it seem more sensible? Plastic milk cartons are recyclable...

@@user-go5hv6dg3d theoretically yes, but are they? Usually not. Just shipped off out of sight out of mine. Anyway reuse is much better.

@@zogworth it gets recycled. You're being over dramatic...

@@user-go5hv6dg3d does it? Have an actual look into what happens to it in your area. Just washing out a glass bottle is still far less resource intensive.