As the cold, dark nights draw in, there’s nothing quite more soul-warming than a huge comforting bowl of mac and cheese.
While everyone swears by their own personal recipe when it comes to the dinnertime staple, it turns out we could be seriously improving the taste by making a simple switch.
Yup, an even creamier bowl of mac and cheese is super easy to achieve – and it doesn’t involve adding more cheese (although that probably won’t stop us from doing so anyway).
Instead of cooking your pasta in water, cook it in milk instead.
The water-to-milk swap creates a more efficient cooking process (less washing up? We’re into it) – with an even richer sauce.
According to recipe and cooking site The Kitchn, “the starch from the pasta works to thicken the milk, so it already has a saucy consistency from the start”.
When you cook pasta in water, the water (and all the starch from the pasta that’s released as it cooks) is poured down the drain. By cooking the pasta in milk instead, you get to keep all that starchy goodness for your cheese sauce.
However, as the Kitchn points out: “Some milk is absorbed into the pasta as it cooks, but you need to reserve enough to make your sauce.
“So you’ll want to measure out a portion that’s more than the amount the recipe calls for. The amount will vary from recipe to recipe, but I’ve been successful with doubling the milk. A lot will be absorbed by the noodles, and some will evaporate.”
Another key thing to remember is that the milk you cook your pasta in can burn if not watched, so keep an eye on it and give it a good stir frequently.
The result? The creamiest mac and cheese you’ve ever made.
You can thank us later.