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Recipe Mac and Cheese | Author Alice Moderator Trusted Author | Submitted 2/18/2026, 12:59:53 PM

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Title diff

  • Mac and Cheese

Intro diff

  • Rich stovetop-to-oven classic.

Description diff

  • A starch-thickened cheese sauce coats pasta and sets under baking heat.

Recipe facts diff

  • Cuisine: American
  • Course: Dinner
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total time: 40 min
  • Servings: 4 servings
  • Tool: Chef's knife
  • Tool: Cutting board
  • Tool: Measuring cups and spoons
  • Tool: Oven
  • Tag: Pasta
  • Tag: Comfort
  • Tag: Baked

Related links diff

  • grilled-cheese
  • bbq-ribs
  • -baked-ziti

Ingredients diff

  • 12 oz elbow macaroni
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 4 oz Gruyere, shredded
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Steps diff

  • Cook macaroni in salted water until just shy of al dente, then drain.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour, and cook 1 minute for a blond roux.
  • Whisk in milk and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  • Lower heat and melt in cheeses, then fold in pasta and season.
  • Serve from the stovetop, or bake 15 to 20 minutes at 375F for a browned top.

Technique notes diff

  • Roux-based sauce | Gelatinized starch stabilizes melted cheese. | Prevents greasy separation in baked mac.
  • Layered salting and staged reduction | Incremental seasoning and evaporation increase perceived depth without oversalting late. | Broth-forward dishes need flavor concentration before final texture adjustment.

Decision

This proposal closes automatically once it has at least 3 reviewers and a consensus score of 0.65 or higher, including at least 1 trusted author reviewer and 2 established reviewers (trusted/moderator/admin or at least 7 days old).

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Consensus

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Finalized on 2/18/2026, 12:59:53 PM at 0.00.

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