Mac and Cheese · Creamy Stovetop

Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese

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Before you start

Gather your ingredients

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
More for salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
All 4 swaps for butter

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Swaps for all-purpose flour
Instead of all-purpose flour
- Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
- Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
- Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.
All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
2 cups whole milk
Swaps for whole milk
Instead of milk
- Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
- Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
- Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.
All 5 swaps for milk

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
½ tsp dry mustard powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
Swaps for garlic powder
Instead of garlic
- Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
- Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.
More for garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
More for salt
1 pinch black pepper
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
Swaps for sharp cheddar cheese
Instead of cheddar
- Colby or Colby Jack: The same amount. Milder and softer, and melts very smoothly.
- Monterey Jack: The same amount. Mild and buttery, one of the best melting cheeses.
- Gouda or Gruyère: The same amount. Nuttier and richer; melts beautifully.
All 4 swaps for cheddar
2 oz Monterey Jack or American cheese, grated or torn

Step 1 of 6

Bring a pot of water to a

boil (how to boil)

Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

, add the salt and cook the macaroni until just al dente. Drain.

Step 2 of 6

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk (how to whisk)

Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid

in the flour and cook, whisking, until it smells toasty but hasn't browned.

Step 3 of 6

Slowly

whisk (how to whisk)

in the milk a little at a time so no lumps form. Add the mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Step 4 of 6

Cook,

whisking (how to whisk)

often and scraping the corners, until the sauce bubbles gently and thickens enough to

coat a spoon (how to coat the back of a spoon)

Coat the back of a spoon A simple test for when a sauce or custard has thickened enough. 1. Dip a spoon into the sauce and lift it out.2. Turn it over and look at the back.3. Draw a line through the sauce on the spoon with your finger.4. If the line stays clean and the sauce doesn't run into it, it is ready. Done when: The sauce clings in an even, opaque layer and your finger line holds. Safety: Let the spoon cool for a second before you touch it; custards should reach 160°F.How to tell when a sauce coats a spoon: mistakes to avoid

Step 5 of 6

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese a handful at a time until smooth. Adding cheese off the heat keeps the sauce from turning grainy.

Step 6 of 6

Stir in the drained macaroni. If it's thicker than you like, loosen with a splash of milk. Serve right away.

All done

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
More for salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
All 4 swaps for butter

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Swaps for all-purpose flour
Instead of all-purpose flour
- Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
- Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
- Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.
All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
2 cups whole milk
Swaps for whole milk
Instead of milk
- Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
- Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
- Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.
All 5 swaps for milk

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
½ tsp dry mustard powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
Swaps for garlic powder
Instead of garlic
- Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
- Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.
More for garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
More for salt
1 pinch black pepper
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
Swaps for sharp cheddar cheese
Instead of cheddar
- Colby or Colby Jack: The same amount. Milder and softer, and melts very smoothly.
- Monterey Jack: The same amount. Mild and buttery, one of the best melting cheeses.
- Gouda or Gruyère: The same amount. Nuttier and richer; melts beautifully.
All 4 swaps for cheddar
2 oz Monterey Jack or American cheese, grated or torn