Macaroni and cheese goes together like pancakes and syrup. The two were made for each other! It’s a filling combination that’s enjoyed by adults and children alike. It’s great as a side dish or toss in some ground beef for a main course. The best mac and cheese is made the old fashion way with real cheese in the oven but it’s time consuming and difficult. Over the years many major companies have sought to simplify this dish into a nice pre-packaged product for us to enjoy soon after the water stops boiling but few have gained the mainstream popularity of Kraft. Kraft has two types of macaroni and cheese one in a blue box that reads: “Kraft Macaroni and cheese” and one that is in a yellow box and reads: “Velveeta shells and cheese” and has a little tiny Kraft logo at the top. For the sake of brevity we’ll call them “Kraft” and “Velveeta” respectively. Both of these are popular at the grocery store but which one really deserves the place of honor beside the green beans?
Kraft Macaroni and cheese in the blue box, the one that’s really cheap. You may remember it from your childhood. Whether you remember “Kraft: It’s the Cheesiest” or “Kraft gets your noodle going!” largely depends on your age. Here’s the facts: Kraft macaroni and cheese consists of a box with elbow noodles and an envelope with the “Cheese sauce mix”. You boil the noodles add 4 table spoons of butter or margarine and a ¼ cup of milk and serve. It’s a ten to fifteen minute process and anyone who can read and boil water can do it. The down side? Taste. The noodles are very thin and they don’t hold cheese well. They barely qualify as elbows because the hole in the middle is so small. The cheese is thin and if you do not stir it up VERY well it will clump. I have personally bitten into a lump of the powdery stuff and I can tell you: It’s just not pleasant. The box says that sauce will thicken as you let it stand but what it doesn’t say is that it will become sticky and gross too. Kids seem to love it but it’s not the most popular with the over 15 crowd. Kraft knows this. That’s why the commercials feature cartoon dinosaurs and children.
Our next contestant is Velveeta. This is the yellow box, it’s more expensive and larger then the blue box. Velveeta is a card board box filled with shell-shaped pasta with a foil-packet of cheese sauce in it. Notice that it is not a cheese sauce mix. Instructions for Velveeta include: Boil pasta, Drain, Mix in cheese and serve. Believe it or not it’s easier then the Blue Box! As for taste, Velveeta is leaps and bounds above the powder mixes and does not require any extra ingredients. It’s more expensive but when you factor in the extra’s that Kraft requires, it’s not by all that much. Also, Velveeta does not thicken as it stands. It is to be thick as it’s going to be right out of the packet but if you want it thinner you can add warm water. If you have left overs Velveeta is much easier to reheat. Sprinkle a little water on top, warm in the microwave and stir.
So, after you answer the question “What’s for dinner?” and you ask “What should I cook with it?” choose Velveeta. It’s richer, creamier and has better tasting pasta. Kraft is fine for kids and college students but for adults, go the extra mile. After all it’s less work.
