Do you have a Mac and cheese recipe with gooey cheese pull?

[saraha]

I have a tried and true stove top recipe my family loves, but ds14 came home talking about a different style and he was in love with the cheese pull. So of course I headed to best crowd sourcing spot I know.

Thanks!

[marbel]

Sorry you didn't get any responses to this. I was curious myself as I don't think I've ever experienced cheese pull with mac and cheese - because it's creamy. I do prefer baked mac and cheese to stovetop. Maybe melting cheese on top of the creamy cheese  sauce would give the effect you're looking for?

 

Edited June 25 by marbel

[Kassia]

11 minutes ago, marbel said:

Sorry you didn't get any responses to this. I was curious myself as I don't think I've ever experienced cheese pull with mac and cheese - because it's creamy. I do prefer baked mac and cheese to stovetop. Maybe melting cheese on top of the creamy cheese  sauce would give the effect you're looking for?

 

I prefer baked also and mine is pretty dry with a crunchy panko/baked cheese topping.  I don't think I've ever had cheese pull with mac and cheese, but I'd be happy to try it!  🙂  

[Rosie_0801]

I don't have a recipe, but presumably the pull comes from mozzarella?

[Spryte]

No, but now I want one!

Mac and cheese is my happy place.

 

[marbel]

Yes Rosie knows! Mozzarella is the right cheese for pull. 

[saraha]

48 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

I don't have a recipe, but presumably the pull comes from mozzarella?

I wondered about that, If there are types of cheeses better suited to cheese pull. Are there “pulley” cheeses that have more flavor than mozzarella? Or would you expect a different cheese to provide the flavor and  the mozzarella to provide the pull? 
My sil makes a baked Mac and cheese, it doesn’t strike me as creamy or cheese pull. It is very very dry. I didn’t know baked could be creamy
 

[ScoutTN]

Swiss will add pull. My sister and I used to call grilled swiss “pulley cheese” sandwiches. 

[Clarita]

Maybe you could mix mozzarella with the cheddar (mozzarella for the pull and cheddar for the flavor). The last time I used mozzarella in a mac and cheese though I didn't feel like it incorporated well, but that could be user error because at the time I just used it because I ran out of cheddar and didn't think about the cheese pull factor. Basically use more than one cheese some strong flavored cheeses and some cheese with pull.

For creamy macaroni just have more liquid. Baking takes out some of the liquid so I would assume more cream than usual and make sure there is something crusty on top like a layer of panko to keep the moisture from leaving at some point. 

[Clarita]

My oven mac and cheese stays pretty creamy but I can't tell you what the ratios are because I just eyeball the whole process.

[Kassia]

27 minutes ago, Clarita said:

My oven mac and cheese stays pretty creamy but I can't tell you what the ratios are because I just eyeball the whole process.

I'm in awe of people who cook like that.  I need an exact recipe for pretty much everything.

[Rosie_0801]

Just now, Kassia said:

I'm in awe of people who cook like that.  I need an exact recipe for pretty much everything.

Can you figure out substitutions for a recipe?

[marbel]

Here are a couple baked Mac and cheese recipes we have liked. Neither has ever been dry.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/marthas-macaroni-and-cheese/

 

https://www.thechunkychef.com/family-favorite-baked-mac-and-cheese/

[marbel]

25 minutes ago, Kassia said:

I'm in awe of people who cook like that.  I need an exact recipe for pretty much everything.

Ya know, I've been cooking for decades, and it is rare that I can make something like mac and cheese, or a cake, or many other things without a recipe in front of me.

I know the techniques. I know what flavors go together. I can do simple things like, make a seasoning rub for meat for grilling; I can season and saute or roast chicken, I can make a simple soup, but anything more complex than that, I need a recipe. It's amounts and proportions that get me. I can't remember them, I can't come up with a proper formula for them. If I make something from a cookbook or website, and want to make it again and have it taste the same, I get out the recipe.  (I do increase most seasonings most of the time, because I've learned it's never enough.)

Every Christmas, for years and years, I have made English toffee from a recipe that I think was my mother's, or close to it. It has like 5 ingredients I think. I need to pull out the recipe card every dang time. 

I have been told that makes me not a real cook. The heck with that idea. I can cook. I just can't remember. 

Edited June 25 by marbel

[Clarita]

18 minutes ago, Kassia said:

I'm in awe of people who cook like that.  I need an exact recipe for pretty much everything.

There are cookbooks and recipes that cater to being able to do that. I also keep a notebook/journal (post it notes attached to recipes) of tweaks I've made and how it turned out. After a while you start to see patterns in what happens while cooking. Although the first time I use a particular technique or type of cooking/baking I do follow the recipe to the letter. 

You do have to be OK with sometimes you have to be prepared to order takeout 😬. Sometimes things go horribly wrong. Sometimes you just end up with super sweet butter instead of frosting. 

[Kassia]

47 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Can you figure out substitutions for a recipe?

No, but I will do a search on Google or ask here if I need a substitution.  🙂  I couldn't figure out something on my own. 

 

24 minutes ago, Clarita said:

There are cookbooks and recipes that cater to being able to do that. I also keep a notebook/journal (post it notes attached to recipes) of tweaks I've made and how it turned out.

This reminds me of a note I made on a recipe where I wrote, "use less" but it looks like it says useless. That always makes me laugh.  I should probably change it in case I die and one of my kids wants that recipe.

[Clarita]

8 minutes ago, Kassia said:

This reminds me of a note I made on a recipe where I wrote, "use less" but it looks like it says useless. That always makes me laugh.  I should probably change it in case I die and one of my kids wants that recipe.

Oh no I never even thought of someone else reading my notes... I have to remember to remove the sarcastic snarky comments before I die.

[Rosie_0801]

12 minutes ago, Kassia said:

No, but I will do a search on Google or ask here if I need a substitution.  🙂  I couldn't figure out something on my own. 

I've been training my 17yo to think about what role the ingredient plays in a recipe so she can make an educated guess about what to substitute, whether it can be left out, etc.

It's been over a year since I've found a quarter of an onion, falling out of the glad wrap, in the fridge! (What did she think I was going to do with a quarter of an onion I didn't know about, and how was it going to ruin really any recipe ever? Life's mysteries...)

[Rosie_0801]

6 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Oh no I never even thought of someone else reading my notes... I have to remember to remove the sarcastic snarky comments before I die.

Don't erase women's history like that! 😱

[ScoutTN]

1 hour ago, Clarita said:

My oven mac and cheese stays pretty creamy but I can't tell you what the ratios are because I just eyeball the whole process.

This. 

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, saraha said:

I wondered about that, If there are types of cheeses better suited to cheese pull.

According to this link  https://www.wadairy.org/the-stretch-of-cheese/

“The cheese used shouldn’t be aged over one year and should have the right amount of protein, fat, moisture, and acidity. Some of our stretchiest, meltiest local favorites include:

• Gouda
• Cheddar
• Fontina
• Havarti
• Muenster
• Mozzarella
• Gruyere“ 

We use the shredded mexican blend when we are lazy. Else my kids would add more mozzarella until they are happy with the stretchiness of stovetop macaroni and cheese. 

[Spryte]

3 hours ago, Clarita said:

Oh no I never even thought of someone else reading my notes... I have to remember to remove the sarcastic snarky comments before I die.

Oh, please leave them! My favorite handwritten recipe card from DH’s grandparents has, “make a highball and watch People’s Court” as the baking time for whatever. It’s hysterical, and I want to frame it!

[KungFuPanda]

There have been a few viral TikTok recipes. Is it like this one? 

 

[PeterPan]

You might sort out whether the mac and cheese actually had a traditional bechamel/white sauce. It may have been cheese with just a bit of liquid added. We have some versions like this in our family and they're pretty informal (dump and stir).

[saraha]

10 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

There have been a few viral TikTok recipes. Is it like this one? 

 

Could be, he ate it at a friend’s and said she took it out of the oven and when she served it up it had cheese pull and he thought it was fantastic 

[Clarita]

I've never tried Velveeta myself but I've known some people to use Velveeta to get certain cheese textures. These are people that I respect as good cooks.  

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Clarita said:

I've never tried Velveeta myself but I've known some people to use Velveeta to get certain cheese textures. These are people that I respect as good cooks.  

Velveeta won't give a good pull.  It's super melty and creamy. Think queso dip! Mmmm.... 💗

[Pippen]

Use the search terms stretchy macaroni or mac and cheese, and you'll find some recipes. 

 

 

Edited June 27 by Pippen

[ava_johnson]

Actually, I would also like to try to cook this. In general, I am constantly interested in new recipes. But I think I'm going to save recipes like Mac and cheese for a little later. Now my main goal is to improve my health and maintain a good body condition, and it is possible only with a proper, balanced diet. Now I'm following this interesting diet plan https://betterme.world/articles/steak-and-eggs-diet/. I like that I don't have to limit myself and can really eat well and tasty now.

Edited July 29 by ava_johnson

[Carrie12345]

My baked Mac and cheese doesn’t have a real cheese pull, but it is creamy, and it would probably have a pull if I upped the Swiss.

I do a béchamel of 4/4/3.5-4 with 4oz cream cheese, 4 oz Swiss, 4oz pepper jack, and 8oz sharp cheddar. I don’t top it with anything, just mix and bake.