skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

Mac & Cheese in the microwave?

15 years ago

Hi Kids,

My oven is on the blink, not holding temp. My new one will be delivered on Monday but I was in hopes of making some yummy mac & cheese for my Grand Daughter today.

My question...if my oven will not hold temp long enough, can I finish cooking in the microwave? I make it from scratch with the pasta, cut up cheese, a little flour and milk. I would bake it for about an hour at 350* and it would be oooey gooey with a wonderful brown top. Should I adjust anything if it may well be finished in the micro? Or should I forget about the oven all together and just use the microwave, start to finish? Microwaves are great but not for everything.

Thanks, Kids.

sooey

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

azzalea
15 years ago
The microwave is fine for Mac and cheese--all you're really doing is heating the ingredients together. Of course, if you have an Advantium, it's no problem at all--you can heat and brown the casserole in about 12 minutes, without preheating--I don't suppose you have one?

You won't get a nice brown crust on top in the microwave, of course, but there are a couple of ways to get around that. IF your oven's broiler will go on for 10 minutes or so, once the casserole is hot through, you can run it under the broiler. Alternatively--you might get your husband to brown the top with his blowtorch--pro's often use that method. You have to be careful, and keep the torch back a bit so you don't burn the top or crack the dish. And watch out for the table, curtains, etc--of course!

Another option, is to put your bread (or panko, or cracker, or crouton) crumbs in a skillet with a little pat of butter and saute until they're nice and golden brown and just sprinkle over the mac and cheese before serving. As long as you don't let them see you do it, no one will realize that you cheated!

There's a third option--which I've used many times--even for baking bread and cakes. You can bake in your propane grill. You need to use indirect heat, so I light the outside 2 burners, and not the inside 2. You kind of have to keep a close eye on the temperature gauge, but once you get it adjusted, it's pretty stable. Then put your casserole (I'd use a metal pan, just to be on the safe side) in the center) and close the lid. Check on it a little more frequently than you would in the 'real' oven--so you can turn it, if needed and/or adjust the temperature.
sooey
Original Author
15 years ago
Wow...Azzalea...what a smart women you are! Those are all great ideas. I had thought of the grill but had not considered the indirect heat issue. I never would have thought of the blowtorch...don't think my husband even has one of those. And no, I do not have an Advantium.

My plan now is to go ahead and make the mac & cheese the way I always do, start it in the oven but switch to the micro if it craps out. Thank you, I am glad to know that that is an option that will work. If that is the case, I will miss the nice brown top but I am sure it will taste just fine without it.

Thank you, Azzalea! You have saved my sanity for today.

sooey
Related Discussions
One-Pot Mac 'n' Cheese, or, Playing With Our New Toys
Q
Comments (7)
johnliu: It heats more at the center than the edges like a small round teppan grill, but that can work to your advantage when you're making a roux. You can spiral the cooked part to the edge and then pull in the less cooked stuff. When you boil water, the bubbles rise from all over the bottom. seagrass: World Kitchen, who took over the housewares division of Corning, Inc. never discontinued the Visions line but for a time they substituted imported stoneware for Pyroceram and sold it under the "CorningWare" name. The public wasn't fooled and in 2008 they brought back Pyroceram. It's all at their online store (link below) and in their factory stores around the country. Here is a link that might be useful: World Kitchen Online Store (CorningWare, Visions, Revere, etc.)
...See More
Creamy mac and cheese with cheez whiz
Q
Comments (16)
I've been thinking of stuff to throw together... perhaps brown some chopped meat, throw in salsa (store bought, not your wonderful homemade stuff) and cheese wiz... plenty of possibilities to make something that tastes great in a junk food sort of way and leaves you feeling sick. And that got me to thinking about Frito Pies, which got me remembering one of my favorite Anthony Bourdain quotes: "I managed to reach a depth of self-loathing that usually takes a night of drinking to achieve." -- after eating a Frito pie on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (New Mexico)
...See More
kids lunchbox mac and cheese
Q
Comments (2)
I do sodium citrate cheese sauce for M&C all the time, but not in a thermos. With sodium citrate cheese sauce the leftover always taste good reheated in a microwave. dcarch
...See More
ATK Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Q
Comments (12)
Weird recipe. I wonder if they're trying to make it be like the box? Cheddar is the most likely to break and turn into oil and grainy solids if overheated and in a number of other faux pas. American has sodium citrate in it which brings the ooey gooey meltiness. You can buy food grade sodium citrate and transform cheddar or any other cheese into something cooperative. Otherwise, having American in the mix helps a lot. I like some Swiss (Emmentaler) which has tang and stretchiness. So, to me, the "normal" way of making mac and cheese is to cook the macaroni to just barely edible--less cooked than al dente and drain well, shaking the colander so the water gets out from inside (I only use elbows or shells if I call it "mac and cheese" rather than "pasta with cheese sauce". Make a roux--not too dark--and add milk, in the normal way to make a white sauce. Season. I prefer dry onion powder to fresh, wet onion for this. Other flavorings as well, but I'll skip those. With the heat on fairly low, slowly add broken up American cheese (preferably deli style, not singles, but singles will work). Once that's settled, add whatever cheeses you're using, and when it's good and melty, add in grated cheese, stirring and letting it incorporate bit by bit. When it's done, fold in the macaroni and let it heat and finish cooking in the sauce, stirring intermittently until it's done. Alternatively, once combined, spread in a casserole dish, top with bread crumb topping or grated cheese and heat until the topping is browned and it's hot all the way through. Another way to keep the cheddar from breaking, especially if you don't have American or sodium citrate, is to make the sauce, add an easier to melt cheese if you have it, or just go with the white sauce, incorporate the macaroni, and when the macaroni is hot and tender, add grated cheddar and keep stirring on the heat just until the cheddar is more or less melted. The macaroni might get a little broken up but the cheddar shouldn't break.
...See More

Related Stories

FURNITURE 10 Furniture All-Stars of Versatility

By Charmean Neithart Interiors

With these flexible home furnishings on your team, you'll win points for adaptability in your layout and style wherever they land

Introducing Hard Working Kitchen Nooks

By Becky Harris

DECORATING GUIDES So Your Style Is: Transitional

By Lisa Frederick

This sophisticated look hits the sweet spot between traditional elegance and contemporary cool for harmony in your home

HEALTHY HOME 12 Ways to Set Up Your Kitchen for Healthy Eating

By Becky Harris

Making smart food choices is easier when your kitchen is part of your support team

KITCHEN DESIGN Houzz Call: Tell Us About Your First Kitchen

By Becky Harris

Great or godforsaken? Ragtag or refined? We want to hear about your younger self’s cooking space

KITCHEN DESIGN Home Above the Range: Smart Uses for Cooktop Space

With pot fillers, shelves, racks and more, you can get the most function out of the space above your kitchen range

KITCHEN DESIGN 16 Scrumptious Eat-In Kitchens and What They Want You to Serve

By Becky Harris

Whether apple-pie cheerful or champagne sophisticated, these eat-in kitchens offer ideas to salivate over

GREEN BUILDING Houzz Tour: Home Keeps Its Place on ‘Sustainability Street’

Materials are reused and recycled in a midcentury brick bungalow for an energy-efficient remodel and addition

KITCHEN BACKSPLASHES 15 Creative Kitchen Backsplashes for the Adventurous

By Kelli Kaufer Designs

Consider using snow skis, mirrors, bottle caps and other unusual materials for your next kitchen backsplash

HOUSEKEEPING 10 Chores You Can Whip Through During Commercials

By Becky Harris

Use ad time for getting tasks done, and it’s like fast-forwarding your house into cleanliness

Sponsored

More Discussions

Lettuce and salad greens avoidance?

161

Fish meds..........

9

14

Smile today - 8/8/26

5

Spots on my philodendron.

2