Not sure if I've ever made traditional Mac-n-cheese. But often an 'adult' version with roasted baby artichoke hearts, cherry toms...lots of veg with a mac-n-cheese bubbly crispy top. I did have a killer appetizer lobster Mac a few months ago. Tiny ramekin white cheese sauce from a favorite French lunch spot we like. Fantastic cup of soup, 1/2 sandwich, fennel/celery root slaw,...a special or two every day. This link might help, HERE I have a half dozen bits of good cheese from the holidays and a couple lobster tails in the freezer. (!) I did research fondue last year and sodium citrate was mentioned....never made it (the fondue) but that would be the same creamy goodness a Mac needs.

To taste, lol. But really, 2 c cheese is a good start. For tinkering, make your béchamel with just 2 cups of the milk at first, then start incorporating the cheese, adding the last cup of milk as needed to keep it to the sauce consistency you want. Better to thin at the end than end up thickening down with this kind of sauce. And don't be afraid to mix up your cheeses, or just use cheddar too if you like. Leave your sauce a wee bit loose to finish firming and soaking into the pasta if you are baking it. Pound of pasta is standard, fave kinds is up for debate. So are recommended toppings or not, to bake covered or uncovered- and if uncovered, at what point? Or are you going for stovetop? Let your sauce thicken almost for service, and add in your preferred dente pasta, and still let it marry for at least a few minutes. If you want some topping, save it for the plating. If you like add in's make sure they are all fully cooked and just need the stovetop reheating and marry time before service :)

I agree, though I'm the one who said scratch mac and cheese seemed just as easy. To me, whipping up the equivalent from scratch is just as easy. In such a case, I'd likely crumble rather than grate the cheese (as in have done so—using a food processor cheats the issue, grating cheese by hand is tedious, and crumbling works just as well). Same with throwing together a cake. I don't need a recipe, just bing, bang, boom. The hard part, the liquid ingredients, is the stuff they leave out so the "lady of the house will feel like she's baking". If it's a just add water mix, that's a different story. That really is convenient on many levels. And maybe more of the convenience comes from not having to spend the time to learn to make these things enough repetitions so that making them from scratch does seem just as easy. The only issue I have with any mixes, beyond some extra chemicals that some have, is the tinny flavor, and some people prefer the outcome and flavor of mixes anyway. Whatever floats your boat. No shame. Difference of opinion. Room for all.

Addressing the original post and a need for comfort food for someone having a craving for mac-and-cheese after a hospital stay, i like Julia Moskin's recipe. Silly easy. A NYTimes recipe from 2006. With just shy of 15,000 positive five star reviews. I only make it when i know i will have a few kids under 10. Last was probably 4th of July 2017 or 2018. A few tweaks like an extra 1/4 cup of whole milk, Toss the grated cheese in 2 tsp of corn starch and a 1/2 tsp sodium citrate. Prep a bit ahead and soak the dry elbows in the blender mix for an hour or three in the fridge. As it bakes the dry pasta soaks up the cream. Pre-soaking cuts down the oven time a bit. Any add-ins like sliced hot dogs, (no judgement), can be stired in the second bake. It gets you a sovetop/baked hybrid. NYTimes has a pay wall but found one via food52 Julia's Mac-n-cheese link I do make a parm, panko, olive oil mix for a crunchier topping at the end. I use my 9inch square 'brownie' pan and just stir it in without using another bowl. Easy clean-up. For us and adult friends i make similar but call it 'loaded' or 'adult' mac. (lots of vegetables, olives, artichoke hearts, capers, proscuitto, etc). Better cheeses and much less by 2/3rd's. How Do You Use Sodium Citrate in the Kitchen More Modernist IngredientsClick here to get great sous vide content via emailThis post may contain affiliate links. Read more.Written by Jason LogsdonSodium citrate is a common sequestrant which acts as a stabilizer and improves the quality of food. Melted cheese is one of my favorite things on earth but some cheeses just do not melt well, limiting your options. With the addition of a little sodium citrate almost any cheese can be made into a smoothly melting cheese. Table of Contents What is Sodium Citrate Used For? Where to Buy Sodium Citrate? What is Sodium Citrate? How Do You Add Sodium Citrate To a Liquid? How Much Sodium Citrate to Use? How to Create Melty Cheese with Sodium Citrate? How to Make Cheese Soup with Sodium Citrate? How to Make Fondue or Queso with Sodium Citrate? How to Make Sliceable Cheese with Sodium Citrate? Sous Vide Squid Puttanesca Recipe.mp4 What is Sodium Citrate Used For?Top Sodium citrate is the ingredient in Velveeta cheese that makes it melt so well. You can make your own super-melty cheese sauces with the addition of sodium citrate. It's very easy to use; this process is so easy you'll never go back to making cheese sauces any other way! Just whisk it into a liquid then blend it in the cheese over heat and voila, smooth cheese sauce! It works with almost any type of cheese so use your imagination - the sky's the limit! Sodium citrate reduces the cheese's acidity, makes the proteins in the cheese more soluble, and prevents it from separating into an undesirable consistency; instead creating a smooth, creamy texture that stays together. It allows these cheese sauces to be cooled and reheated, molded or cut for cheese slices, used as fondues and quesos, or added to macaroni and cheese. LINK