I just use a strong, mature, local Cheddar and leave it at that.

You’d be good with Gruyere, Cheddar and Parm. Both the Silver Palate and Ina Garten have good versions IMO. SP calls for Fontina, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella and topping of Parmesan. Ina’s uses Gruyere and extra sharp Cheddar.

I’ve liked some recipes found on this site. Haven’t tried the mac and cheese yet.

Simple Palate - Mac and Cheese

Cream cheese would definitely add even more richness. You might try adding just 3 ounces or so, depending on what other cheese(s) you use. Maybe check some m&c recipes online with cream cheese.

I've had good M&C with the kinds of cheeses you mentioned, but if I'm making it on purpose, rather than using up this and that, I use 8 oz. Joseph Farms or Tillamook extra sharp orange cheddar, 3-4 oz. Carmody (a cow's milk cheese with some funk), Mayenburg condensed goat's milk, and a teaspoon of sodium citrate, with Barilla Protein+ small elbows which retain their shape and tooth very nicely.

As to cream cheese, I wouldn't like the gum in Philly, but I could see it as part of the milk measure in making the base sauce to counteract the runniness of some cheeses, I prefer the control of using the sodium citrate (the thing that makes American cheese so melty, it keeps the cheese from breaking, and helps the whole emulsification). I also have culinary gums, like guar and agar agar, so don't need to use Philly to get it. If you want to kind of thin the cheese sauce without actually adding liquid, cream cheese might work. Even a mascarpone (fat from cream separated from the whey) or a cultured cream cheese could work, because they're all less dry than hard cheeses, without leaking water.

Another thought might be Brie if you want to gild the lily even more. Good creamy texture for coating the pasta.

Not your question but I like using penne for mac and cheese.

I just watched the video in the link I posted. You have to wonder why she chose bell-shaped sleeves to wear.🥴

@chloebud- you should watch videos posted by Russian amateur cooks. They have lace sleeves, all of the prep dishes they use are fancy china, there are usually flowers on the table...it's weird and hilarious (though many of the recipes are good :-) ).

I usually use cheddar and a bit of Parmesan or Romano. I do try to use Gruyere along with cheddar for The Hairy Bikers' Crayfish Macaroni Cheese recipe, but for some weird reason Gruyere is really expensive here so I only buy it when it's on sale.

I mostly stick with the three that I suggested, but I can never get the right texture that I want. I figured it might have been whatever other stuff I might be adding, which I hate roux based mac and cheese, because that makes it too thin? I have tried so many different recipes and combinations of things. However, maybe I should try the culinary gums. Maybe that'll get me closer to what I'm looking for. For the record, I'm looking for J Alexander's version. They use shells, and top it with panko, at least they topped it with panko and some sort of cheese back in the day. That's what I'm trying to replicate.

Ah! If you're looking for a particular recipe replication, that's another story. How are you melting the cheese without a roux/white sauce? Too thin is easy to fix if the roux/white sauce is the culprit. 1) That's why I use condensed milk. 2) You can just leave it on low until the excess water in the milk evaporates (it takes longer if the air is humid, and from other variables). 3) You can use cream. 4) You can use arrowroot starch to thicken, which, IMO, is less grainy than flour, corn starch or potato starch. I'm not sure if gum will work as well, but it's worth a try. You might try the sodium citrate, however. It really is good for the texture.

Other thoughts: With topping of panko and cheese, I'm assuming it's baked in a casserole dish? That brings the oven. It should help with the evaporation. All three cheeses are good melters, but cheddar especially is prone to breaking or going brittle.

I'd never heard of J Alexander so looked it up. There are a lot of copycat recipes out there. I read a dozen of them. All use a roux. None use cheddar. All use gruyere and parm. Most use stock and cream and sour cream. This is the one that seemed most likely: https://thekitchenprescription.com/2012/04/13/copycat-j-alexanders-mac-and-cheese/

Good luck.

“How one would make a macaroni cheese is related to how one likes it.”

Absolutely…and tastes can really differ.

This is a timely post, I'm making mac&cheese tonight. I like Alton Brown's recipe. I'm not fussy about cheese -- any old cheddar will do, and if I'm short I'll throw in whatever else I have; I've never used parmesan, though.

Floral, we do have different cheese. Classic American Macaroni and Cheese (not the industrialized boxed kit), is usually elbows or shells and made, at least partly, with what we call, variously, Block cheddar, Supermarket cheddar, or one of several other designations that don't come to mind. It is usually orange from annatto (achiote), but is also available without, which is called White cheddar, and is in the white/ivory/pale-yellow range, depending on the milk (likely the feed). Block cheddar comes in regular, sharp and extra sharp. This kind of cheese has an obvious directional grain. It is notorious for breaking at heat. It can be great in grilled cheese and is very commonly used grated on top of a casserole, but too long on the heat or just a bit over temperature and the oil will melt away leaving the solids, which in turn can dry and become sandy. This is why a great many people at home will add a compound cheese, like an American sliced or Velveeta (which is shelf stable and designed for the purpose), because they have sodium citrate in them.

We also have cheeses called English style cheddar, actual cheddar from England, Irish cheddar, Farmhouse cheddar, etc., which I imagine might be what you're thinking of, though I'd also guess that block cheddar is available in England (perhaps under a different name) unless it falls afoul of some product regulation. It is natural cheese, so I'd guess it would only be the Cheddar name that might be a problem.

I like smoked Gouda - not the processed kind. I buy Aldi's applewood smoked gouda and use it for all kinds of melty cheesy dishes like pizza & lasagna too. For mac & cheese, I will combine it with some cheddar or parmesan, if it's on hand.

And I've mentioned this before; for mac & cheese, I don't melt the cheese into the white sauce, but cut or grate it and layer it between the noodles and white sauce. I get those nice strings that way, a.k.a. 'cheese pull' 🙂

See! I don't make my M&C with either drippy sauciness or "cheese pull". Both textures are popular, as is the coat the mac and stay that I make. Lots of variation in mac&cheese!

I use american cheese for the texture of it, to make it creamy. And I use sharp cheddar for the flavor.Lots more cheddar than american. Sometime I will add provolone or monterey jack to those 2 cheeses as well. My mac and cheese is a baked mac and cheese and it is so good, if i do say so myself.

Mine is baked too - buttered cracker crumbs on top are a must 😋

And sometimes I add whole hotdogs or sausages on top for the final 10-15 minutes.

Interesting to read up on J Alexander's and their Mac N Cheese. I have never encountered it before, although I've heard it.

On the subject of cheese, I agree it is all about taste preference. I do find it is more than just a gruyere or cheddar, but the actual type that makes a difference as well. And using domestic gruyere comes nowhere close to swiss gruyere. I like pecorino for the bite it gives, and like a bit of paprika to layer in some depth of flavor. And for the base cheese, I use a blend of a more medium cheddar for bulk and then a decent gruyere.

Just popping in a minute to say that that J Alexander recipe is so off! And so are all the other copycat recipes I could find. I looked before I came over here. I have asked them at the restaurant, and their four cheeses are three I use, but they did also say that they use blue cheese. I can't envision that? Nonetheless, I will try that someday but in the meantime I know that those recipes are not right, at all. It only has two cheeses every time and I don't get that???? That is so not J. Alexander. I would believe they use shallots and cream, I can see some chicken stock in it. But just parm and cheddar, no way.

“…but they did also say that they use blue cheese.”

The Silver Palate recipe I mentioned calls for Gorgonzola, Fontina and Mozzarella with Parm on top. Very good but definitely for blue cheese fans.

When DH used to work an afternoon shift and I was alone for dinner, I would boil penne and when they were cooked, drain them and mix with chunk of butter and a bunch of grated Gorgonzola and Parmesan. (DH doesn't care much for blue cheeses, and I do.) Yum!

I'm a blue cheese hater, so I think I would notice if there was a lot. Or maybe they were trying to throw me off the trail...

I have now made it, using the mindset of what would I would do if I were J Alexander?! I sauteed onions and garlic, I did boil the pasta in chicken stock, I was heavy on the gruyere and the parm, and light on the cheddar. I did make a roux. There was a splash or two (or a glug) of white wine. The thing about this particular mac and cheese, is that they put whatever is very white in it. It's not full of cheddar, unless it's a white cheddar? I'm much closer this time!

That is so weird that a "copycat" recipe is so far off, and they have so many variations out there. Makes me suspect that someone started one and then others just iterated on the incorrect recipe.

You could try a white cheddar, like Cabot or extra sharp Tillamook or a good English cheddar. Those are going to be much more intense in flavor, though. If you want to dip your toe into adding some blue, try the creamy Cambozola or Fourme d'Ambert which are going to be much more mild than a Roquefort or some of the Rogue Creamery variants.

I really don't like blue. I did throw in some cream cheese, and some brie (that needed using), and I think that helped. I might try something milder next time, like a havarti. There is no bite to it, whatsoever. I think savory is a good way to describe it. I think that's the part I was missing! The onions and the chicken broth really helped that

You could also try Point Reyes blue. It's flavorful but not super sour or funky. I use it for baking with blue and on salads.

Fascinating about how very far off the copycats are. Of course, I haven't seen or tasted the JA. Usually, when one trims away the outliers, what's left is close. Apologies for assuming it would work here.

The M&C I make is very different. Really good on its own, but also a platform for decoration. We do a lot with mix-in profiles on the fly. ;)

No worries about your suggestion! I just hoped you guys weren't comparing it in your head. Because it sounded so awful 😃

I think the white sauce makes a difference too - I flavour mine with fresh ground pepper and nutmeg, a bit of onion( usually chopped green onion tops), a tiny bit of fresh garlic and a bay leaf - and I thicken with cornstarch, not roux, since there will be plenty of butterfat from the cheese.

And FWIW, IMPE extra sharp cheddars get kind of grainy too easily if you're using them for cheese sauce.