stupid question: what exactly is mac and cheese??

[mimmi]

It will be our first time on the dining plan and "Mac and cheese" seems to be on every children's menu. This is something that doesn't exist here, so waht is it?
I can imagine that there is pasta and cheese involved, but is there any meat in it? It sounds quite bland, are there any herbs or tasty spices in it?

 

[ohiodisneydad2]

Mac and Cheese is usually elbow macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce. Good mac and cheese uses a cheese sauce made with a variety of cheeses with spices/seasonings like salt, pepper, a little cayenne and some garlic powder.

 

[glendalais]

It will be our first time on the dining plan and "Mac and cheese" seems to be on every children's menu. This is something that doesn't exist here, so waht is it?
I can imagine that there is pasta and cheese involved, but is there any meat in it? It sounds quite bland, are there any herbs or tasty spices in it?

You're actually not that far off the truth. It's a dish popular in English-speaking countries (particularly the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom) consisting of pasta and cheese sauce. It's a very simple dish. Indeed, there are many people who would be quite horrified if one were to add herbs or spices to it.

For your convenience, here's a German-language description of it from Wikipedia:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaroni_and_cheese

 

[mimmi]

Ok, thanks. I just couldn't imagine a pasta dish without herbs, funny, I've never noticed that we barely ever cook without using any herbs.
The Wikipedia description with the pictures is really good as, knowing my daughter, I'm sure I'll never see macaroni and cheese in real life...

 

[Googelibear]

It will be our first time on the dining plan and "Mac and cheese" seems to be on every children's menu. This is something that doesn't exist here, so waht is it?
I can imagine that there is pasta and cheese involved, but is there any meat in it? It sounds quite bland, are there any herbs or tasty spices in it?

mimmi, es ist eine Nudelcasserole. Man backt es im Ofen in Europa. In Deuschland mit Schinken... Du kennst das bestimmt.
Sehr langweilig, da hast du recht. Billiger Kaese mit langweiligen Nudeln.

 

[Lynne M]

What you're seeing on the WDW menus is a typical 'kids' version of mac & cheese, and it's intentionally very plain, to appeal to a wide audience of kids with picky appetites.

There are many, many varieties of mac & cheese out there, with much more interesting ingredients. Some bake it with a layer of bread crumbs on top, various kinds of cheeses are used, herbs, spices, etc.

The best mac & cheese I ever had was at the Marriott Marquis hotel in NYC. It had a very rich sauce, and bacon. I don't remember which cheeses were in the sauce, but I sure do remember the bacon. I'm sure it was spectacularly unhealthy, but oh, man, was it good.

 

[mimmi]

mimmi, es ist eine Nudelcasserole. Man backt es im Ofen in Europa. In Deuschland mit Schinken... Du kennst das bestimmt.
Sehr langweilig, da hast du recht. Billiger Kaese mit langweiligen Nudeln.

Also deutsch habe ich hier nicht erwartet, wow! Wir machen das in Österreich mit einer Sauce aus Ei und Käse mit Schinken, allerdings mit Petersilie, das schmeckt sehr gut: "Schinkenfleckerl"


Lynne, what you described sounds a little bit like the Austrian version: a cream of eggyolks, whipped egg whites, cream or milk, a little bit of cheese and bacon or ham, as well as, parsley.

Ha, that's an excellent idea for tomorrow's dinner .

 

[Googelibear]

Also deutsch habe ich hier nicht erwartet, wow! Wir machen das in Österreich mit einer Sauce aus Ei und Käse mit Schinken, allerdings mit Petersilie, das schmeckt sehr gut: "Schinkenfleckerl"


Lynne, what you described sounds a little bit like the Austrian version: a cream of eggyolks, whipped egg whites, cream or milk, a little bit of cheese and bacon or ham, as well as, parsley.

Ha, that's an excellent idea for tomorrow's dinner .

There is nothing better than Austrian food. Oh how I miss it.
Do not expect the American version to be tasty. I would chose something else, if they let you substitute

 

[mimmi]

Did you live here or are you Austrian?

Don't worry, my daughter will definitely refuse to eat it, I'm glad she loves chicken nuggets, and she will be delighted to get them very often in wdw.

 

[psac]

There is an adult version of mac and cheese at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge that is REALLY good. Overall thought AP was good, not great, but that mac and cheese was one of the best items I've had anywhere in WDW.

 

[Arkansan]

Le Cellier has an excellent version of macaroni and cheese as a side dish! It is very similar to a PP's description--contains bacon and has bread crumbs sprinkled on top. Definitely NOT a boxed version! My DD ordered it as her main dish when we ate there in May 2010. (She was 9 or 10 at the time and nothing else appealed to her. I know, crazy, huh?) We were paying OOP, not on a DP. Her brother and sister were jealous when she got her meal and DH even loved it--he would "taste" it every time she turned her head!

Have a fun trip!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

There is good macaroni and cheese and there is bad macaroni and cheese. Homemade mac and cheese with all good fresh ingredients is comfort food. The mac and cheese they serve at most restaurants at WDW is NOT good, but many kids eat it!

 

[Googelibear]

Did you live here or are you Austrian?

Don't worry, my daughter will definitely refuse to eat it, I'm glad she loves chicken nuggets, and she will be delighted to get them very often in wdw.

No, I am from the island of Sylt, the most northern point in Germany. Right on the border of Denmark. But I lived with parents who traveled far and wide all the time and all over the place. I was a lucky child

 

[mhsjax]

Ok, thanks. I just couldn't imagine a pasta dish without herbs, funny, I've never noticed that we barely ever cook without using any herbs.
The Wikipedia description with the pictures is really good as, knowing my daughter, I'm sure I'll never see macaroni and cheese in real life...

Yep, it is dull. I never did like the stuff, to boring for me. Lots of kids do love it, because it is somewhat dull and a lot of kid don't like spices or herbs. It just isn't my cup of tea.

 

[Tara922c]

Basically it is elbow pasta and melted yellow cheese sauce. If my child, and several American children I know, could pick one food to live on, it would be mac and cheese. I can't stand it, but my kid loves it!

 

[leebee]

Sorry, but I have to defend good, homemade macaroni and cheese. My mom's recipe, which I make for my family, is my absolute favorite. It's made with a basic white sauce (milk, butter, flour) seasoned with pepper, dried mustard, garlic, nutmeg, worcestershire sauce, cayenne. Extra sharp cheddar is melted in with just a little velveeta to help with keeping the sauce from separating when baked in the oven (about 4 parts cheddar, 1 part velveeta). SOmetimes I even make it with white wine substituting for part of the milk. The sauce is poured over ziti and baked in the oven, usually without breadcrumbs on top. It is a FAR cry from the nasty boxed stuff, and certainly NOT elbow noodles with melted yellow cheese! Wolfgang Puck also makes a deluxe version with cream, butter, and four different cheeses, including gorgonzola. Unfortunately, "Mickey-roni" and cheese will be a bland substitute for a good macaroni and cheese, but don't write off macaroni and cheese without trying the good, homemade version!

 

[TreesyB]

Le Cellier has an excellent version of macaroni and cheese as a side dish! It is very similar to a PP's description--contains bacon and has bread crumbs sprinkled on top. Definitely NOT a boxed version! My DD ordered it as her main dish when we ate there in May 2010. (She was 9 or 10 at the time and nothing else appealed to her. I know, crazy, huh?) We were paying OOP, not on a DP. Her brother and sister were jealous when she got her meal and DH even loved it--he would "taste" it every time she turned her head!

Have a fun trip!

Yes, it's very good and my son ordered it too. He would have enjoyed it more if he hadn't burned his hand on the pan though... ruined both our meals