# Macaroni and cheese: Noodles to everything else ratio (need answer fast!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111 "2016-01-04T00:02:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/1 "2016-01-04T00:02:25Z")
I’ve gotten really good at making macaroni and cheese, particularly the cheese sauce, but I’m still a little off on the ratio of noodles to cheese sauce. Either I make too few noodles or far too many. I have not heretofore been measuring the amount of noodles I’ve been putting in; this will change. My other ingredients: 3 tbsp flour 3 tbsp butter 1 1/2 cups milk It will feed two people, with each of us having seconds. So, how many noodles should I use, as measured in cups? Need answer fast, please; I’ll be cooking the food within an hour. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/2 "2016-01-04T00:08:03Z")
A plateful (one serving) of pasta weighs at least 200 grams. That’s 100 grams when dry. Ratio of primary sauce ingredient to DRY pasta is 1:1. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/3 "2016-01-04T00:11:19Z")
So, 3 cups of macaroni noodles, then? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/4 "2016-01-04T00:18:58Z")
That will become six cups when cooked. Ok for two hungry people. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/5 "2016-01-04T00:44:17Z")
Thank you! I’ll let you know how it turns out! (I’d PM you some macaroni if we’d perfected that technology yet.) ---
**Author:** ![Emmy2635](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/919ad9/32.png) [@Emmy2635](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emmy2635)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/6 "2016-01-04T02:45:40Z")
I make mine with 2 cups of uncooked noodles and about the same amount of milk/butter/flour as you. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/7 "2016-01-04T03:19:24Z")
3 cups was good; one big hearty first portion and a smaller second portion, with leftovers. 2 might be better for next time. Will experiment. Thank you both! ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/8 "2016-01-07T15:19:02Z")
My formula is 1 cup dry macaroni 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon butter 1 heaping tablespoon flour and enough Lawry’s seasoned salt to make the béchamel slightly orange. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macaroni-and-cheese-noodles-to-everything-else-ratio-need-answer-fast/742111/9 "2016-01-07T15:39:53Z")
> [@AllShookDown](#): > > My formula is … A box or two of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, a spoonful of margarine (‘spoon’ being a kitchen spoon for cooking with), two spoons of milk per box of KM&C, a slice of American cheese per box of KM&C, and a handful of Tillamook medium cheddar cheese. (And a little blue cheese if there’s any in the fridge.) One of these days I’ll make macaroni and cheese from scratch; but around here the point is a quick, easy, tasty side-dish (or main dish for tuna mac).