# So I just tried Kraft Dinner for the first time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554 "2011-06-06T21:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/1 "2011-06-06T21:50:38Z")
I wish there was a pukey smiley. šŸ™‚ Ah itā€™s ok, but very sweet and not very cheesy at all really. My friend is addicted to the stuff and Iā€™m just not sure how/why. Anyone want some? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/2 "2011-06-06T21:54:10Z")
Did you try it with fancy Dijon ketchup? Obviously homemade is the best, but I actually prefer the store brand to Kraft m&c. In college I used to add a can of tuna and some frozen peas. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/3 "2011-06-06T21:56:55Z")
I just seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper. There was some frozen brand of m&c Iā€™ve had while in the US that was really tasty, I canā€™t think of the brand now. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/4 "2011-06-06T21:59:12Z")
You canā€™t think of it as mac & cheese, itā€™s a different thing altogether. When you know and expect slippery bright orange slightly cheese flavoured noodles, it kind of rocks. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/5 "2011-06-07T00:29:24Z")
My wife and I enjoy a brand called Annieā€™s. They make lots of different foods, but the mac and cheese is in a purple box with a rabbit on the front, so we call it ā€œbunny-macā€. White cheddar thatā€™s actually natural cheese (albeit in powder form), shell-shaped pasta. Very tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/6 "2011-06-07T00:38:01Z")
Was it the Kraft with the powder or the larger Kraft with the can? Both are awful but the one with the cheese sauce is slightly less awful than the one with the day-glo powder. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/7 "2011-06-07T00:40:43Z")
Annieā€™s used to be the best mac&cheese, until the company jumped on the ā€œorganic = $$$$$ā€ bandwagon. Now I wonā€™t buy them out of principle. Kraft makes a much better Mac & Cheese than their so-called traditional ā€œdinnerā€. It comes in a bag, and is basically a kit for making baked M&C. First you cook the pasta in a sauce pan, and mix the other ingredients (cheese, milk, butter, flavoring etc) in another sauce pan to make a thick sauce, then you get a casserole dish and add the pasta and drip the sauce on top of it, and then add a bag of bread crumbs to the top. It goes into the oven for 10 minutes, and comes out amazing. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/8 "2011-06-07T00:46:11Z")
Do they have homemade mac & cheese in Ireland? Have you ever had that? As **Elret** says you canā€™t think of it as mac & cheese if youā€™re used to some other kind of homemade. Even when it comes to homemade, there are different kindsā€¦casserole vs. creamy. Kraft is awesome for Kraft Mac & Cheese just like McDonalds is awesome for McDonalds hamburgers. As far as actual mac & cheese and hamburgers goā€¦you can do a lot better šŸ™‚ Hereā€™s an [amazingly awesome mac & cheese recipe](http://weheartthis.com/2009/06/15/worlds-best-mac-and-cheese-recipe/) Iā€™ve been making for parties this summer. Iā€™ve made it 5 times since the beginning of May! It only resembles Kraft in that it uses elbow macaroni and is yellow. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/9 "2011-06-07T00:47:02Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Was it the Kraft with the powder or the larger Kraft with the can? Both are awful but the one with the cheese sauce is slightly less awful than the one with the day-glo powder. Day-glo powder. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/10 "2011-06-07T00:51:33Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Do they have homemade mac & cheese in Ireland? Have you ever had that? There are some packet (canā€™t recall brands) frozen ones you can get that are ok. Heinz does a tin of mac ā€˜nā€™ cheese thatā€™s ok too but itā€™s got an odd aftertaste to it. You can of course have homemade by making it yourself, something Iā€™ve been meaning to do for ages. ETA: It tastes nicer cold, I just tried another spoonful. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/11 "2011-06-07T00:54:35Z")
You obviously donā€™t have enough Canadian genes to truly appreciate KD. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/12 "2011-06-07T00:58:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You obviously donā€™t have enough Canadian genes to truly appreciate KD. šŸ™‚ I suspect the cold winters burn the top layer off Canuck tastebuds. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/13 "2011-06-07T01:18:14Z")
I wonder if the Irish recipe is any different than the U.S. one. Sometimes processed foods are made differently in different places, European Ketchup is a prime example. Iā€™ve noticed that using the ā€œlow fat prepā€ instructions is a recipe for disaster. I loved the stuff as a kid and a broke college student, but stopped eating it for a while there. Then when I started to care about my waistline I tried cutting back and using the low fat prep instructions. It makes a huge difference in the flavor, the low fat prep has a bland plasticy flavor to it, you really need that extra butter and 2% milk to get the right taste. Iā€™ve since compromised on the milk since I only ever have skim at home, but Iā€™m putting a full 4 tbsp of butter in that sucker. With a bit of US Heinz Ketchup too! Advanced tip, toss a slice of Kraft American cheese Singles on top after itā€™s mixed up and let it melt in. Super faux-cheesey! ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/14 "2011-06-07T01:54:02Z")
Yeah, the butter (and milk as opposed to water) makes a big difference. Itā€™s what gives the sauce its richness. Iā€™m a pretty big fan of KD as a quick and tasty dinner but I do acknowledge that it is something very different from what I want when I want _macaroni and cheese_, which should be a more casserole-like dish in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/15 "2011-06-07T02:01:52Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I wonder if the Irish recipe is any different than the U.S. one. Sometimes processed foods are made differently in different places, European Ketchup is a prime example. I bought it in the US and smuggled it home. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/16 "2011-06-07T02:11:22Z")
Itā€™s not so bad if you add 2-4 slices of American Cheese to it. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/17 "2011-06-07T02:25:32Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > There was some frozen brand of m&c Iā€™ve had while in the US that was really tasty, I canā€™t think of the brand now. Was it [Stoufferā€™s Mac and Chee](http://www.stouffers.com/products/details/95/STOUFFERS-Macaroni-and-Cheese.aspx), perchance? We always get [Velveeta Shells and Cheese](http://www.google.com/search?q=Velveeta+shells+and+cheese&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=17R&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kortTenFNoHQgAe5l52vBw&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=578), for the extra dollar it is worth it. Kraft Velveeta M&C is just the pasta and a foil packet of Velveeta Macaroni cheese sauceā€¦ of course we always doctor it up by boiling the shells and draining then, we add around an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup of milk and a big knob of butter back to the pasta in the hot pan, the foil packet of velveeta cheese mix and about an extra 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of whatever cheese we have on handā€¦ maybe some mexican velveeta, a little colby, and some jalapeno Jack. Mix over low heat til smooth, melted, and piping hot. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/18 "2011-06-07T02:47:00Z")
Kraft macaroni & cheese kicks homemade mac & cheeseā€™s ass. Kraft has a nice even consistency, but homemade is all gloppy and has that nasty crust of cheese on the top. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/19 "2011-06-07T02:52:43Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I wish there was a pukey smiley. šŸ™‚ > > Ah itā€™s ok, but very sweet and not very cheesy at all really. My friend is addicted to the stuff and Iā€™m just not sure how/why. > Anyone want some? If only there had been some clue, some indication, some magical way of knowing that a pasta and imitation ā€œcheeseā€ dinner that costs about 50 cents to purchase and around 10 minutes to prepare would be of substandard taste, texture and qualityā€¦šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554/20 "2011-06-07T02:58:25Z")
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon of Keeneā€™s powdered mustard and at least 1/4 cup grated cheddar improve it immensely. Or just cook it from scratchā€¦ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-tried-kraft-dinner-for-the-first-time/584554.md?page=2)