Yes, everybody makes basic cooking mistakes. Like, say, something as simple as overcooking mushrooms or toasting grains and spices. Below, reader Jasmin Wilson confesses to overcooking macaroni and cheese to associate food editor Rick Martinez. Here’s Martinez's advice for making sure it never happens again. Welcome to Effed it Up.
__Dear Rick, who would never even dream of mushy mac,__I don't know how to say this, but: I overcooked macaroni and cheese. It came out as complete mush, and I think it was the powdered kind, but I want to know why. In my defense, I'm pretty sure lightning struck behind my apartment at the exact moment I was making it. Please help.
Thanks,
Jasmin
Dear Jasmin,
Overcooked mac and cheese is the worst—really, it's horrible. I love mac and cheese, but I'm almost always disappointed when I order it out: It's always too mushy, too dry, too saucy, or not seasoned well. (That last one's my personal pet peeve.) So let's just say it here and now: Never again with the mushy macaroni and cheese, Jasmin. We're done with that.
When cooking any pasta, there are two things you should always remember. First, cook the pasta in heavily salted water; it should taste like the sea. Second, always cook it to al dente.
Depending on what I'm going to do with the pasta, I actually prefer to undercook it, because pasta will continue to cook and absorb liquid when you toss it with sauce later on.
When I'm tossing a pasta in a stovetop sauce like marinara or Alfredo, I'll undercook the pasta by about a minute or two. If the box says nine minutes, I will pull it out at seven-and-a-half to eight minutes. It should be tender on the outside and still slightly stiff and underdone in the center. (Remember to save a cup of pasta cooking liquid in case you need to thin your sauce or if your pasta needs more cooking time.)
Immediately toss the pasta with the sauce and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is fully cooked. As a general rule of thumb, I like to use one-and-a-half to two cups of sauce per every pound of pasta.
For baked mac and cheese, I'll generally cook the pasta for about five minutes in boiling, salted water, before I mix in the cheese sauce and bake. It will absorb all that creamy goodness and fully cook in the oven. It will never be al dente, but it definitely should not be mushy, either. It will also continue to absorb and thicken as it sits outside of the oven. So serve it hot, while it's still creamy, about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven.
Get that pot of water going. You're making mac and cheese tonight.
Love,
Rick
We know you love mac and cheese. You’re welcome.
This homemade mac and cheese is our Platonic ideal: It is deeply cheesy and creamy and has a crunchy crust. Plus, it doubles easily for a crowd.
Okay, you want to go big tonight and make your own pasta from scratch? We respect that.
