vs.
Today’s battle is mac and cheese. I tried Alton Brown’s Baked Mac and Cheese and Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese. The only modification to these recipes was halfing them. All other ingredients and steps remain the same. Neither of these recipes was as delicious as my standby Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Mac and Cheese. Each had issues that I will discuss later in this post. Overall, Ina beat Alton hands down. Her dish won points for presentation, flavor and texture. Ina’s Mac and Cheese is beautiful to look at, the addition of sliced tomatoes was a delicious twist. The tomatoes also made the dish much more visually appealing. Her dish was a beautiful and homey version. The flavor beat out Alton as well, although I found the use of Gruyere a little too strong. Alton’s dish had the addition of an onion to the milk mixture. By introducing the onion into the milk sauce without precooking it gave the dish an overpowering onion flavor. The one piece of Alton’s dish I did like was the use of Panko breadcrumbs. I love Panko breadcrumbs, they give any dish a nice crisp texture. Ina’s cheese sauce was much creamier. If you are a gruyere lover, then Ina’s dish is just right for you. If you prefer something more subdued I suggest you check out my old post on mac and cheese.
Ina’s Mac and Cheese is today’s WINNER!