(1) Emeril Lagasse's recipe | (2) myrecipes.com recipe | (3) mycookbook.com recipe | (4) Southern Living's recipe | (5) Straight from the back of the box of Mueller's | |||||||||||||||||||
Ingredients | Ingredients | Ingredients | Ingredients | Ingredients | |||||||||||||||||||
6 tablespoons unsalted butter | 1 (8-oz.) package elbow macaroni | 2 cups macaroni shells | 2 cups milk | 8 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni | |||||||||||||||||||
3 cups whole milk | 2 tablespoons butter | 3 tablespoons butter | 2 tablespoons butter | 1/4 cup margarine or butter | |||||||||||||||||||
1 teaspoon salt | 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour | 3 tablespoons flour | 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour | 3 tbsp all purpose flour | |||||||||||||||||||
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper | 2 cups milk | 2 cups milk | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/8 tsp dry mustard | |||||||||||||||||||
Pinch cayenne | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | 1/8 tsp salt (optional) | |||||||||||||||||||
2 1/2 cups grated Cheddar | 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper | pepper to taste | 1 (10-oz.) block extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded | 1/8 tsp black pepper | |||||||||||||||||||
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs | 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper | 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese | 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional) | 2 cups milk | |||||||||||||||||||
1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese | 1 tomato sliced | 1/2 (16-oz.) package elbow macaroni, cooked | 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 cup croutons | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Measures like 1/2 (16-oz.) package elbow macaroni, or 2 cups macaroni shells are actually equal in weight and volume, so these and other measures and volumes have been converted to a single standard measure. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
All-purpose flour will be called flour and margarine/butter/unsalted butter is just called butter. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Milk is milk, which is good old regular whole milk. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
An (optional) listing does not appear in the comparisons below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ground black pepper and fresh ground pepper are listed as black pepper. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Cayenne and red pepper are the same | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Cheddar is cheddar, we aren't looking at its sharpness level, and grated or shredded are the same. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2 cups of cheddar is the same as 8 ounces | |||||||||||||||||||||||
teaspoons = tsp. tablespoons = tbsp. cup(s) = c | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Add-in Ingredients means that you can add anything you like to the mac and cheese base recipe---so add lobster or, like the original recipes above, bread crumbs, croutons or tomatoes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Everything is now converted to a set standard measure, so we can compare accurately---as we compare apples to apples and nuts to nuts! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
KEY: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
same in all recipes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Some similarities in recipe but a different amount of cheese | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Same ingredient, slight difference in measure | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Not in other recipes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Recipe#1 | Recipe#2 | Recipe#3 | Recipe#4 | Recipe#5 | |||||||||||||||||||
8 oz. elbow macaroni | 8 oz. elbow macaroni | 8 oz. shell macaroni | 8 oz. elbow macaroni | 8 oz. elbow macaroni | |||||||||||||||||||
6 tbsp. butter | 2 tablespoons butter | 3 tablespoons butter | 2 tablespoons butter | 4 tablespoons margarine or butter | |||||||||||||||||||
6 tbsp. flour | 2 tablespoons flour | 3 tablespoons flour | 2 tablespoons flour | 3 tbsp flour | |||||||||||||||||||
3 c milk | 2 cups milk | 2 cups milk | 2 cups milk | 2 cups milk | |||||||||||||||||||
1 tsp. salt | 1/2 teaspoo | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/8 tsp salt (optional) | |||||||||||||||||||
1/4 tsp. black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon black pepper | black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon black pepper | 1/8 tsp black pepper | |||||||||||||||||||
cayenne/red pepper | 1/4 teaspoon cayenne-red pepper | 1/4 teaspoon cayenne-red pepper | 1/8 tsp dry mustard | ||||||||||||||||||||
10 oz. grated Cheddar | 8 oz. grated Cheddar | 8 oz. grated Cheddar | 10-oz. grated Cheddar | 8 oz grated Cheddar | |||||||||||||||||||
Add-in Ingredients | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs | 1 tomato sliced | 1 cup croutons | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 teaspoon Essence |
Conclusion:
It seems to me, from my years of experience in the hospitality industry, that recipes #1 and #5 are completely original, perhaps #1 more so because it contains more milk and roux, which will make the entire dish saucier while not making the sauce too thick and it has more cheese too!
Recipe #5 has some dry mustard added but an 1/8 tsp. really won't do much to the flavor. It's like putting a pinch of salt into two cups of water. Also the butter/flour roux is a lot and will make the sauce almost too thick, thus making the dish a bit dry after it's baked.
Looking at recipes #2, 3 and 4, I see the same basic recipe, perhaps tweaked, simply by altering the amount of black pepper in each one. In recipe #3, I see too much butter/flour roux which again will make for a thick sauce.
Recipe #4 is the same as recipe #2 except for the amount of pepper and cheese. More cheese also makes for a thicker sauce while not really adding a lot more flavor. The difference in pepper isn't a big game changer either!
I wonder if Recipe #2 and #4 fits Julia Childs's comments about the tweaking of a recipe---you be the judge as I'm only pointing out facts. I like recipe #1 the best, nice and saucy with good flavor and salt level.