Best Microwave Mac ‘N Cheese For Your Buck

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Four Squallers tested out four popular brands of quick-to-make mac ‘n cheese and determined the best value for you

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA BRUCKMAN, HEIDI FUCHS, MYA WEISS, AND MADISON WINTERS

We set out on a quest to find the most valuable, affordable, and scrumptious microwaveable mac on the local market. It all started in room 407, the home of The Squall, where we used Mr. Mack’s Mackrowave 2.0 to heat up the mac n’ cheese cups with water.

Four different brands of mac n’ cheese were used in this quest: Market Pantry, Kraft, Velveeta, and Annie’s.

First, we tried Market Pantry, a generic Target brand. The affordable $3.79 mac n’ cheese (four pack) claims to be a “single-serving macaroni and cheese cup,” featuring “the classic cheesy taste and chewy macaroni you know and love.” The Market Pantry 3 Cheese Swift Mac cup took a whopping three and a half minutes to cook.

When looking at the appearance of the mac, after it was microwaved and put all together, our group’s ratings ranged from as low as a 4/10 to 8/10. The noodle color was more grey than tan which was a major factor in our rating process. The texture was rated amongst the highest out of all the brands at 9/10 or 9.5/10, which, in part, made up for the slightly grey coloring. The noodles were cooked extremely well, not too chewy and not too soggy. Overall, we rated the taste of this mac a 7/10. It wasn’t anything spectacular, could definitely be cheddar.

Next, we tried Velveeta’s microwavable mac n’ cheese, a brand beloved by Mr. Cislo.

Velveeta’s online description states that their “original recipe hits the mark, with iconic, velvety meltability and tender pasta shells that grip the drip like no other.” The pack of four microwavable cups cost us $4.99. Similar to Market Pantry, one cup also required three and a half minutes to cook.

We noticed that the noodles were, once again, cooked to perfection. The appearance of this mac was given a between 7/10 and 8/10 by the group. We liked the look of the shells and unique variation of liquid cheese compared to the typical powder cheese found with the rest of the brands. Although, some of us did find the color of the cheese to look artificial.

The liquid cheese blended well with the shells to give it a creamy appearance and smooth texture. The texture was also a big hit when it came to our ratings, as it received a 9.5/10. We enjoyed the creaminess of the mac and the quality of the shell noodles. The taste on the other hand was “quite disturbing,” according to Heidi Fuchs, a mac reviewer. You gouda brie kidding me!

“The liquid cheese tastes like the Breadsticks N’ Cheese dip you eat as a little kid. Gross.”

The taste ratings ranged between a 4/10 and 7.5/10 with the highest rating given by Madison Winters.

She was a big fan of this brand of mac and explained that “I liked the texture since it was shells not normal noodles, and it was cheesier than the rest.”

The classic Kraft mac n’ cheese was our next contender. This mac n’ cheese costs $4.99 per pack of four and takes three and a half minutes to cook.

Kraft describes their mac to have a “rich taste and creamy texture of macaroni pasta with cheesy goodness.” This mac had a very high rating for appearance with ratings going from a 7/10 to 8/10. The greatest downside to the look of this mac was the discoloration of the noodles and the bright orange color of the cheese. The texture, however, was the complete opposite. The sliminess and the unevenly cooked noodles made our rating a 4/10.

“Considering it was the most popular brand of mac n’ cheese I think of,” as well as many other students at DHS according to a survey sent out, “I was disappointed,” explained Mya Weiss, another mac reviewer.

Because of the discoloration and unevenly cooked noodles, we deemed it impastable to give this brand an overall rating higher than a 6/10.

Finally, our last contestant was Annie’s mac n’ cheese. Annie’s costs significantly more than the rest of the brands.

For a four-pack, at the cost of $5.98, this brand impressed us with its natural appearance and a speedy cook time of just two minutes. This begs the question, is it possible for this to be the best mac for your buck?

In comparison to the other mac appearances, we all agreed that Annie’s looked less artificial. The light yellow-orange pigment and the color of the whole-grain noodles appealed to many of us, but Madison Winters argued that “There’s just no cheese; it’s all mac!”

We gave this mac an appearance rating of 9/10. Even with the quick cook time, the noodles were cooked all the way through. They weren’t too chewy or too crunchy, giving it a final texture rating of 9/10. The taste was also impressive, earning an 8.5/10. In the end, Annie’s earned the highest overall rating out of all the macs with an 8.75/10.

After careful consideration, we decided that Annie’s mac n’ cheese is undoubtedly the best mac for your buck. This mac’s natural ingredients, eye-catching appearance, mouth-watering taste, and speedy cook time were all components that we considered during our decision-making process. Although it was the most expensive cup of mac n’ cheese we tried, we also agreed that it was the best quality and was worth the extra dollar or two.

After this mac n’ cheese review, our eyes have been opened to the various types of microwaveable mac n’ cheese there are on the market. Whether it be store brand, or a well-liked brand by the public, each mac was unique in their own way.

In the end, Annie’s melted our hearts and filled them with cheesy goodness.