I would guess that for a majority of us, our first experience with Mac and Cheese came out of a box. A Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box. I’m pretty sure they were the first company to have boxed Macaroni and Cheese dinners. Check out this TV commercial from 1958!
Even though it’s not the best Mac and Cheese in the world, I figured we should sample some Kraft Mac and Cheese for this cheesy tour, so it’s off to the store we go!
Here we are at Schnuck’s. Let’s go in and find the mac and cheese section.
Wow, check out the wall of mac and cheese box dinners! I never realized there were so many different variations out there.
Even Kraft has multiple selections. I thought we’d pick three of them to sample for this week’s cheesy post.
And here they are back at MBIP World Headquarters!
Alright, let’s cook!
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Kraft Box Number One: Kraft Mac & Cheese Original Flavor.
I had to start with the one that started it all off, the original Kraft Mac and Cheese in the long box.
These are simple to make, you pour the pasta in a pan of boiling water, then you drain it…
Then this style calls for a little milk and butter and then you add this orange powder. I’ve always wondered what this powder actually is…then I try to think of something else quickly because in a matter of moments I’ll be eating this stuff!
Okay, there it is in a bowl and there’s an extreme close-up of the original style of Kraft mac & cheese.
The price of this product is just $1.24 per box and after a few bites, the saying, “you get what you pay for” certainly rings true!
This is about as bland as bland can be and it’s basically warm, flavorless noodles. Let’s quickly move on!
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Box Number Two: Kraft Mac & Cheese - Deluxe Sharp Cheddar
We’re stepping up on the Kraft food chain to one of the “Deluxe” flavors of their mac and cheese box selections. These are about twice the price of the original but it’s still cheap eats at $2.50 a box.
Instead of powder, they have a packet of some sort of gooey cheese product to mix in with the boiled pasta.
There it is, box number two, the Deluxe Sharp Cheddar Mac & Cheese.
This is a little bit better and has a slight flavor of cheese, but to label it a “sharp cheddar” flavor is a bit of a stretch.
Let’s move along to box number three!
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Box Number Three: Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe Four Cheese
Here’s my third and final choice for this trio of Kraft boxed mac and cheese dinners, the Deluxe Four Cheese dinner. Like the other Deluxe box, it also retails for $2.50.
It too has an ooey-gooey cheese packet to mix in with the boiled and drained pasta.
This one is a blend of four cheeses, cheddar, parmesan, colby and havarti. It’s the cheesiest tasting of all three, but it still has a somewhat bland flavor.
None of these were very good, but then again, their audience is the pre-teen and homeless crowd, so what do you expect?
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The Winner And This Week’s Macaroni & Cheese Rating!
The Kraft Deluxe Four Cheese was the best of the three and while this was something I felt we needed to do for this tour, don’t worry, we won’t be doing it again!
I’ll give the Kraft Deluxe Four Cheese a quarter of a box rating. If this is all you can afford to eat, starvation is not a bad option to take!
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Related Posts: The MBIP Mac and Cheese Tour @: Thyme Kitchen + Craft Beer, Hearth, Verandah Cocina Latina, Kenny’s Westside Pub and The Publik House.