Yummy, cheesy and a nuclear shade of orange. That’s how most macaroni and cheese from a box looks, quite unappetizing for a lot of people. But this is childhood memories for a lot of people like me. Who can forget mom making those familiar little cheese tubes for a snack. Yeah, I said as a snack… if you were eating this as a full meal for dinner that couldn’t have been too good for you. Well, maybe for lunch; but I’d hope you had something to go a long with it.

Most people have stuck with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the dark blue box over the years. I know I have for the most part. (They now have “pre-cooked” macaroni and cheese in sauce in a pouch that you just open and heat but I don’t dig that. Reason? Because you can’t control the amount of cheesy sauce that goes in!) However, you know me; I’m always willing to give generic brands like Albertson’s a shot. One of the main reasons is that it seems like macaroni and cheese in a box has shot up in price recently. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t bought any in awhile.

In any case, these Albertson’s boxes of mac and cheese were like forty cents. Sounds pretty cheap. But does it stack up against Kraft? The answer is a surprising yes. Or maybe not so surprising. It’s not like there is a Kraft secret cheese powder after all (or is there?) And noodles seem pretty much the same in the box. So why would you pay $1.00 extra for the name on the box?

A side note: it is endlessly funny to see them put “with real cheddar cheese” on the box, because of course the alternative is “with fake cheddar cheese”. They should actually say “with powder derived by real cheddar cheese”. I forget, does it say real cheddar cheese on the Kraft boxes?

You might be wondering what that red stuff is in the macaroni. Well, I tend to like to “fix” my macaroni and cheese instead of eating it straight out of the box unless I happen to be really lazy that day. The way to fix it is 3-fold:

First, cut up some sort of vegetables and saute them in a bit of oil for a few minutes, then set aside. It can be any sort of vegetables… I used red bell pepper and green onion in my case. broccoli and cauliflower work particularly well. Some people also use carrots or corn and peas. I think it is psychological… you just feel better putting some veggies in so it tastes better.

Second DON’T put in all the cheese sauce! Unless your salty taste buds aren’t working. I find that putting about 1/2 to 3/4 of the cheese powder in can work wonders. It also makes it less bright orange. If it needs to be more salty you can just throw some salt in.

Third, garnish the plate. The magic of parsley is that it makes anything look good. Put a sprig of it in the middle and you’ve got instant upscale “ironic” cuisine. Like those high-end restaurants that charge $12 for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that they call hors d’oeuvres (can never spell that word).

Well, if you’re at home by yourself eating it, the only thing that matters is the taste. So how does it taste? Well, after fixing it with vegetables and less sauce I have to say that it is pretty similar to Kraft. I think it is a little less strong in flavor actually, which suits me much better. That familiar old artificial cheese flavor is there, though.

As I said before, it’s good to be able to control the amount of cheese powder that goes in. It’s also a good thing that you can control the amount that the noodles get cooked. I mean some people like ‘em springy and al dente and other like ‘em softer.

You definitely don’t want to eat this every day. It will probaby do a number on your digestive tract. And I can’t vouch for the nutritional value of this (hm… do you at least get calcium?), but that’s not what we’re after is it? Yet another reason to add veggies to the mix…

Cheap Eats Score: 7/10