00:00Wow, this is really heavy.
00:02Really, you could do your arm workout
00:04after you cooked, you know?
00:07Hi, I'm Rachel, welcome to my kitchen sink.
00:10Today we're gonna make the ultimate mac and cheese.
00:13I got all my ingredients from Trader Joe's
00:16and I spent a total of $33.
00:18I actually have friends coming over later today,
00:21so this amount you can probably make good enough for six.
00:23I got my recipe from New York Times and All Recipes.
00:27I just started to take bits and pieces
00:29from different recipes and made it my own now.
00:32So these are the ones that we would need to cut up.
00:35The block of extra sharp cheddar.
00:37I guess that was a dangerous move.
00:39People always tell me that when I cut stuff,
00:41it looks really scary.
00:43I don't really know why.
00:44So the reason why we wanna cut these up into little cubes
00:48is because then they'll melt more evenly throughout.
00:51One of the things I would say is any recipe that tells you,
00:55like, put this much cheese, just double it.
00:57I'm gonna cut up the spicy jalapeno sausage,
01:01also into, like, little chunks.
01:03The last time I made this was in Vancouver,
01:05when my family was visiting from Taiwan.
01:08I made a huge pot of mac and cheese,
01:10and it was my first time cooking for my niece and nephew,
01:12so I was really happy.
01:14I like to cut them up even smaller chunks,
01:16just because I don't want it to be overpowering everything else.
01:19My cooking routine is that I always cook in these bunny slippers.
01:24I don't know if you can see, but I'm wearing them.
01:28I think because I didn't grow up with my parents cooking,
01:32I started to make a lot of things and want to make stew,
01:35make a lot of, like, comfort food,
01:37and I actually didn't start cooking till probably late last year.
01:40I'm using bacon and sausage.
01:43You can pan fry whatever meat you decide to use.
01:46I'll use three.
01:47I went to a restaurant for brunch.
01:49They had this mac and cheese breakfast dish on their menu,
01:52and I was like, oh, wow.
01:53Like, I've never thought about adding bacon in there.
01:55Every time I went to any type of restaurant,
01:58whether it's, like, a diner to, like, a fancy restaurant,
02:02they always have mac and cheese on the side,
02:04and I'd always order it, and my friends are like,
02:07are you becoming, like, a mac and cheese critic?
02:10Now I'm gonna make the macaroni
02:11and the cheese sauce at the same time.
02:14I'm gonna tie my hair up,
02:15because now it's about to get serious.
02:18While his hair ties tight.
02:20Okay, now I'm ready.
02:22And we'll just wait for that to boil,
02:24and then I'm gonna turn the bacon into tiny little pieces,
02:28this tiny.
02:29I started really loving mac and cheese in college.
02:33It was one of the things that I made from, like, instant pot,
02:38like, Kraft dinner.
02:40I never locked my dorm room door,
02:42and I came home one day,
02:45finding that my whole room smelled like mac and cheese,
02:48and I see that pot open, but I never made it that day.
02:51And then I found out it was my three friends that lived next door.
02:55They came in, made mac and cheese, ate it, and left.
03:00Justina, really, why?
03:01I used to always just make it from the box.
03:04I got so into it, and I'm like,
03:05I'm gonna start actually making a gourmet mac and cheese.
03:08What makes this dish the ultimate mac and cheese is,
03:12a lot of times you'll find recipes that says three cheeses.
03:15This was four cheeses.
03:17And then I'm gonna add three cups of milk.
03:23It gets a little chunky if I'm not stirring it constantly,
03:27so this is a part where I have to keep watching this pot.
03:32Multitask.
03:32The first time I was making this, I was thinking like,
03:35wow, this is a lot of liquid.
03:38But once the cheese goes in, everything becomes thick.
03:41So the first time I was kind of worried that it's gonna turn into
03:44a pot of hot milk.
03:46I'm gonna add the macaroni,
03:49and we're gonna get to the good part.
03:52We'll make it rain!
03:54Don't do it at home if it's not safe.
03:57Don't waste cheese.
04:00I just love watching cheese melt.
04:02It's so satisfying, and it smells amazing.
04:05I just like to sprinkle here and there.
04:10Grated Parmesan cheese.
04:15My fourth cheese.
04:17Oh yeah.
04:20Give it a shake,
04:22and you probably can drain more.
04:25I'm gonna add the bacon, sausage, and the macaroni.
04:31So I'm gonna set this aside, and I'm gonna make some bread crumbs.
04:36I learned this little trick from Whole Foods,
04:39and they add red chili pepper flakes into their bread crumbs,
04:45and it's so good.
04:47Can you see how it's getting a little golden brown?
04:49Now I'm gonna transfer everything to this casserole dish.
04:53Wow, this is heavy.
04:56I think this is more than six people.
04:58I'm gonna pop this into the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
05:04Aren't these the most intense oven gloves you've ever seen?
05:08Like, what are they really for?
05:12And it's ready!
05:14Oh, it smells so cheesy.
05:16I had a little taste of it.
05:18I think I could have added more cheese.
05:20So my tip, always go more.
05:22So am I really cooking, or am I gardening with these gloves?
05:25Garden the cheese with love.
05:30Before I dig in, one last thing.
05:32Can't forget the ketchup!
05:34I just love eating mac and cheese with ketchup.
05:36Now we can dig in.
05:40Mmm.
05:42Perfect.
05:43I love making mac and cheese,
05:44and it's pretty easy to just make for six to ten people.
05:48I have such good memories of eating that dish
05:50with a bunch of people I love.
