Mac N Cheese help

I love cooking, especially from scratch. But one thing my boyfriend loves that I can never seem to get right is mac n cheese---I'm talking about the kind that comes in a box with shells and cheese sauce. After cooking the noodles (if I can ever get them al dente, not too hard or soft) seem to fall apart when I mix in the cheese sauce. I've added milk and butter before and it worked better...but do you all have any tips?

Quoting Jess [Isabella's Mommy] {:“ I love cooking, especially from scratch. But one thing my boyfriend loves that I can never seem to get ... [snip!] ... apart when I mix in the cheese sauce. I've added milk and butter before and it worked better...but do you all have any tips?”

im watching , I made some mac N cheese from scrach and it was NASTY lol soo i need some help with that haha

Quoting Jess [Isabella's Mommy] {:“ I love cooking, especially from scratch. But one thing my boyfriend loves that I can never seem to get ... [snip!] ... apart when I mix in the cheese sauce. I've added milk and butter before and it worked better...but do you all have any tips?”

Just don't cook them as long so they don't fall apart which you know  
Are you doing the one with the ready made sauce or the powder. My friend used to make it with mayonaise instead of butter and milk. It sounds gross but it tasted good- might be fattening if it's regular mayo.
Also if it's powder mix the milk butter and powder all together before adding to the noodles might mix better

When I make it, I cook the noodles and drain them, then put them right back in the warm pot I used for the boil. I add the milk and butter first and mix that in gently with a large spoon and do the cheese little by little so it's not just a big old dry mess of powder I'm trying to work with.

Taste one noodle periodically, and you want it to be very slightly firm. Then dump everything in at once and stir gently! They almost always suggest making to noodles too soft on the box!

Not powder, it's sauce. But it's soooo thick.

ummm ok

make noodles, empty water, add butter so melts on hot noodles, mix around, add powder and milk, for extra creamy add lil extra milk,... stir.... serve

The box always says to cook noodles WAY longer than needed, and they get mushie! I know what you mean. If using a powder cheese, slowly mix in butter first, then add less milk than they say to as well. It gets too watery with too much milk, once its the right thickness, add your noodles. Good luck  

I boil the water, add them and wait 9 minutes, always 9 minutes, without fail it's exactly the way I like it,

After the water boils
add noodles
wait 9 minutes
Drain, but not 100% not all of it, I usually just take a spatula with holes in it and kinda tip the pot, I leave about 40ml of water in it. and I keep it in the warm pot
Turn the burner off, but keep the pot on the cooling burner.
Add butter and cheese at the same time.
Mix really well

start checking the noodles at about 5 minutes. they should be boiled in salted water for better taste

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook until light brown, Add 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and thin w/milk to desired consistancy.

mix noodles and cheese together, place in baking dish and top w/plain bread crumbs (panko are best) bake for about 20-30 mins@ 350until bubbley and the bread crumbs are crispy

Quoting aimeeintx:“ Just don't cook them as long so they don't fall apart which you know   Are you doing the one with ... [snip!] ... regular mayo. Also if it's powder mix the milk butter and powder all together before adding to the noodles might mix better”

that's what i do if i'm making the powder kind, i mix the milk and butter and powder together in the pot while the noodles drain and just let that become a good thick liquid that is warmed through, and THEN i mix in the noodles.

I know that the "cheese" sauce kind will break up the noodles ALOT.
Try heating the sauce before you put it in, so it will spread better.

OH OH I HAVE THE BEST RECIPE FOR MAC AND CHEESE!!!  I swear, I'm not joking, hahaha.  Um.....lemme find it...

Ok, it is really easy and delicious:

Ingredients
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 c milk
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
2 c (8 oz) Shredded American or cheddar cheese (I always use cheddar)
8 oz pasta Elbows (about 2 cups dry), cooked 5 minutes and drained

Directions
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F
In medium saucepan combine cornstarch, salt, dry mustard and pepper; stir in milk.  Add margarine.  Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil one minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 3/4 cups of cheese until melted.  Add elbows and stir.  Pour into greased 2 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.  Bake uncovered 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

we get the velveeta kind and i add salsa to ours- yummy as heck!!1

my mom makes THEE best homemade baked macaroni and cheese... i dont know the exact recipe but i know she boils the macaroni first then put its in a glass pan, mixes together flour, milk, butter. she shreds like 3 blocks of Cracker Barrel cheese (different types). Layers it between the macaroni in like 3 different layers then pours the flour,milk, butter mixture over top and bakes it in the oven for a while. It tastes sooo good.