You know it, you love it, and you’ve probably eaten it at every family get together. Yep, we’re talking about macaroni and cheese. Everyone makes their version of mac and cheese a little differently. Some bake it, some cook it on the stove top, and some pour it out of a blue box but however you make it, you know it’s going to be a delicious addition to your meal.
Mac and cheese actually has an interesting history behind it. The earliest recorded mac and cheese recipe dates all the way back to 1769 and most likely comes from Northern Europe. In America, we’ve been enjoying this staple thanks to Thomas Jefferson. After a trip to France, Jefferson just couldn’t part with all of the amazing pasta dishes in which he indulged. So, he brought back recipes (a version of mac and cheese included) to America to continue eating his favorite dishes. At his 1802 state dinner, with imported pastas and parmesan cheese, he even served macaroni and cheese (‘macaroni pie’) to his guests.
In 1937 during the Great Depression, Kraft came out with it’s boxed macaroni and cheese option. Back then, one box could feed a family of four for only 19 cents and Kraft quickly sold over 8 million boxes in one year. During World War II when rationing became a necessity, Kraft’s blue boxed mix continued its success.
Today, we make this dish as an addition to any meal (or as the meal itself). At Rizer’s, we stick with our old family recipe for the perfect mac and cheese. It is one of our main staples on the hot bar for our lunch buffet and you can always find it fresh out of the oven with the cheese bubbling over the top.