Why You Should Think Twice About Making Mac And Cheese In A Slow Cooker

Macaroni and cheese is always a hit at the dinner table, especially during cooler weather. It's the ideal classic dish that's tasty, and it's easy to jazz up mac and cheese with added ingredients, such as bacon or broccoli for extra flavor. Plus, you can prepare this meal in more than one way. However, there is one cooking method you might want to steer clear of if you're in charge of bringing the side of mac to a party. Slow cooker mac and cheese may seem like a great idea for convenience, but it's not so great if you want a delicious result.  

Slow cooker pasta in general doesn't have the best reputation, so it's no surprise that making mac and cheese this way is typically a fail. The standard recipe involves adding cooked pasta and the rest of your ingredients to a Crock-Pot and leaving it to cook for two to three hours. While it sounds easy enough, many people have had bad experiences with their Crock-Pot mac and cheese. They have found that this dish is not meant for a slow cooker, as the sauce gets grainy, and the noodles get overcooked. Instead of creamy, saucy noodles and a gooey cheese pull, you're usually left with mushy pasta and curdled cheese. 

Learning how to use a Crock-Pot like a pro comes with practice, but unfortunately all the tips and tricks may not help your mac and cheese. Your pasta comes out soggy in a slow cooker from the starch and the protein in the noodles. Because it's cooked slowly, the starch swells before the protein sets and creates a mushy consistency. If using a slow cooker is your only option, using fresh cheese and grating it yourself can help with the grainy texture of the sauce. To combat the mushy noodles, try buying a thicker pasta and only boil for about four minutes on the stove to avoid overcooking once it's transferred to the Crock-Pot. You can also leave the lid off for the first hour of cooking if your Crock-Pot gets too hot. 

While some people swear by their slow cooker, it's usually not the top choice for a proper macaroni and cheese. Baking mac and cheese in the oven or on the stovetop may require a little more skill, but it will give you a cheesier and tastier product. Slow cooker mac is quite unpredictable, so it may be best to either only use it to warm the dish or test your recipe at home first. If you are brave enough to try this cooking style, don't say we didn't warn you.