A Taste Test - Mac n Cheese Style!

There are few things in life that I love more than eating tasty food. One of my favorite ways to partake in this aforementioned favorite hobby is to have a taste test so I can try different flavors and brands of my favorite dishes and narrow down my life's menu to only the best! As much as I enjoy eating delicious cuisines, ironically, I also am guilty of pinching every penny I can at the grocery store. If there is a store brand alternative I almost always choose it and I shop at stores like Aldi that carry only store brand products to save money whenever I can. This week I wanted to write a post about my latest taste test when I bought, prepared, tasted and reviewed: macaroni and cheese!

The showdown: Stove top Macaroni and Cheese

Competitors: Kroger Spirals v. Kraft Spirals

The outcome: I was SO disappointed by this taste test! Like I said I almost ALWAYS buy the store brand version and in this case what we realized is that in the case of stove top mac n cheese spirals: Kraft Spirals are HANDS DOWN the way to go! From the pans they were each cooking in I could see a difference almost immediately between the textures of the two. The store brand mac n cheese was clumping when I added in the cheese mix, milk and butter. Even with adding extra milk the dish still contained visible chunks of cheese and butter that you could taste in some bites. It sounds like it could be tasty but believe me, it's much better without. The Kraft portion was creamier and richer with the same ingredients (equal amounts of each also) blending much more intimately.

My friend and I both agreed that the Kraft Spirals were the better half of our lunch and we would prefer them in the future. For more than double the price I think it is worth the splurge for the Kraft mac n cheese which I should probably be eating half as often anyway so that would about even out the price. :-) If I was babysitting I'd probably give the kiddos the Kroger brand with some chicken nuggets and call that lunch but for me, personally, mix up some Kraft spirals, stir in some lightly steamed broccoli and that's one of my favorite meals!