The Boxed Mac and Cheese Taste Test: We Tried 10 Brands and Compared Them — Shopping

I love to make rich, gooey mac and cheese from scratch with a creamy béchamel, heaping handfuls of sharp cheddar, and some Parmesan tossed in for good measure. Or if I'm keeping it simple, I'll make a quick sauce of heavy cream reduced until thick, with some herbs and cheese whisked in.

I also have a special love for the cheap, buck-a-box stuff, too, mainly because my kids can whip it up themselves whenever they need an after-school snack. With two double-digit-aged kids in my house, it's safe to say my pantry always has a box at the ready.

Unsurprisingly I'm not alone. According to the New York Times, about 2 million boxes of mac and cheese are sold in the United States each day. Clearly, we love the stuff, which is why there seems to be an ever-growing number of variations, from spicy Buffalo cheddar to dairy-free.

And even among basic cheddar versions there's a wide range of brands to choose from. Which one is the best? And what about those "deluxe" versions that use a thick cheese sauce rather than a packet of powder that cost three times the price — are they worth it?

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