Historical Mac-ground

Many of us twentysomethings still eat macaroni and cheese but never experience the same euphoria we did as kids—probably because it now includes an ingredient we didn't have back then: effort.

Many of us lack the basic willingness or comprehension to prepare anything that requires more than one utensil and two ingredients - even original stovetop Mac 'n Cheese has become troublesome for a pseudo-adult on-the-run.

Since 20 minutes is apparently just too much, we are saving you even more time by reviewing the different versions, cooking processes and pros/cons of macaroni and cheese.

Original Stovetop Mac 'n Cheese

This is the version of the cheesy delight that hooked us as children, and rightfully so. The blue and orange box gradually upgraded to dinosaur shapes and spirals, which if you've ever been in a rush in the grocery and accidentally picked one of these up without meticulously hunting for the giant ORIGINAL text on the front—shame on you. You can never cook these reptilian noodles long enough to rid the complex shapes of their hard texture and will end up crunching on what tastes like semi-cooked plastic.

< - Do not buy this

ORIGINAL stovetop Mac 'n Cheese is good for a number of reasons—the top being this is the way it should be made. But if you're anything like me and the non-cooking population, you can check off at least one of the following that stops you from splurging on this $0.89 meal:

• You don't have enough time.
• You don't own a stove.
• You don't own a measuring cup.
• You own a measuring cup, but you can't measure.
• You're one person, and cooking an entire box of Mac 'n Cheese will leave you with leftovers to feed seven, and leftover macaroni falls under the same inedible category as leftover turkey.
• You can't read.

Let's be honest, you, like me, probably don't embrace stove-cooking, so even Kraft boxes seem gourmet. I'll admit the taste is better than any version of Easy Mac, but that's assuming I can measure the simple ingredients correctly:

• If I don't drain the noodles properly and add too much milk, the cheese becomes so soupy I might as well have bought plain noodles in a bag.
• If I do drain them properly and don't add enough milk, the cheese clumps to random noodles, meaning I might as well have ate the cheese packet straight.
• Nine times out of 10, I'll complete the cooking process then go to the fridge and realize I have no milk. Or butter. Or both.

I'm what we call a go-getter, so rather than take the time to get something right, I find other means to make it better with less work. If it's good (or even just edible): find whatever is in your kitchen - chicken, tuna, tomatoes, a shoelace - to give the meal substance.

Or brush the dust off some of those expired Rice-a-Roni boxes in your cabinet and find one of your old Easy Mac packets.

That's what I did.

Easy Mac Packets

Someone at Kraft fused a few brain cells and came up with the genius idea to simplify the simple. By gluing a paper satchel of cheese and a plastic satchel of noodles together, Kraft granted us, the culinarily-challenged, the power to satiate our need for cheese-coated carbs. Just do the following:

• Open the noodle packet.
• Pour noodles in a microwaveable bowl.
• Put random amount of water to top line of the noodles.
• Microwave for three minutes.
• Without scalding your hands, extract the bowl from the microwave and figure out how to drain the water without a strainer.
• Realizing this is harder than it looks, grab a small plate out of your cabinet and place it over the bowl.
• Hold the covered bowl over the sink and try to pour the water out without losing half your noodles – and again without getting burned.
• Realizing this too is harder than it looks, set the bowl down and tend to your new burn wounds with some generic Neosporin.
• Once complete, poke the escapist noodles down the garbage disposal and return to your hot bowl.
• Pour the cheese packet over the noodles, realizing now that you've eliminated too much water.
• Add a smidge of water, stir and enjoy in all your injured glory.

Doesn't sound fun to you? Then might I suggest the two-thumbs-up version: Easy Mac Cups.

Easy Mac Cups

After creating the best meal ever, Kraft did the unthinkable–they outdid themselves with Easy Mac Cups. Cups are infinitely better than the Easy Mac packets - they taste much closer to a stovetop-prepared box but are far quicker and less involved to make.

PRO: The pre-measured line in the Easy Mac Cups is the idiot-proof, surefire way to mix the perfect amount. You won't need to pour anything out, you just need to heat, mix and eat. Half the battle of making Mac 'n Cheese is figuring out the right amount of liquid to include–you don't want so much your cheese is spread too thin, yet you also don't want your noodles so dry they're unmixable.

CON: The amount of noodles is just enough for a respectable nibble. If you're extra hungry, I recommend you pair your meal with a side of [insert unhealthy side here; I choose Cheetos to compliment the theme].

PRO: You won't burn yourself.

CON: You'll never want to cook something complex again.

As always, be creative with your cooking. There are definitely ways to make an easy meal look like you exerted more effort. Then again, if you're an adult eating out of a plastic cup of pre-processed cheese honored by Crayola and celebrated by six-year-olds, the appearance of physical exertion is probably the least of your concerns.