Enjoy one of America’s favorite breakfast foods with phytonutrient-rich raspberries. Photo by Simone van den Berg | IST.
STEPHANIE ZONIS focuses on good foods and the people who produce them.
|
August 2010
|
|
Best Macaroni And Cheese
Page 5f: Kraft Mac And Cheese, Part II—Deluxe & Homestyle Deluxe Varieties
You are reading part of a review of 54 boxed macaroni and cheese mixes from nine different manufacturers. From here you can go to the index of all of the mac and cheese brands, go to Page 1 of the complete macaroni and cheese article or continue to the next page of reviews.
Kraft Macaroni And Cheese—Deluxe & Homestyle Deluxe Varieties
Kraft’s deluxe macaroni and cheese varieties come with a prepared processed cheese spread in a foil pouch that allows the cheese to be applied directly to hot, cooked pasta without additional preparation or ingredients.
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (Original)
- Serving size: 3.5 ounces/98 grams/makes about 1 cup
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: nothing
- Yield when prepared: about 3-1/2 cups
- Per serving: 320 calories (90 calories from fat). 10 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 1 gram fiber, 12 grams protein, 15% calcium
- Tasting notes: Almost no cheese flavor and a saltier taste than most.
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (Sauce Made with 2% Milk Cheese)
- Serving size: 3.5 ounces/98 grams/makes about 1 cup
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: nothing
- Yield when prepared: 3-3/4 cups
- Per serving: 290 calories (40 calories from fat). 4.5 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber, 13 grams protein, 20% calcium
- Tasting notes: As was the case with all Kraft mixes with prepackaged sauces, this sauce blends easily into the cooked pasta. Not much cheese taste to the sauce, though I wouldn’t be able to tell you that the sauce was made with reduced-fat-milk cheese.
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (with Four Cheese Sauce)
- Serving size: 3.5 ounces/98 grams/makes about 1 cup
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: nothing
- Yield when prepared: just shy of 4 cups
- Per serving: 320 calories (90 calories from fat). 10 grams total fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber, 12 grams protein, 15% calcium
- Tasting notes: Mild cheese flavor.
Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (with Sharp Cheddar Cheese Sauce)
- Serving size: 3.5 ounces/98 grams/makes about 1 cup
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: nothing
- Yield when prepared: a generous 3 cups
- Per serving: 320 calories (80 calories from fat). 9 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 840 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber, 12 grams protein, 15% calcium
- Tasting notes: The sauce here did have a sharper, somewhat stronger cheese taste, which I enjoyed, but for some reason the sodium in this really leaped out at me.
Homestyle Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (Classic Cheddar Cheese Sauce)~A Favorite
- Serving size: 3 ounces/84 grams/about 1 cup prepared
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: butter, 2% milk, optional cheese
- Yield prepared: about 3-2/3 cups, including optional cheese. Per serving (without optional cheese): 340 calories (120 calories from fat). 14 grams total fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 0.5 grams trans fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams protein, 15% calcium
- Tasting notes: This is the type of mix that most resembles my Mother’s homemade mac and cheese. The toppings of additional cheese and breadcrumbs provide a nice textural contrast when the mac and cheese is finished in the oven, and the additional cheese makes this taste a lot, well, cheesier. Very pleasant. A favorite.
Homestyle Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (Hearty Four Cheese Sauce)~A Favorite
- Serving size: 3 ounces/84 grams/makes about 1 cup
- Servings per container: about 4
- You add: butter, 2% milk, optional cheese
- Yield when prepared: about 3-2/3 cups, including optional cheese
- Per serving (without optional cheese): 360 calories (130 calories from fat). 14 grams total fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 0.5 grams trans fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 710 mg sodium, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams protein, 15% calcium
- Tasting notes: Again, using the optional oven finish, this most closely approximated my family’s homemade mac and cheese. The pasta, draining in a strainer while I made the sauce, clumped together and was difficult to remove; this didn’t occur with the other Homestyle Deluxe variety. Mild cheese flavor but very pleasant. A favorite.
Continue To The Next Page: Kraft Macaroni And Cheese, Part III—Cheddar Explosion, 50% Whole Grain & Original Varieties
Go To The Article Index Above
Lifestyle Direct Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.
|
