Commonly thought of as a comfort food, many college students turn to macaroni and cheese during times of hunger, stress, or both. Annie’s Microwave White Cheddar Mac and Cheese promises ease, lack of necessary effort, and nostalgia, adding to the attraction. I tried it out; here’s how it went.
Annie’s Microwave White Cheddar Mac and Cheese can be bought in boxes containing ten packets: five of macaroni and five of the cheese powder. One of each kind combined can provide a single serving of the cheesy/pasta goodness, with Annie’s signature rabbit Bernie grinning cheekily from inside his stamp of approval. He knows you’re attracted to the purple and yellow packaging, to the health benefits via organic pasta and real cheese, to the lack of artificial flavors and colors and preservatives — I know I was.
Bernie is also found on the single-serving packets of cheese powder, conveniently alongside the instructions printed on the packets. The macaroni needed to be cooked first, and after dumping out the pasta into a bowl, it was discovered that “½ cup” of water was necessary. Who has a ½ measuring cup lying around? If you do, you’d be more prepared than I was.
Plopping the bowl in the microwave was easy. Pressing buttons on the microwave was easy. Unfortunately, getting distracted on my phone was also easy, as was how the hot starch-water liquid foamed and spilled over the side of the bowl. If (maybe when) this happens to you, know that the dorm kitchen paper towels mop it up decently enough. Cleaning up the microwave was the most strenuous part of the process, which, all things considered, was probably a testament to Bernie and Annie’s products.
Mixing in the cheese powder came next. This had to be done in smaller portions so that the powder wouldn’t spill in big clumps and hinder the mixing process. (Take notes, fellow students: learn from my mistakes!) How thoroughly you mix the pasta, starch-sauce liquid, and cheese powder might depend on how much you like that sound of stirring the pasta and cheese — so unique and polarizing– but I decided on mixing as I went. It proved a fairly efficient way to combine without allowing the powder to clump.
The end-product texture was fine, and checked the box for mac and cheese, though the sauce didn’t thicken up as I would have liked. In reviewing the instructions again, I noticed I was supposed to leave it be for a minute to let the sauce thicken, which I had not done. For an 80% success rate in following directions, the product and final result turned out pretty good.
Since both packets were single-use, I did apologize momentarily to the environment for my waste while simultaneously appreciating the ease of clean-up. Bernie’s cheeky grin floated down into the depths of the trash bag, leaving us both satisfied. Washing out my bowl and
spoon was the second most strenuous part of the process, but compared to washing dishes at home, it was a breeze.
Considering that the only downsides to this product were needing to clean the microwave and the sauce being too thin (which could both have been argued my own fault), this product performed spectacularly. It wasn’t the best mac and cheese, but it did the job; it was affordable, easy to make, sentimental, and lacking in preservatives and synthetic colors. I would recommend this product to anyone willing to lower their expectations slightly and follow the directions better than I did.
