The Great American Macaroni Salad Food

THE BEST MACARONI SALAD EVER

Steps:

• Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
• Mix together the mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
• Place the cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour in 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (The dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as the salad chills.)
• Stir in the roasted red peppers (or pimentos), olives, pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.
• Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onions to serve!

CHEF JOHN'S CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk 1 cup mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl until well blended; whisk in sugar. Stir in celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onions, and jalapeno and poblano peppers. Refrigerate until macaroni is ready to dress.
• Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain but do not rinse. Allow macaroni to drain in a colander about 5 minutes, shaking out moisture from time to time. Pour macaroni into large bowl; toss to separate and cool to room temperature. Macaroni should be sticky.
• Pour dressing over macaroni and stir until dressing is evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or, ideally, overnight to allow dressing to absorb into the macaroni.
• Stir salad before serving. Mix 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon water into salad for fresher look.

CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce until smooth. Drain and dry the red onion and stir it into the dressing along with the bell pepper, scallions and a generous pinch of salt.
• Make the pasta: In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring from time to time, until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 6 to 10 minutes. Drain; do not rinse the pasta. Spread it out on a large baking sheet to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• While the pasta is still warm, add it to the bowl with the dressing and let sit at room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir in the dill and basil just before serving and taste for seasoning.

AMERICAN MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the macaroni, celery, onion, and tomato.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and salt.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
• Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Combine dressing ingredients.
• Stir into remaining ingredients.
• Cover and chill.

AMERICAN MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the macaroni, celery, onion, parsley, and tomato, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the Mayonaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, and salt. Pour the dressing ove the salad and stir to combine. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve.
• Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

THE GREAT AMERICAN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine grated Cheddar and mozzarella and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat milk until near boiling. Turn off heat. Melt butter in a heavy pan large enough to hold the pasta after it is cooked. (It will take at least a 14-inch saute pan or a large casserole that can take direct heat.) When foam from butter recedes, remove from heat, add flour, and mix well. Return to medium-low heat, and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but not brown, the flour. Gradually stir in hot milk. Raise heat to medium-high and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and thick (about 5 minutes). Add Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Whisk until smooth. Add Tabasco and white pepper and blend.
• Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water about 4 minutes. (It will be underdone, but will finish cooking later.) Thoroughly drain rigatoni and fold it into the cheese mixture.
• If cooking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Layer one-half the rigatoni mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with one-half of the Cheddar and mozzarella. Repeat layers. Top with chili powder, sprinkled evenly over top.
• If not baking immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. When ready to bake, drizzle the 3/4 cup milk over the dish. Bake for approximately one hour. If frozen, add at least 20 minutes to baking time. The dish should be rusty brown on top. Should it appear to be browning too fast, cover with foil for part of cooking time. Be sure to check for doneness in the very center of the dish.