The Worst Microwavable Mac And Cheese Cup Isn't Cheesy At All

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If boxed mac and cheese isn't fast enough, many of the most famous mac and cheese brands have come out with individually sized microwavable mac and cheese cups that are ready in just a couple of minutes. The steps for making individual cups are nearly identical to boxed mac and cheese, as you add water to the cup of noodles, nuke it, then stir in a packet of sauce or powder. But despite the similarities, not all mac and cheese cups are successful. And the worst microwavable mac and cheese cup fails on the most fundamental level.

After trying Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese Flamin' Hot flavor, we think the company should stick to crunchy snacks. We tasted 11 microwavable mac and cheese cups and ranked them based on flavor, cheesiness, and pasta texture. Despite many Cheetos flavors being known for their namesake cheesiness, the Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese Flamin' Hot flavor wasn't cheesy at all. The unnaturally red-hued Flamin' Hot packet we poured over the noodles certainly lived up to its name, and the flavor was also spot on. But Flamin' Hot isn't a cheesy flavor, so all we tasted was a fiery, spicy explosion. Worse still, the packet didn't form a cohesive sauce when mixed with the hot pasta. Instead, the water used to cook the pasta stayed at the bottom, and we were left with a powdery substance stuck to the pasta with a pool of bright red water at the bottom.

Reviews from Walmart, Influenster, and Cheetos' website were as disappointed as we were. They decried false advertisement, with one Influenster review stating the Flamin' Hot flavor was "not cheesy, just hot powder mixed with pasta...so I don't know why they're calling this Mac and Cheese." Another review said, "I felt like I am eating color more than cheese or anything else," while another likened the flavor to battery acid. At least 3 separate reviews said the toxic flavor packets resulted in food poisoning. In an attempt to bring creaminess to the Flamin' Hot Mac and Cheese, one reviewer said they used milk instead of water, a clever idea that upgrades boxed mac and cheese. Unfortunately, the milk clashed with the spicy flavor and, according to the review, "the pasta ended up being very soft."

If you want the Flamin' Hot finish, you're better off crushing up a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or Flamin' Hot Funyuns to sprinkle over a cup of one of our higher-ranking microwavable mac and cheese. It's no surprise that the top three spots in our ranking go to mac and cheese giants, Kraft and Velveeta. One factor both brands share is that their flavor packets aren't powder, but ultra-thick sauces that you squeeze over the pasta. Apparently, it's easier to loosen a sauce with pasta water than it is to thicken pasta water with powdered cheese.