The Secret To Perfectly Baked Mac And Cheese From TikTok's Joshua Weissman

There are few things that define American comfort food like mac and cheese. This creamy, hearty dish dates back centuries in our history, and we're all still just as obsessed with it today. You can't beat a well done baked mac and cheese casserole, and it seems easy enough to make. But mac and cheese can be tricky to master, as evidenced by the thousands of "secrets" on social media for making the best. 

To get some firsthand insight on which secrets matter most, we consulted chef and content creator Joshua Weissman (@flakeysalt on TikTok). Weissman created the 151st Kentucky Derby At-Home Menu for fans to recreate Derby-approved recipes for their own celebrations — one of which includes his 'perfectly baked mac and cheese'. All of Weissman's recipes are available on the Kentucky Derby website (and readers can learn more at-home recipes and cocktails, and other at-home party tips on the site as well). Mac and cheese couldn't be more ideal for any southern-style celebration, and Weissman knows how to make sure it's a winning dish every time. 

"The secret is NOT overcooking your pasta," he said. "Making a cheese sauce is easy. Keeping your pasta nice and chewy al dente makes a huge difference in the final product, but it's not easy." Cooking pasta al dente is especially important for mac and cheese, since the macaroni continues to expand as it absorbs the cheesy sauce. Another of Weissman's secrets is the type of cheese to use for the sauce. "Any creamy cheese that isn't too aged. Aged cheeses don't always melt great," he added. For his recipe, he uses a 50-50 blend of medium sharp cheddar and raclette or Gruyère cheese. Other than salt and perhaps a little garlic, Weissman prefers to not season the mac and cheese, and let the flavors of the combined cheeses shine.

According to Weissman, the key to a perfect mac and cheese is the sauce. There are many recipes for different types of cheese sauces globally, but Weissman recommends a thinner sauce. "Make the cheese sauce much looser and [more] liquidy than you think necessary. Assume it will almost double in thickness and adjust from there." As you cook the cheese sauce, the liquid will evaporate, which will render a sauce that's too thick for the macaroni to absorb. For Weissman's ultra-creamy mac and cheese, he simmers 3 cups of whole milk with 1¼ cups of heavy cream until it's glossy and lightly thickened before stirring in half of his recipe's 6 cups of cheese followed by 1 pound of al dente macaroni. 

You can certainly upgrade boxed mac and cheese on your stovetop, but with slightly more effort, you can create Weissman's baked mac and cheese masterpiece. His secret for perfection is to bake the casserole in a relatively low-heat oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 or 20 minutes, which will give the casserole enough time for the cheesy top to dehydrate and get crispy but also keeps the interior moist and delicious. "But hypothetically, you could even have it mostly done," Weissman told us, "and then just blast it at high heat or broil to just get color on top, and that could be a tasty result as well." Follow Weissman's tips with these decadent mac and cheese recipes, and TikTokers could obsess over your mac and cheese, too.