I love when you have over-qualified chefs review a wide range of commercial products. It's like having a Consumer Reports video for things we actually buy and use all the time. Genuinely insightful. Thank you!
@dariusftw3378 a lot of food that comes in a box is cheaper than the "make it yourself" alternative. don't knock the stuff people need to eat because you think you're above their situation
I love that Jack incorporates constituent chemicals that help create look/feel especially when he mentions how lactic acid and citric acid affects the food. More of him please!
@@GameTimeWhy Not at all, I just hate smart people with less personality than a sheet of cardboard with straight lines for eyes. I used to be like him, because I am the smart person at my school but I try to be liked for more than just that.
I really like this video. Also, as a blind person, it's really cool that the brand of the mac and cheese is said before them trying it. I hope you guys make more of these because this was fun to watch, and hearing all their different opinions was great too.
Wait. So I’m not denying you’re blind or anything, but how can you type and reply? Do you have some kind of app? Or like people read it for you or something? /gen
I saw your comment before I watched the entire video. You are not wrong! That dude could tell you the differences between varieties of a bowl of lard with a hair in it.
Interesting that Kraft is the bench-mark, shows how much one brand's flavour profile really sets the tone for expectations in an entire market. Interesting information about the science behind these flavours and why we are interested in them.
The problem with the shapes is you get less for more $. But, yeah. The thickness of the shapes + the ability to hold more sauce lends itself to a superior tasting product.
I'm autistic, and therefore super sensitive to minor differences, and I stand by the (scientifically studied) idea that the shape of food DRAMATICALLY affects flavor. My parents never understood why I liked spiral macaroni and not elbow macaroni, but to me they tasted completely different. Turns out the shape of food actually does affect the taste, and it's been proven in research. How they ran the tests was by creating different shapes of chocolate with the same batch and had people blind taste test them and describe the different flavors. It has to do with the fact that the shape of the food hits your tongue in different ways, and therefore reaches different parts of your tongue that have different taste receptors. We're not crazy!!!!
This is so validating to me, because I once bought Cheetos mac and cheese as nothing more than a joke and was truly blown away by it for the price. It doesn't try to be 'real' or 'authentic' and instead just ends up being indulgently tasty.
@@XanthosAcanthusthat makes so much sense. It's the only one I tried and it's what made me watch this video. One of the worst things I've ever had. The texture was sickening, like tasteless chewy glue
Jack’s tastebuds are so on point every time! I’m beyond impressed. The other two chefs were awesome too. I’d love to see a whole series of this trio trying things! :)
How can you get past the first part? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills? How are they enjoying Kraft Dinner? That is so gross, it isn't even cheese, it is just starch on starch.
@@jordach545 It’s milk powder and powdered acids on starch and it’s a staple in nearly every American/Canadian household. Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia.
Annie's has two directions: the healthy one with just milk added and the real one with milk and butter added. They suggest the butter as an optional step but it's 100% necessary. I'm wondering how they made it here.
All true, but also Annie's just doesn't taste the same as it did a decade ago. I'm guessing these chefs were like me & hadn't tasted Annie's in a while, so the sauce is a disappointment - thinner & bland. It's to be expected, since it's a General Mills product, now. It's not the same lovingly crafted hippy alternative that we used to know.
@JerryCayab Yeah, I tried Annie's a few months back & instantly knew it was different. It was never better than homemade, but I don't recall the sauce being thin & watery. I added some butter, cream & cheese (Cabot white cheddar, ironically), but at that point, I could have just made an actual Bechamel instead of an inconvenient convenience food.
I can't believe I just watched almost 25 minutes of reviews of products I will never eat. And I enjoyed every minute of these three chefs' reviews and comments. Thanks very much.
The lineup of chefs here is great. They have unique tastes and personalities but have enough of a common thread among them to point out some clear winners and losers. Awesome video!
Anyone else ever get a scorching hot batch of Flaming hot? Idk if it was an error or an early batch or what but the first box we got was so hot it would seriously give someone health issues. We bought one box of normal and flaming, ended up combining the two and still couldn't eat it. We've since picked up another box and it wasn't nearly as spicy, more in line with the snack.
I have a stoffers Mac and cheese in the microwave. Not what this video had me craving, but the closest thing we had in the house at the moment... And it is 10:08pm lol
I just love that these are serious chefs w/ tons of professional experience reviewing Mac & cheese in just about the same way as any regular consumer. The only major difference is their vocabulary but even then they still explain everything in a way that a non pro can understand & relate to
I appreciate how they weren’t hoity toity about eating these. Very refreshing. Some ppl HAVE to eat these foods so it’s sad when “professionals” look down on them very rudely. This was nice.❤
@@ayaa.1351Ah yes because everyone has access to fresh foods. Food deserts are a figment of the imagination and not a well studied public health issue. Poverty also doesn't exist, and children also have entire control over what meals they eat. /s
@@ayaa.1351well, yes. No one has to eat anything. But some people would literally starve if they didn’t eat cheap, boxed foods, so… yeah they kinda have to.
I know exactly what happened with Annie's. Y'all didn't add the optional butter they specify on the package. Without that it does taste bland and even a little bitter.
@@whyplaypiano2844 There's no accounting for taste, but the fact that one of the chefs said they normally like Annie's makes me think that's what happened here.
David seems so easy to please and I loved it. Like he's clearly an expert and had a lot of informative opinions about the flavors, textures, etc but he was just happy to eat mac and cheese. Nothing aginst the other two, either, but I loved how often he would say something along the lines of, "and I'll be buying this one, too."
@@deprofundis3293dude was either negative or neutral on most of them though. They just didn’t show his opinion on everything so the positives stuck out. His opinions were solid on the different flavoured ones, and the higher quality boxes. They were low about the low grade/ knock offs and alternative brands.
I'd love a series on food science with Jack. Awesome nerd vibes going on. David and Brittney bring in some solid commentary for this as well (just not as nerdy). Great team!
Boy Jack is spot-on with his palate. Brittney seems like she eats a lot more organic\vegan stuff and didn't grow up on blue-box mac & cheese like the other 2
She mentioned a Jamaican auntie face so she’s probably Jamaican or a similar background. I grew up in the USA with Cuban and Colombian parents and I rarely ate things like peanut butter jelly sandwiches, box Mac and cheese, spaghetti-o etc. that are ubiquitous to US American childhoods but are not common in immigrant households bc yeah. Rice and beans or caldo was our comfort food, not Mac and cheese! In college I got into eating Mac and cheese (which I hated as a kid…) and I eat it occasionally haha , but it was definitely a treat my sister and I begged for as kids!
This difference is a positive for her. I had very rare Mac n Cheese dinners growing up. I don't like these at all if there are no other ingredients. Veggies, seafood, or meat.
Absolutely! I found myself consciously remarking on how great the close-ups were along with the text overlays and the choice of when to show all three cameras side by side. It must have taken a lot of time to edit and was done so professionally I was really impressed!
Here's the rank list. Each category was given a 1, 0, or -1 based upon being highlighted, not highlighted, or crossed out (except for Cheetos which received two 0.5 scores for being ). Kraft original was not included since it was not addressed by category. Cabot 5 pts Cheetos 3 pts Velveeta, Sabatino, Cracker Barrel, Kraft Unicorn 2 pts Annie's, Daiya 1pt Great Value, Goodles 0 pts Trader Joe's -1 pt Stouffer's, Nature's Promise -2 pts 365, Muscle Mac -3 pts Banza -4 pts
" (except for Cheetos which received two 0.5 scores for being )" I'm not sure if this is missing a word after "being" or if the Cheetos mac 'n cheese existing at all rates it a .5.
I loved that the chefs had opposing opinions sometimes, because we're not all made the same and folks have different tastes, and they all had great commentary. Shame that we don't seem to have Cabot up here in Canada. Guess I'll stock up on my next trip across the border!
This was the high quality content that I love about RU-vid. This was extremely satisfying. Every minute was just a joy. The chefs had great personalities.
My favorite is Annie's Shells in White Cheddar, but with plain yogurt instead of milk and butter. It used to be a suggestion on the box and it gives it a thicker, tangier sauce.
I have never heard Stouffer's pronounced like "Stoo-fers" and I grew up going to their surplus store in Ohio next to their HQ for French bread pizzas fairly often. Stow-fers is the only pronunciation I've ever heard before today.
I thought I was tripping and all the ads I saw as a child were wrong the whole time.. nope. They just plain said it wrong.. I feel validated again. LOL
I enjoy the fact that they critique with kindness and suggestions for some of the brands to be better. Really shows their profession through and through!
as a mac & cheese lover who's had basically all these mac & cheeses (and some of the other varieties of brands mentioned), I appreciate the chefs honestly reviewing it as if it was a gourmet dish, and the visuals on screen of brand, price, and qualities helped a lot, thank you!
daiya is by far my most loathed vegan mac and cheese alternative, so im glad to hear it ripped to shreds. it FEELS like the globs are just going to clog up your arteries, it's so thick. the creators did a great job getting as many as they could, but i definitely would have loved a few more vegan selections -- annie's does a few interesting ones, banza has a vegan cheese (although like the chefs, i find the gluten free pasta very lacking), a googles one too (although again, it's not *great* imo) and there are a few others that weren't mentioned here but i like including modern table, howl, field roast's chao, and pastabilities. would they hold up to real mac and cheese? no. but they're tasty in their own ways i think!
Personally this might be the bias of having very few options for both dairy and gluten free mac & cheese, but daiya isn't really that bad. Funky at first taste, but it's very easy to get used to.
The best boxed mac and cheese, according to the professional chefs in the taste test, was Cabot Seriously Sharp Shells and Cheese. They praised it for its natural cheese flavor, comforting texture, and overall taste.
Brittany must be a healthy eater. She picked a lot of the alternative healthier options that don't really taste as much like real macaroni and cheese...at least not boxed processed cheesy goodness.
Plus she was picking apart the ones with preservatives or flavourings etc. - seems like the kind of person who would complain about "chemicals" in food
Maybe that's what she likes? Personally, as a child I really enjoyed vegetable tastes, and kind of like earthy-tasting things, and I still do. Those flavours are comforting to me, and others, like Brittany may relate.
@@HMJ66I wouldn’t blame her complaining about “preservatives or chemicals” - homemade versions wouldn’t have those neither because you’re using all natural ingredients and homemade versions taste better (professional chefs also make versions without preservatives or chemicals).
This is great! Love that you’re showing what their criteria is and that they’re being real about what’s reasonable for a store bought brand. Never seen most of these brands on Canadian shelves so I’m surprised the colours can be even more neon-orange than the Kraft🤣
I've wondered about this but it looks like the Americans (based on the noodle shape, anyway) still have the OG Kraft Dinner. I'm jealous, I don't like it since they changed the noodles here.
As a fellow Canadian I was hopeful they would have tried President's Choice or No Name mac and cheese. After near 40 years on this earth, when the mood strikes me to be lazy and eat mac and cheese, I buy the No Name stuff.
Please, please, please let this be the start of a new series 🙏🏾 I enjoyed it so much I went back and watched the tomato sauce one (much prefer this format) and I hope to see future episodes soon. _hint hint_ 😏
I love this review. Great mix of personalities and opinions. The format of blind taste test and individual analysis was worked well. Liked the real reviews of products that are accessible to anyone and would love to see more of this series with these chefs.
I would have loved to see the Trader Joe's frozen mac and cheese in the mix, it's the best frozen mac and cheese I've ever tried personally!! This was super fun to watch~
love how each chef has different backgrounds and preferences, so you can see which one has similar taste to you when they are giving their opinions. I also think for a lot of these boxed mac and cheeses, they get better as you figure out your own way to augment or prepare the sauce.
I love this new format. I would love for a panel of pastry chefs (specifically Chef Penny) taste test boxed cake mix. Then maybe Trixie Mattel as the 4th panelist. 😂
For everyone complaining that they aren't literally blindfolded: that's not what blind taste test means. It just means they don't know what the brand is until after they taste it so they are unbiased. Seeing is a huge part of tasting, why would you want to remove it?
@@mayhewfisher62 Not to mention to what Velveeta does to your digestive system on the next day. Feels like you're trying to move concrete. The fact that their sauce sample wouldn't drip is an example of this. Too artificial.
Loved all three of these personalities, and great to know that the Cabot seems like a winner! Also, if you love mac and cheese and want to get ripped, the Devour frozen mac and cheese has 32g of protein and the sauce texture is more remisicent of a real cheese sauce than any of these once you heat it.
fantastic video. i love that they aren’t trying to be pretentious about the food quality and are willing to just enjoy. seriously genuine people, i love it.
also the insane level of knowledge is crazy! like the ability to just taste it and discern so many specific qualities just shows their level of professionalism
The favourite science teacher vibe is strong with Jack Logue, and I'm all in for it. I don't know how I happened across this video, or why I watched it, but it was worth it.
The guys who enjoyed the Cheetos Mac N Cheese should try the Jalepeño version. That is my favourite of the three (especially when you add crushed jalepeño cheetos into it)
I usually prefer hot Cheetos but I like the regular version of the Mac and cheese with regular crushed Cheetos. The spicy version over powers the cheese flavor for me
Loved this vid. Jack was on fire, David seems like a huge mac and cheese fan and I especially loved how Brittany pointed out which ones had more additives - something I have to pay attention to.
I'm kind of surprised no Rice-a-Roni shells and white cheddar, I used to practically live off that stuff. Plus Kraft makes a "deluxe" like the Cracker Barrell too. Cracker Barrell is my personal favorite, although Goodles is a close second, mainly for the pasta itself. You can pretty much just dump the included sauce and use your own, or even toss in a handful of actual cheddar while it's still hot enough to melt it and it elevates the flavor immediately.
Wonderful video, and amazed at how on point Jack was for all the variants. David brought some great everyman vibes, while Britney was a bit judgey (complimentary). Great panel overall!
I LOVE cheetos mac n cheese, but it's very expensive and tge amount that comes in the box is alarmingly small. Like I'm not someone who eats huge portions but I could eat the whole box in one sitting.
0:14 Kraft Mac & Cheese 1:34 Annie's White Cheddar Shells 2:41 Velveeta Shells & Cheese 4:25 Great Value Mac & Cheese 5:45 Cheetos Mac & Cheese 7:14 Trader Joe's Shells & White Cheddar 8:14 Banza Mac & White Cheddar 9:53 Daiya Deluxe Mac & Cheese Cheddar Style i'll finish this later
I discovered Cabot for the first time when it was on sale at Shaws and I was shocked at how much creamier it was than Annie's (which was our go-to). Glad to know it's not just me!
@@twistmygrinder4777 I think it's mostly a New England brand? If you go to their website you can look up if there are any products of theirs sold near you.
As soon as she said "this (banza) is a little step above everyone else so far" I knew I would be discounting her for the rest of the video. She could eat a bowl of dirt and say "it's more natural I love it!"
Jack's ability to pinpoint tastes is awesome to see. Also, having tasted about 3/4ths of these I was always listening for descriptions that matched my experience (which Jack delivered again). Gotta shout out Cheetos here - probably my favorite (though occasional) of all of these.
I always get the Annie's Deluxe. It makes a BIG difference. I did buy the regular one once and it was very sad in comparison. Or even better, if you wanna be fancy, Annie's now makes one designed to be baked!!! It is quite luscious, rich in flavor. A great shortcut if you want "real" baked mac n cheese.
I really appreciate that you have one chef that hones in on the ingredients that may sound like chemicals but are key to the success of the product. Your panel on dumplings also had a member who explained the benefits of the chemical ingredients.
I love this video. I loved all the chefs and watching them say their opinions. Also love the large number of products, the editing and the physical setup of where the video was taken 😊
The reason the Annie’s didn’t crush these, as it should, is because you either followed the instructions by adding milk or you let the shells get too diluted / softened with water, or a combination of both.
I was about to comment the same thing. Annie's mac and cheese should be way thicker than the one in the video and whoever made it definitely added too much milk.
I'm sure they followed the instructions for all of them. You don't need to be so defensive considering all the macs could be improved by tweaking the recipe.
I feel like they should have been blindfolded for you to call it "blind" taste test, I get what you meant by it though, and I will be honest that I don't really know what you could/should have called it instead.
Personally, I didn't care for the original flavor which they tried here, but I recommend everyone to try the cheesy jalapeño! Most haven't gone back to the original and I feel the chefs may have appreciated the jalapeño more
Obsessed with David's utensil selection. Seemed like Jack ALWAYS went fork and Brittney always used the spoon but my guy David chose what made the most sense for each pasta situation and didn't let me down the entire video. 🫡🫡🫡
it felt like Brittney wasn't rating them like box Mac and Cheese and idrk what she was expecting going into this video, she barely had anything positive to say about anything
Adding in the frozen Stouffer's was a twist. Baking in the oven vs. a microwave with Stouffer's makes a world of difference, perhaps the pasta starch has the opportunity to emulsify the sauce better over the long bake time.
