Woman Claims We Cooked Mac and Cheese Wrong, People Are Upset With Her ‘Genius’ Method

A woman’s ‘rebel’ mac and cheese recipe has divided social media users after they criticised her for not following tried and tested instructions.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has been a household staple since James Lewis Kraft invented the iconic dish in 1937.

While everyone has a different way to cook the canned meal, the official Kraft-Heinz website states that you should first pour water into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.

It is specified that you should cook the pasta for about seven to eight minutes in boiling water before draining it and returning it to the pan.

The instructions then advise you to add 1/4 cup of margarine, 1/4 cup of milk, and the packet of cheese sauce mix to the pasta before stirring and serving.

However, one woman has a “genius” hack that allowed her to create “cheesier” and “better tasting” Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

On TikTok in 2021, a user named Nikki Gillespie explained in her now-viral video how she came across a recipe for mac and cheese while browsing social media.

“I cooked this all wrong,” she continued after pouring two packages of pasta into a frying pan.

She then proceeded to add water to completely cover the pasta before placing it on the baking sheet.

Nikki added extra cheese and heavy cream to the dish. (_nikkigillespie_/TikTok)

As the water began to boil, she poured in two packets of dried cheese sauce, added two cubes of butter to the mixture and seasoned with a little black pepper.

“Don’t put the lid on it, because you’ll need extra water to cook,” Gillespie continued as the pot finally came to a boil.

After a time jump, the video shows her stirring a now creamy pot as she adds heavy cream to the mixture.

“No need to drain them,” she advises. “You don’t even have to drain the noodles or anything, it’s just one pan and it’s so much easier and it tastes so much better because the pasta cooks at the same time as the cheese sauce.”

To make the meal even creamier, mom opted to add handfuls of Kraft Low Moisture Shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese because her girls “loved it.”

“I added a little bit of it, let it melt and it’s a lot cheesier and gives it an extra flavor,” she added. “It almost gives it that homemade taste.”

The hacked recipe, which has racked up no fewer than five million views since it was posted nearly three years ago, has divided people in the comments, however.

One TikTok user wrote: “My family wouldn’t eat boxed mac and cheese. I’m a homemade mac and cheese.”

A second said: “I like that it doesn’t need to be strained. Sometimes having the strainer in the dishwasher means we have to find something else, it’s perfect.”

“Lol @ it almost tastes like homemade!!! Not at all!!! Not invited to the barbecue,” lamented another user.

While someone else commented: “That’s not what the instructions on the box say,” to which Gillespie replied: “I’m a rebel.”

Another wrote: “I replace half the water with chicken broth and use cream cheese instead of butter.”

While this genius method sounds enticing, it seems not everyone is impressed – but you can’t please everyone, right?