KFC vs. Homemade vs. $165 Mac & Cheese: A Tasty Carpool Taste Test

Mac & Cheese Taste Test Setup

• 🚗 The Tasty Carpool hosts embark on a journey to find the best mac and cheese, comparing three distinct versions: a fast-food favorite, a high-end splurge, and a homemade recipe.
• 📊 Ratings are based on three key factors: melt factor (creaminess), cheese flavor, and price tag.

Fast Food Mac & Cheese (KFC)

• 🍗 The first mac and cheese tested is from KFC, priced at $3.49.
• 🍦 While noted as extremely creamy and melt-in-your-mouth, the noodles were considered a bit too soft, and the cheese flavor basic.
• 💰 The price received a perfect score of 5, significantly boosting its overall appeal.

Homemade Mac & Cheese ft. Alix Traeger

• 🧑‍🍳 Special guest Alix Traeger presents her "leaky mac and cheese with crispy fried onion crumbs" from her cookbook, "Scratch That."
• 🧅 This version features leeks, a crispy fried onion crumb topping, and a blend of cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan cheeses.
• ✨ The texture was highly praised for its silky smoothness combined with the crunchy topping, and the cheese flavor received a perfect score.
• 💰 The price was rated slightly lower due to the cost of ingredients, but still received a good score for its special occasion value.

High-End Lobster Mac & Cheese (Barton G)

• 🦞 The most expensive mac and cheese, costing $165, is from Barton G, featuring 5 lbs of lobster, 3 lbs of pasta, truffle salsa, truffle oil, and a blend of cream cheese, bida, cheddar, and gruyere.
• 🍄 The truffle aroma was intense, and the pasta texture was deemed perfect, cooked al dente.
• ⚖️ While the lobster and truffle made the price understandable, the truffle flavor was considered almost too dominant, and some felt it needed more cheese flavor.

Final Rankings

• 🥉 Barton G's Lobster Mac and Cheese came in third place with 21.5 points.
• 🥈 KFC's mac and cheese secured second place with 22 points.
• 🥇 The homemade mac and cheese, praised for its texture and cheese flavor, won the taste test with 26.5 points.