# 8 Ways to Use Boxed Mac & Cheese You’ve Never Thought Of | Epicurious

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGj6GIpAfMo
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/HGj6GIpAfMo
Generated: 2025-11-11T00:03:19.357+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Chef David Rose elevates boxed mac and cheese into gourmet dishes, demonstrating eight creative transformations including a Mac and Cheese Waffle topped with bacon, Flamin' Hot Cheetos Mac & Cheese Balls, a Nashville Hot Cheesy Fried Chicken recipe, Crispy Smashed Cheese Potatoes, Sabatino Truffle Mac & Cheese Cacio e Pepe style, Cheeseburger Helper Tortellini, and Annie's Shells & White Cheddar Mac & Cheese used in a sauce for a savory dish.

**Key Points:**
- Chef David Rose presented eight elevated recipes using boxed mac and cheese, including a Mac and Cheese Waffle topped with bacon and cheese sauce.
- The Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheese Balls used Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese, breaded them in a three-stage process, and fried them, resulting in a spicy, cheesy center.
- The Nashville Hot Cheesy Fried Chicken recipe involved double-breading wings using a buttermilk/hot sauce brine and a seasoned flour/cornstarch dredge, followed by frying at 370°F.
- Crispy Smashed Cheese Potatoes involved boiling fingerling potatoes, smashing them, coating them in butter, olive oil, and Parmesan, then baking for 20 minutes at 350°F-400°F.
- Sabatino Tartufi Truffle Mac & Cheese was transformed into a Cacio e Pepe style dish using Pecorino cheese and black pepper, relying on starchy pasta water for emulsification.
- The Cheeseburger Helper Tortellini recipe utilized the ground beef filling mixed with tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Annie's White Cheddar powder.
- The Kraft Original Mac & Cheese was used as a base for a creamy, thick sauce (roux with butter/flour, milk/cream, and tempered eggs) which was then mixed with cooked pasta.

![Screenshot at 00:02: Chef David Rose introducing the concept of transforming boxed mac and cheese into elevated recipes, setting up the array of products used for the demonstrations.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-00-02.png)

**Context:** Chef David Rose hosts a culinary challenge where he demonstrates eight creative and elevated ways to transform standard boxed macaroni and cheese products into sophisticated dishes, moving beyond the basic preparation. The video showcases various brands of boxed mac and cheese, including Kraft, Annie's, Goodles, Cabot, Velveeta, and Sabatino Tartufi, highlighting specific techniques like making a proper béchamel/roux, utilizing starch gelatinization, and incorporating unexpected ingredients like Flamin' Hot Cheetos and fingerling potatoes into the recipes.

## Detailed Analysis

Chef David Rose demonstrates eight unique ways to elevate boxed mac and cheese. For the Mac and Cheese Waffle (0:33), he uses cold, leftover mac and cheese, presses it into a greased waffle iron, cooks it for 3-5 minutes, and tops it with a homemade cheese sauce, bacon, and chives, achieving a crispy exterior and gooey interior. He also prepares Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheese Balls (2:42) using Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese, employing a three-stage breading process (seasoned AP flour, egg wash, pulverized Flamin' Hot Cheetos) before deep-frying them at 370°F. The Nashville Hot Cheesy Fried Chicken (5:07) uses chicken wings double-breaded with a buttermilk/hot sauce brine and a seasoned flour/cornstarch dredge for maximum crispiness. For the Crispy Smashed Cheese Potatoes (17:38), boiled fingerling potatoes are smashed, drizzled with melted butter and olive oil, seasoned with salt and Parmesan, and roasted at 350°F-400°F until golden brown. The Sabatino Truffle Mac & Cheese (19:25) is elevated into a Cacio e Pepe style pasta (19:27), where the starch from the pasta water is crucial for emulsifying the sauce, which is finished with Pecorino cheese. He also shows how to make a basic cheese sauce (8:02) using whole milk, a roux (butter/flour), and stabilizers like potato starch, tempering egg yolks before incorporating them to prevent scrambling. Finally, he covers making Cheeseburger Helper Tortellini (10:19) using the ground beef filling mixed with Annie's White Cheddar powder, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce, sealed in wonton wrappers, and then boiled. The video emphasizes technique, such as properly making a roux and avoiding overfilling the mac and cheese bites.

### Mac and Cheese Waffle

- Uses cold leftover mac and cheese pressed in a waffle iron
- Topped with homemade cheese sauce, bacon, and chives for a crispy/gooey contrast
- 0:33

### Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheese Balls

- Involves three-stage breading (seasoned flour, egg wash, pulverized Flamin' Hot Cheetos)
- Deep-fried at 370°F to create a spicy, cheesy center
- 2:42

### Nashville Hot Cheesy Fried Chicken

- Chicken wings are double-breaded using a buttermilk/hot sauce soak and seasoned flour/cornstarch mix for crispiness
- Fried until golden brown and brushed with Nashville Hot Oil
- 5:07

### Crispy Smashed Cheese Potatoes

- Boiled fingerling potatoes are smashed, coated in melted butter, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan, then baked at 350°F-400°F for 20 minutes
- 17:38

### Sabatino Truffle Cacio e Pepe

- Truffle Mac & Cheese sauce emulsified using starchy pasta water
- Finished with Pecorino cheese and black pepper for salty, nutty flavor
- 19:25

### Cheeseburger Helper Tortellini

- Ground beef filling is seasoned and sealed in wonton wrappers using an egg wash seal
- Yields savory, meaty pockets
- 10:19

### Basic Cheese Sauce Technique

- Demonstrates making a béchamel base with whole milk and a roux (butter/flour)
- Incorporates eggs slowly (tempering) to prevent scrambling and uses potato starch as a thickener
- 8:02

![Screenshot at 0:00: Introduction showing three distinct boxed mac and cheese products: Annie's, Kraft, and Cheetos.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 0:02: Quick montage showing the final dishes: Mac and Cheese Waffle, Mac and Cheese Balls, and a sandwich.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-00-02.png)
![Screenshot at 0:21: Chef David Rose explaining the process of making an emulsified cheese sauce by adding seasonings to the butter/flour roux.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-00-21.png)
![Screenshot at 0:47: Chef David Rose pouring whole milk into a saucepan to begin making a cheese sauce base.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-00-47.png)
![Screenshot at 1:54: The cooled, solidified mac and cheese being scooped into a waffle iron to create the Mac and Cheese Waffle.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-01-54.png)
![Screenshot at 2:42: Final presentation of the Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheese Balls, coated in bright red Cheeto dust.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-02-42.png)
![Screenshot at 4:24: The deep-frying setup, showing the Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheese Balls cooking in hot oil \(363°F-370°F\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-04-24.png)
![Screenshot at 5:14: The triple-dredging station for the Nashville Hot Chicken: seasoned flour, buttermilk/hot sauce mixture, and the seasoned flour again.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-05-14.png)
![Screenshot at 7:21: Chef David Rose mixing the Nashville Hot Oil, a blend of oil and seasonings, used to coat the fried chicken.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-07-21.png)
![Screenshot at 13:08: Close-up demonstration of folding the wonton wrapper around the ground beef mixture to form a tortellini shape, sealing edges with egg wash.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HGj6GIpAfMo/00-13-08.png)