Deep Fried Mac & Cheese

Intro: Deep Fried Mac & Cheese

While it's not something you'd want to do all the time, if you have a hankerin' for deep frying or are attending a party where insanely rich foods are admired or worshipped, deep-fried mac and cheese may be for you. It's an extremely inexpensive dish, and one that is probably easier to make than you think. 

You could use an organic wheat elbow pasta and make the mac and cheese from scratch, but that's not you, is it? Besides, it's a waste of good ingredients. For this recipe, you'll want to go low culture for most of the ingredients:

1 package of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese elbow macaroni
Panko bread crumbs
3-4 eggs
1 teaspoon nutmeg (1/2 if you are worried about over-spicing or using freshly ground nutmeg)
Dry spices (optional)
1/2 cup flour
1 muffin tin
Vegetable oil (preferably peanut oil)

I don't recommend the classic tube-shaped original Kraft mac and cheese. Get the creamier elbow-shaped version in the similar-looking box, or even better spring for the "deluxe" version with the pourable cheese sauce.

STEP 1: Cook and Partially Freeze the Mac and Cheese

You've undoubtedly done the first part of this process before, so get to it and cook the mac and cheese according to the box directions. Let it cool and allow the sauce to thicken. Add 1 teaspoons of nutmeg and any other spices you prefer (e.g., dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, herbe de provence, all-purpose spice mix). Don't be shy with the spices as the act of deep frying will cover up subtle flavors. 

Get out your muffin tin and scoop the mac and cheese into each muffin compartment, tamping it down tightly. You don't need to butter the tin. Then, toss this in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to get the mac and cheese to hold together into a hockey-puck shape. 

You could try other containers or compartments to shape the mac and cheese "balls" but I found this to be the easiest way, and the hockey pucks look nice on a plate. Round balls are wonderful, but they are harder to achieve. 

STEP 2: Make a Simple Batter and Breadcrumb Line

Mix your flour with the eggs and as much water as you feel you need to make a simple batter. Milk works if you prefer that to water. You'll want it to be about the consistency of thin pancake batter, or a thick crepe batter.  

Add spices — perhaps the same or similar to what you added to the mac and cheese — to give some flavor to the batter. If nothing else, put a liberal amount of pepper into the egg batter. 

Pull the mac and cheese disks out of the freezer and pry them out with a knife. Dip into the batter and roll in the panko breadcrumbs. Set aside as you do them all in a batch. 

STEP 3: Fry the Puck Out of These Things

Ready to do the dirty deed? Heat your oil to 350 degrees and drop those suckers in. You can probably cook half the batch at a time if you have a large deep fryer. I used a large stockpot with a thick base.

Once they're golden brown, take them out and drain on paper towels, Serve hot, if possible. 

Want to kick it up yet another notch, Emeril Legasse style? Serve it on a bed of cheese sauce.

BAM! 

Comments

[emartin19]

It's only fattening if you eat too much of it.

[minkyrocky]

ermagerd!! devillish! now where's that darn deep fryer...

[jthacker3]

Came out awesome!

[supereric]

Awwww yeah. So glad you made these!

[Miss Elaine]

I had these at a BBQ one time. We got drunk and used hot cheetos instead of pankos. Super delicious and a little spicy. I suggest that in addition to the cheese sauce to kick it up a notch!

[x-c-dead]

Made it for my family pretty good but the nutmeg is pretty over powering and I made 3 boxes of Mac and cheese and still only used a teaspoon If you aren't used to the nutmeg be carful with it ;p besides that its awesome

[supereric]

Holy cow! I had no idea it would be that strong. Mine came out pretty tame on the nutmeg front, but maybe it was because of the peanut oil and other spices. I also didn't grind my own fresh nutmeg, so that could also be a detail to consider. I might need to adjust the amount in my recipe to make sure others don't have the same experience. Thanks for letting me know!

[edwardstreams]

people will throw anything down their necks, like some garbage disposal?

[supereric]

Garbage recycler, Edward.

[bajablue]

lol ;-)

[Noctuabundus]

cheesecake factory has these and they're fantastic. have always wanted to make some myself but I never have gotten around to it. I haven't had theirs in a while but iirc they come on marinara and cheese melted over them or something.

[supereric]

Oh, I didn't know. I will check it out. There is a Cheesecake Factory not too far from here. Thanks.

[RetroSteamWorks]

Nope, it is already fattening the traditional way. Wouldn't be nice to switch the recipe to a healthier way? We have too many overweight kids already...

[supereric]

I suppose you could mix in some kale if you want to healthy it up, SteamRetroWorks.

Maybe I should put a warning on my recipe that indicates it's x-rated and not intended for consumption by children under the age of 12 (or weight over 100 pounds).

[Bobey]

When I was a little kid my mom would make something like that

[NooBa]

This is wrong on so many levels....yet I want one.

[chabias]

I'm not a huge fan of mac & cheese, but this makes me want to make some up and try this right now. Thanks for sharing!

[hogey74]

Oh man, I think the mere act of reading this instructable has taken several years of my life. However, making and eating those things might increase my will to live to the point that it all balances out. So if this line of reasoning is correct, I must make and eat some of those things.

[M.C. Langer]

I tasted this recipe, and I can testify it's DELICIOUS!!!!

[flapper501]

I. WANT. THAT. NOW.

great job, btw