2019-08-01 Cook\'s Country

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 3

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One Brand of Macaroni

Elbowed Its Way to the Top

by Emily Phares

YOU CAN USE elbow macaroni in

recipes from pasta salads to casseroles,

but its claim to fame is, of course, its

use in macaroni

and cheese.

To determine

which macaroni

is best, we selected fi ve widely avail-

able products and tasted each one plain

(tossed with canola oil) and in our Clas-

sic Macaroni and Cheese.

The size of the macaroni was a big

factor in our preferences. Once cooked,

the macaroni ranged in length from

roughly 0.5 inches to almost a full inch

long. We liked larger elbows because

they were easier to spear with a fork;

our favorite macaroni was the longest,

averaging 0.88 inches once cooked.

Another deciding factor was the

texture of the cooked macaroni. Most of

the products in our lineup had a satis-

factory springy quality, but our favorite

was notable for its “slightly fi rmer” tex-

ture that was tender but not overly so; it

had a nice chewiness that tasters liked.

As for fl avor, many products were

OK, but our favorite macaroni had a

“buttery” fl avor even when tasted plain.

Our science editor explained that there

are buttery-tasting compounds naturally

found in wheat fl our, primarily diacetyl

(also called 2,3-butanedione), the same

chemical used to fl avor some microwave

popcorns. It’s possible that our winning

elbow macaroni has a greater concen-

tration of diacetyl in its fl our than the

other products in our lineup.

The texture of our winner, Cream-

ette Elbow Macaroni, was pleasantly

fi rm, and its tubes were long and easy to

spear. One note: This macaroni is found

primarily in the Midwest, but we were

able to purchase it easily online. De

Cecco and Barilla also scored well and

are more widely available.

PRODUCT

TASTING

KITCHEN

SHORTCUTS

Compiled by

Matthew Fairman

An Udderly

Genius Funnel

–Virginia Hawkins, Bostic, N.C.

To create a handy reusable

funnel, I use my kitchen

shears to cut an empty plastic

half-gallon milk jug across the

middle, just below the handle.

I can then use it as a funnel to

transfer slightly cooled liquids

(such as marinara sauce or

vegetable soup) from a sauce-

pan to jars, bowls, or plastic

storage containers. It’s espe-

cially practical because it has

a handle and a wide mouth.

SMALLER NOODLES

Fork dodgers

BIGGER NOODLES

Easier to eat

Web subscribers can read the

complete tasting results at

CooksCountry.com/elbow.

Removing

Baked-On Gunk

–Ingrid Haun, Louisville, Tenn.

Lasagna and other baked foods

containing cheese or eggs can leave

stubborn residue in baking dishes—

and this residue ends up embedded in

your sponge or brush after washing. So

after soaking a glass or ceramic dish, I

fi rst use a wire or silicone whisk to re-

move the majority of the food residue.

Then I fi nish the job with my sponge or

brush. The gunk is easily rinsed off the

whisk. (If using a wire whisk, make sure

your dish can handle metal utensils.)

No Lid,

No Problem

–Pamela Navo, Charlevoix, Mich.

My husband and I were having leftover Chinese food for dinner, but we’d

eaten all the rice the night before. Without thinking, I pulled out my smallest

saucepan—which doesn’t have a lid—to make a little batch of rice. Looking

around for something to cover the pan, I found the perfect thing: a clear,

heat-resistant Pyrex mixing bowl, which is made of tempered glass. To my

delight, it fi t snugly over both my small and large saucepans. Now I use it

every time I make rice or steam vegetables.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TASTERS’ NOTES

Creamette Elbow Macaroni

Price: $3.46 for 16 oz

($0.22 per oz)

Noodle Length: 0.88 in

Our winner had a distinct “buttery” fl avor

that set it apart from all the others, and

the “long tubes” were deemed the “perfect

size and shape.” As one taster noted, it

was “a great size for spearing.” We liked its

“tender” yet “slightly fi rmer” texture.

RECOMMENDED

De Cecco No. 81 Elbows

Price: $1.67 for 16 oz

($0.10 per oz)

Noodle Length: 0.75 in

Like our winner, this was a longer noodle.

Though its fl avor was deemed “mild” and

“neutral,” the standout factor was its texture.

Tasters said that these “pleasantly chewy”

noodles were “light and springy.”

Barilla Elbows

Price: $1.67 for 16 oz

($0.10 per oz)

Noodle Length: 0.63 in

Although the fl avor was “not particularly

noticeable,” tasters said that this pasta was

“tender but has structure,” with a “great

bouncy chew” and a “nice spring.”

Ronzoni Smart Taste Elbows

Price: $1.12 for 12 oz

($0.09 per oz)

Noodle Length: 0.56 in

These “teeny little elbows” were “fi ne”

in terms of fl avor, with a “pleasantly

chewy” texture. Some tasters said that

these elbows were “too small” and were

“overpowered by the cheese” when eaten in

macaroni and cheese.

Goya Small Elbows

Price: $0.50 for 7 oz

($0.07 per oz)

Noodle Length: 0.56 in

Some tasters liked these tiny elbows for

their “pleasant” wheat fl avor, but others

thought they were “too small.” The cheese

sauce overwhelmed the “teeny tiny

noodles” in macaroni and cheese.