Regular People Blind Taste Popular Boxed Mac & Cheese (Gen Z to Boomers)

[pensive music]

[Narrator] We've gathered a panel

of eight people, from tweens...

I just really like mac and cheese.

[Narrator] to boomers.

I am a retired New York City subway train operator.

[Narrator] and everyday eaters.

I love to eat.

[Narrator] to professionals.

I'm a pastry chef.

[Narrator] to blind taste test

some of the most popular brands

of boxed mac and cheese. [graphic whooshing]

All items are prepared according to the boxed directions.

For the first round,

we're going to start them off

with something easy and familiar.

Ooh. [laughs]

[transition whooshing]

[Narrator] The classic Kraft Mac & Cheese.

I know exactly what this is.

I feel like I could recognize the smell anywhere.

[Taste Tester] So nostalgic.

You know, it is really good.

Yep, yep, yep. No.

[Narrator] Now let's hear from the panel one by one.

I ate the whole thing.

This brings me back to my childhood.

I immediately knew what this was as soon

as I looked at it.

I think a lot of us did.

Nostalgia is so powerful

and such a meaningful part of a food and eating experience.

That being said, it's not a great product.

I do love it, even though it sucks. [laughs]

It's a classic.

What can I say?

So I just remember making this in bulk,

sleepovers or camping or something.

It's just so easy to make.

I think when you're a kid

and you don't have a developed palate, it's great.

You don't have, you know,

the facilities to compare it to other things.

But if you're eating this as an adult, it's a struggle food.

It tasted really good,

but I feel like I would like it more

if it were creamier and there was, like, more cheese.

It's not the creamiest, it's not the cheesiest.

It's probably made from powder.

I did like it, but I also kind of didn't like it.

Overall, it was really good.

You just eat it and you just can't help but feel happy.

This mac and cheese is so familiar.

I remember, like, leaving the restaurant in my early 20s,

going home at like 1:00 AM in the morning

and popping out one of these on the stove top and eating it.

I really enjoyed the macaroni of it all.

I used to, like, just put my prong of fork in there

and eat one piece by piece.

It looks like macaroni and cheese,

but it's not cheesy enough.

The flavor also is not cheesy enough.

I mean, I would eat it.

That's how much I like macaroni and cheese.

You got to like dress it up, you know?

It's like a pig in a wig and we need some hot sauce.

You need some extra cheese in here.

I need a white flag.

I surrender.

This is the reason

I stopped eating mac and cheese. [laughs]

My roommate used to eat it all the time.

Just, I don't have any nostalgic tie with this, but, oh boy.

I don't think this is for me.

No, thank you.

I would eat it, and I will eat this.

Yes, it's not the perfect mac and cheese,

but it's the perfect mac and cheese

for what it's trying to be.

I ate it all. [bell ringing]

I want more.

[Narrator] Now the panelists will rate each product

on a scale of one to 10.

Will their nostalgia hold up in the scoring

or are the childhood [graphic whooshing]

memories not enough to put this classic at the top?

Panel, do you know the brand?

[Taste Testers] Kraft.

[taste tester laughing]

[graphic chiming]

[Narrator] Sounds like this favorite

has some room for improvement,

but what do they think of the next one?

Oh. Ooh.

Oh, I'm so excited.

[transition whooshing]

[Narrator] Annie's Shells & Cheese, White Cheddar.

Looks good. Here we go.

Noodles are really good. Shells is

the perfect texture.

This is not bad.

More love in this.

[taste testers chattering]

What I really love about this mac and cheese,

it's unexpected, right?

I think we grew up with, like, a yellow cheese sauce,

and this is clearly a Vermont white cheddar.

It was pretty underseasoned.

I wish it was more saucier,

and that the shells are interesting, right?

You have these small, little shells,

but I really don't like

how they kind of stack on top of each other.

It's a lot of pasta in there.

I love shells because they're like little bowls

for, like, the cheese to sit in,

and you get two or three of them in your mouth

at the same time

and they just kind of, like, explode.

I do like the shape and all of it,

but one thing that I noticed is that it was more salty.

I don't think I really liked that.

I wish it was a little bit saltier.

This is definitely the kind of meal that I would make

for my four-year-old and then end up finishing myself.

I like that the cheese tasted

more cheesy [laughs] than the last one.

Another classic.

Something I grew up eating, if I'm not mistaken.

This specific one as well, the white cheddar shell.

It's okay.

It's not...

It doesn't smell that bad like the last one from miles away.

It just, it's, again,

it's something that I will stay away from. [laughs]

This is a keeper.

You can't have this back.

Not my favorite, but it definitely hits

a core memory of mine.

Tastes like home.

To me, it's really hard to get mac and cheese wrong,

but somebody got this really right.

It's like a warm blanket for my stomach.

I want more.

[Narrator] Sounds like Annie's held up well.

[gentle music]

Panelists,

show us your scores. [graphic whooshing]

[graphic chiming]

Does anyone have a guess as to what brand this might be?

Annie's. [bell chiming]

[graphic chiming]

Looks like they know their Annie's,

but how will they feel about our next brand?

Kraft vibes.

[Taste Tester] Looks good.

[transition whooshing]

[Narrator] Great Value Original Cheddar Mac & Cheese.

[bright music]

[Taste Tester] Okay.

There's kind of like a weird aftertaste.

Has some kind of tang.

It's like made for kids.

There's definitely a sweetness.

Okay. Well, I ate it all again.

If somebody asked me what this is,

I would say this is Kraft Mac & Cheese

with some honey drizzled on it.

It seems like it's maybe a Kraft knockoff

with a higher sugar content.

The sauce is really greasy and it's very gloopy.

I might serve this to my four-year-old [laughs]

if there were not a lot of other options.

I do feel like the sauce isn't very creamy.

It's more like chunky,

almost like it has cheese melted in it,

but it's a box cheese,

so I'd imagine it's powder-based, but I'm not sure.

There's, like, clumps everywhere.

It's like a chunkier Kraft.

And also the noodles are smaller than the Kraft ones,

so it kind of makes me uncomfortable.

I don't know why. [laughs]

The color is a bit weird.

It just didn't taste like mac and cheese in general to me.

It just had a kind of like a tangy aftertaste.

I don't know.

I wouldn't have it again.

I wouldn't ever, like, eat this again.

I don't think I would choose this brand

unless I was starving.

For this, no thank you.

It tastes good.

I would eat it, but I wouldn't say it's 100%.

I'm not going to make this myself,

but if somebody gave it to me, I'll eat it.

[suspenseful music]

[Narrator] Let's see how they score it.

[graphic whooshing]

Is this Temu Kraft?

[graphic beeping]

[graphic beeping]

[graphic chiming]

[Narrator] Well, with that behind us,

let's move on to our first non-dried cheese sauce.

[taste tester speaking indistinctly]

[gasps] Ooh, this looks so good.

[transition whooshing]

[Narrator] With Velveeta Shells & Cheese.

Let's see what it tastes like.

[taste tester laughing]

I know what this is.

Classic.

Just like how Mom made it.

What kind of cheese is this supposed to be?

[Taste Tester] This is so good.

I was really excited when I saw this one.

It just looks so good, again, with the shells.

I love shells.

And I like how it had that really creamy, cheesy look.

There's definitely a lot of sauce, which is good.

I love it really saucy.

The cheese flavor isn't as, like, umami,

but it still is, like, very rich, very salty.

Got that punch to it, you know?

It's like I got a sucker punch by salt,

and if I finish the whole thing,

I'm going to end up in the dialysis center next door.

When I first saw this, it kind of reminded me of goldfish.

I'm not sure why, [graphic beeping]

but I feel like the color

was just similar or, like, the shape.

I was really excited to try this,

but it just tasted really weird,

and I didn't like this at all.

I don't know what is on this pasta.

It looks something artificial, something fake.

It kind of looks like model food

that you're not [graphic beeping]

supposed to eat.

I'm going to paint a picture for you.

It's like that American single slice cheddar cheese,

like they just like melt

that in the pot with a bunch of water.

The cheese is ooey and gooey

and that's really what you want in a mac and cheese.

Is it elegance and premium?

No.

Also, that's not really what I'm looking

for sometimes with mac and cheese.

I want something that is comforting,

and this definitely hits the mark there.

So it's doing its job.

Everybody showed up to work.

I love it.

It's classic.

I ate it. I want more.

[Narrator] Some of our panelists

are questioning the realness of the cheese,

and others were once again strolling down memory lane.

And Skylar painted us a pretty picture that isn't

that far from the truth,

but let's see how [graphic whooshing]

that plays out in the scoring.

Yasir's coming in strong with an eight,

but this one has missed the mark for most of our panelists.

And once again, Po wishes he was in a different video.

Panelists, do you know what brand this is?

Velveeta. [graphic chiming]

[graphic chiming]

[Narrator] For round five, we're going international.

Some seasoning going on.

It reminds me like pesto.

I don't know, what is that, truffles?

[transition whooshing]

With an imported Tartuffi

Truffle Mac & Cheese from Sabatino.

[Taste Tester] Let's see?

[Taste Tester] I think I need a fork.

It has a really interesting aftertaste.

[Taste Tester] Oils.

[people chattering]

I like it. [graphic beeping]

It's actually pretty good.

I know it's a little bit cheating using the truffle oil

and I like the ideas [graphic beeping]

of different dry spices inside.

I see parsley, I see cumin,

but it's pretty, pretty tasty for this one.

That's a good bowl of pasta.

It's covered in truffle.

I mean, I'm so curious what those flakes are.

I don't think they're actual black truffle,

but it doesn't have that kind

of synthetic truffle oil flavor.

It tastes more like actual mushroom

or truffle that you're eating.

Truffle, black truffle really takes over.

It just overpowers the dish.

It, like, takes away from, like,

what a mac and cheese should be.

You lose that cheesy umami flavor from the cheese itself.

This isn't mac and cheese,

but it's truffle pasta, for sure.

Walk with me here.

It's like top ramen seasoning smell,

and it's kind of lingering in my throat.

Like, I can smell it when I talk right now,

but I do like the noodle shape.

Every time I took a bite,

it tasted differently [graphic beeping]

each time.

And when I first like got it,

I thought that it smelled good,

but I feel like the smell was just like too strong

and it started, like, smelling really bad for me,

I don't like the taste or smell at all.

I don't...

I don't like it at all.

I was very confused

by this. [graphic beeping]

This is for somebody else.

I'm who it's for,

but I will say I don't think it's mac and cheese.

I love the truffley mushroom, herby, garlicky,

like, it's very flavorful, super umami,

but it didn't taste super cheesy to me.

I almost was wondering if it was a vegan mac and cheese

because it almost tasted kind of like

a savory vegetable creamy sauce,

which made me wonder if they were using those mushrooms

and truffle to make it taste cheesy.

But I really liked it.

I thought it was so good.

It's kind of a sexy mac and cheese.

At least I can finish almost a bowl.

[graphic chiming]

[Narrator] Was the truffle too much for our panel

or did this unique take on a classic win their hearts?

Let's see in the scores. [graphic whooshing]

[graphic chiming]

Next up, we have a relative newcomer to the market.

Very orange.

Goodles Cheddy Mac. [transition whooshing]

Will its high protein chickpea pasta throw

our panelists for a loop?

[gentle music]

[Taste Tester] Now that's a lot of [indistinct].

Definitely. Oh my God.

[Taste Tester] Luster.

I think that this tasted

much better [graphic beeping]

than the last one,

but I hated the texture.

The top was, like, more yellow than the edges in the bottom.

It was much more orange.

It's like somebody painted

each macaroni with the cheese.

Just put cheese on it.

I don't know how they got it so orange.

You know, the creaminess isn't quite there.

It's just, it's very sticky.

This does not look like the color

of real cheese to me. [graphic beeping]

It looks like something artificial.

I did not like the taste of.

It tasted awful.

The flavor was similar to Kraft,

but maybe not as good. [laughs]

I find the color of this mac and cheese concerning.

It's as if you did, like,

the worst spray tan before prom, you know,

that you're really upset about.

People eat with their eyes first.

That's something as a chef,

I look back and say,

Okay, let's reformulate and restructure

how we're formulating this cheese sauce

so it doesn't give that perception.

It's just unappetizing.

This is another kind of model mac and cheese.

I think this is probably the idea of mac and cheese

that Europeans have of American mac and cheese,

just because it looks

so like you shouldn't be eating this.

There were just clumps of cheese in different locations

and it coated my throat again.

It was just kind of lodged in my throat for a while

before it settled in.

What kind of chemicals are in this again? [laughs]

I will eat this, but I would much prefer,

if we're going to go this route, go straight Kraft.

I'm sorry for whoever is eating this.

You shouldn't be doing that to yourself.

Love yourself, you know?

[gentle music]

[Narrator] Let's see how they rate this pasta

before learning what the brand is.

[graphic whooshing]

[taste tester sighing]

[taste tester speaking indistinctly]

[graphic beeping]

[graphic beeping]

[graphic chiming]

[gentle music]

So for this last taste...

[transition whooshing]

we move to Vermont,

with a Cabot Creamery's [transition whooshing]

Seriously Sharp Shells & Cheese.

[Taste Tester] We're good.

[Taste Tester] They're kind of all like [indistinct].

Fabulous. The cheese is really.

Yep. This is like a cheese company made mac and cheese.

[taste testers chattering]

[Taste Tester] A little bit so he knows.

[Taste Tester] Wait, can I just have one last bite?

I'm almost done.

This is just my last one.

It was really good.

It was salty though,

but I'm just really hungry, so I did eat all of it.

I do wish I had it when I was hungrier. [laughs]

But I really liked the, like,

really sharp cheddar kind of taste.

There was something like a little bit barn yardy,

like a little goaty.

I always like shells.

They are a little bit small.

It was a little bit sticky,

and the noodle did kind of get stuck to my back molar.

Other than that, I did like the white cheddar,

and I love a shell.

I like the texture of the pasta.

I don't like how this dish smells.

It does not taste like real cheese to me.

This tasted like a cheese company made it

and added it to pasta.

To me, was exceptional.

It had all the things that I like.

Probably one of the more enjoyable

mac and cheeses of the day.

I do think the coverage of the cheese sauce

could be a little bit heavier.

I think it would've been good with a little bit

more sauce as well.

I wish I would've eaten this earlier

like one of our other folks said.

It's one of those [graphic beeping]

things where I know I'm full,

but I kept eating it because I like the way it tasted.

I would definitely eat this again.

I know who made this.

Yeah, I think this is a decent mac and cheese.

It was one of my favorites, for sure.

I liked it.

Oh, I would love to have some more.

This is the last one, right? Thank God.

[Narrator] Well, we finally found a winner for Kira.

Panel, show us your scores.

[graphic whooshing]

Po isn't convinced, but others are in

for the cheesy mac

from Vermont. [graphic beeping]

[graphic chiming]

Now having sampled seven

different mac and cheeses, [graphic whooshing]

let's see where they all scored.

Cabot's was my favorite.

Sabatino.

Cabot was my overall favorite,

but I really enjoyed the truffles in the Sabatino.

Cabot's.

Annie's.

Annie's.

It's Cabot for me.

I liked Cabot, but I also love the truffle one

if it can be considered mac and cheese.

[Taste Tester] Well, there you have it.

Eight brave everyday food lovers

sampled and rated mac

and cheese with some winners, some not so winners,

and just a hint of confusion.

Join us next time when our panel tackles the complex world

of chocolate chip cookies.

[bright music]