No, this isn’t our first mac & cheese snackdown. While Martha Stewart vs. Kris Jenner was epic beyond measure, the battle will never truly end. There are too many famous macs in the universe to ignore.
Like John Legend’s and Rihanna’s. When we discovered both stars had recipes, we needed to try them, annnd pit them against each other, ASAP.
RIHANNA’S RECIPE
Don't call it a "macaroni & cheese." Not only because it's almost unidentifiable in taste as such, but because Bad Girl Riri calls it "Mac A Rih's." It's by far one of the weirdest pastas we've ever made.
Mainly because of the yellow mustard and ketchup — there's a 1/4 cup of each. This might not seem like a lot to Heinz fiends who squirt ketchup on things like scrambled eggs, but trust us, it is. The tastes of both are very prominent.
There's also not really a sauce. After Rihanna cooks the pasta she leaves a little water in the pot, then dumps everything in — onion, red bell pepper, spring onions, Jamaican scotch pepper sauce, ketchup (😐), mustard (😑), and tons of tons of Colby jack cheese — and lets everything melt and meld together. If the mixture is too thick, which it'll likely be considering the near 2 pounds cheese, she says to add more water. Not pasta, just regular water.
JOHN'S RECIPE
Like Rihanna, John also skips making a sauce, but unlike hers, everything comes together while baking. Once the macaroni is cooked and tossed with butter, it gets layered into a 9"-x-13" baking dish with cheddar and Monterey jack. Then, a mixture of 2 cans evaporated milk, eggs, 1/3 cup skim milk (WHY, JOHN?!), seasoned salt, and garlic powder gets poured over and the whole thing bakes 35 minutes.
When we opened the oven midway through baking this recipe, the molten cheese was bubbling violently. Sadly, the excitement ended there. Some noodles were totally naked, thanks to the layering and overall it was pretty bland. (Most taste testers compared it to cafeteria food.)
THE VERDICT
Rihanna wins! When both dishes are less than thrilling, you vote for the one with more flavor. And despite the very controversial usage of condiments, everyone felt that more love went into Rihanna's.
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