Best Mac and Cheese Products

I have a confession to make about Mac and Cheese. When the chill of winter sets in, on many a Friday night all I want to do is plant myself in front of my non-existent fireplace with a heaping pot of the gluey orange stuff. No date or dinner out with friends can satiate my emotional pangs as perfectly as a good bowl of Mac and Cheese, the processed kind only.

Truth be told, the same comfort pangs set in on those damp days in the office when I am stuck on an assignment. Like all self-aware adults, I blame this on my Mother, a purist who never served a meal that was not made from scratch.

These days however, a good bowl of Mac and Cheese varies depending on my needs for convenient preparation, portion control, portability or a special diet. In response to the consumption trends and ever-changing taste buds of grown-ups, food producers have done a great job churning out new versions of this old-time favorite. Speed and taste are accommodated, from faster-to-nuke microwaveable meals and easy-to-carry portable cups to organic adaptations that come with a slightly more upscale white cheese seasoning for sophisticated palates. But though they may have updated their product development plans they somehow forgot to bring their marketing efforts up to speed, because they seem to still to be appealing to Moms and their broods when in fact it's us singles who could benefit most from these new product offerings.

In response to our cravings, SingleEdition has compiled a list of the latest and greatest Mac n' Cheese solutions, from the pure to the most pleasurable, for the single set.

Portable and Affordable:

1. Kraft Easy Mac Cups: A dream come true for Kraft Dinner Lovers who needs inexpensive, on-the-go convenience. This single-serve solution is neatly packaged in a portable cup and all it requires is four minutes in the microwave to prepare, no added milk or butter necessary. Definitely a handy alternative that you can take with you anywhere.

2. Betty Crocker Bowl Appetit Three-Cheese Rotini: You may have come across this one-bowl wonder in supermarkets and stores across the country. Another just-add-water solution, this one contains a little more than 3 ounces of spiral noodles covered in a blend of cheddar, parmesan and blue cheeses. The only downside is that it requires a lot of stirring after heating or you may come across a hard and crunchy stray noodle!

Whole New Convenience:

3. Annie's Wisconsin Cheddar Microwavable Macaroni and Cheese: They call it micro-mac and it's for organic eaters, made with a little too little real aged cheddar and certified organic pasta. This portion primed product comes in individual packed pouches to keep the single diner from finishing off an entire blue box! The instructions are simple, just open the macaroni packet and pour it into a bowl, then add a half cup of water. Leave it in the microwave for 1.5 minutes then stir in the contents of the cheese packet.

4. Amy's Kitchen Macaroni and Cheese: From the folks who brought us the first nutritious, easy-to-prepare pot pies, comes fast, simple and 100% wholesome goodness, straight of the box. While this good-for-you product tastes like velvety delight, it is not guilt-free. The larger than average size serving weighs in at 9 ounces and contains more than 400 calories plus 16 grams of fat, so you may just want to go for the real stuff.

Pure Palate Pleasers:

5. Trader Joe's Mac n Cheese: When you pop open the box don't be alarmed at the heap of shredded cheese (a real blend of Cheddar, Swiss, Havarti and Gouda) and butter that lays before you. Described as "cheesy crack" by our Boston Taste tester Heidi, this is as close to the homemade variety as it gets. And that is indeed what it can be with the right amount of oven time and some breadcrumbs thrown on top. Just don't say we did not warn you, the serving size is meant for two!

Lighter Delights:

6. Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese: If what you need is a smarter choice, there are plenty of diet friendly Mac n Cheese meals on the market. While most of them are sodium packed and too tiny to even taste, you can always throw in some fresh vegetables for volume. Sorry Weight Watchers, in this one the Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese topped the chart for best product!