There Is Nothing Wrong With the Way Panera Makes Macaroni and Cheese.
Besides forcing society to explore what comedy really is, TikTok drives all kinds of discourse, both political and not. But after one user posted a behind-the-scenes look , people are talking about Panera macaroni and cheese that heat up from frozen to slave temperature in – horror – horror – plastic bags.
This is good. In fact, as someone who prepares a lot of food in the same bags , I love it! There is no reason for even a mild scandal, as all Panera does is reheat an already cooked food – which is very common in the fast food industry – in a constant temperature water bath. If you visit these places regularly, you know this method as “sous vide”.
Sous-vide systems are fantastic meal planning tools and are actually the best way for Panera – or anyone else – to reheat macaroni and cheese, as it’s a wonderful, proven method of making and / or heating tender sauces and custards . Unlike microwave ovens or hotplates, the gentle, temperature-controlled water bath heats the pasta as evenly as possible (unattended), gently bringing it to serving temperature, while the cheese sauce remains emulsified. No brittle or burnt pasta, just perfectly warmed creamy pasta.
I say there is nothing to be ashamed or indignant about. In fact, instead of firing the girl who posted the video, Panera should do everything like Starbucks and capitalize on current food trends by renaming the dish “Sous-Vide Mac and Cheese,” which sounds trendy and isn’t technically a lie.
Cooking sous vide and using it in Panera is a trick that is definitely not wacky and we can apply it from the comfort of our home. Simply transfer it to a sous-vide bag, close the bag, or clip it to the edge of the tub, and heat it in a 140-degree water bath for half an hour or more (depending on how much you heat up again) while shaking. bag needed to speed up the heating process. The only thing I would change at Panera is the final frying step with even more cheese – adding a layer of sparkling, crispy cheese on top of the sticky liquid cheese is arguably the best mac and cheese recipe.