The Mac & Cheese Lab

Keiran Eagen & Emily Williams

Abstract:
The motivation of this experiment was to examine what goes into making the best and
gooiest mac and cheese. Specifically this experiment was an investigation of the question, what
type of cheese creates the best mac and cheese concerning taste, consistency, texture, and
creaminess? Seeing as mac & cheese is a household favorite and the most commonly known
comfort food, we felt that answering this question could lead to a better more consistent mac &
cheese dinner and maybe even bring the comfort levels up for whoever may be consuming this
delicious meal. To answer this initial question quantitative and qualitative tests were conducted.
Seen in the results below, a taste test was performed along with a viscosity test conducted with a
homemade consistometer. To narrow the breadth of results and make a more manageable
comparison, two cheeses were chosen for the experiments, gouda and cheddar, two mac and
cheese favorites. It was found through these tests that gouda is generally a more desirable cheese
concerning taste and texture. Additionally it was determined that gouda has a higher viscosity
than cheddar, meaning it has a more liquidy consistency. Both viscosities were relatively low, so
they were still extremely gooey. When comparing the taste test results to the viscosities
determined, it can be assumed that generally a mac and cheese with a slightly thicker cheese
sauce such as a gouda based mac and cheese is more desirable. These results can be helpful for
Americans everywhere wishing to make their own mac and cheeses but being unsure what
cheese to use. Further taste testing would be helpful in creating a more accurate representation of
the cheese preference of a greater population. Along with further taste testing we would have
liked to perform tests with other types of cheese this way we could have a larger range of data,
leaving the reader more educated about their cheeses.
Introduction:
The purpose of this investigation in
its most simplified form, is to find the
gooiest cheese for use in mac & cheese. Mac
& cheese is a favorite food and a comfort
food for many people, so why not explore
some of the preferences of the consumer,
and find the gooiest cheese. Along with that
first goal we will also be considering the
taste, color, gooiness, and texture, when we
collect our qualitative data. In order to
measure the gooeyness of the different
cheeses used during this investigation we
will measure the viscosity of each of the
cheeses. Viscosity is measured in Pascalseconds. The higher the viscosity means the
harder it is for the fluid to flow, like honey.
Lower the viscosity the easier it is to flow,
like water. Finding the viscosity of the
different cheeses is critical because all
cheeses have different characteristics that
can affect flavor and sharpness. Different
cheeses also melt in different ways, for

example, young Gouda is a good melting

cheese, whereas a cheese like Feta is not a
good melting cheese. This is because of
multiple factors, but generally the younger
and more moist the cheese is the better it
will melt. All of these things are considered
to find the best possible mac & cheese in a
controlled environment.
During the investigation we will be
completing a few important tasks. First, we
will be making mac & cheese. Second, we
will be conducting public taste tests to
collect qualitative data on the two different
dishes. The different dishes will be
presented in the same way. The original
recipe will be called Mac & Cheese A the
recipe with Gouda will be called Mac &
Cheese B. This is to remove any bias that
the creator may have that could sway the
opinions of the taste testers. Each of the
things that were tested for as qualitative data
were defined in a certain way to remove as
many discrepancies in perception as

possible. Each question was answered with a

one to five rating. Taste and color had no
definitions since both were thought to be
fairly simple questions. Gooeyness was
defined as the stickiness and creaminess of
the cheese. Texture was defined as the
feeling that each cheese has on your tongue.
Was it lumpy or was it smooth and creamy?
Along with the qualitative testing
that was listed above certain tasks must be
completed in order to find the viscosity of
each of the cheeses. We must build a
consistometer. This mechanism allows us to
calculate the viscosity of the two cheese
sauces so that we can then tell the world
which cheese is the gooiest and best for mac
& cheese making. A consistometer is a
mechanism with 0.5 cm markings that can
be used to find the viscosity of a liquid. A
consistometer works by releasing a door that
allows the substance to flow down the
channel because of the forces of gravity.
When the door releases a timer is started for
thirty seconds. When the timer is up, the
distance the substance moved is recorded.
Then we know the viscosity of the fluid.
Methods:
For this investigation, two different
cheese sauces are needed, a consistometer, a
stove top with two sauce pans, a timer, a
thermometer, and a table to record data. The
cheese sauces are both made up of two egg,
a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk, a
teaspoon of hot sauce, a teaspoon of ground
mustard, a tablespoon of cornstarch, each
includes 8 ounces of American cheese, and
one pound of the individual cheese being
investigated. The cheese sauces will be
heated to 175 degrees Fahrenheit, the
approximate melting point of each cheese, to
avoid differences in viscosity due to over
melting of the cheese. A consistometer is a
device used in kitchens to measure the
viscosity of different sauces. It is a simple
aluminum contraption consisting of a

rectangular container with a latch at one end.

Along the side of the container there are
centimeter markings to decipher how far the
liquid has traveled.
The first step in using the
consistometer is to pour the cheese sauce
into the consistometer with the latch down
and to fill it to the top. The latch will then be
lifted and the cheese will be allowed to slide
into the consistometer for 30 seconds. At
this point the distance the cheese has
traveled is measured and recorded. The same
process will be repeated for each cheese
sauce 3 times to have an abundance of data
to compare and contrast. This will help us to
determine which cheese is the gooiest, and
then compare that to what people thought
during our taste tests.
The taste tests were conducted as a
partially blind test, the two types of mac
were labeled sample A and sample B. The
tasters were given a survey with questions
about each mac and two spoons to try each
one. The questions asked concerned taste,
color, texture and gooiness. The results from
these taste tests can be seen in Figure 1 in
the results section. In order to get the most
accurate results, one should aim to receive
10-15 survey results.
Results:
During this investigation we
recorded data that was both qualitative and
quantitative. Figure 1 contains the average
results from the taste test. All values that are
labeled with an "A" afterwards is the mac
and cheese that contained cheddar. All
values that are labeled with a "B" afterwards
are the mac and cheese that contained
gouda. That average taste values show that
most people preferred the taste of Gouda
over cheddar. Most people preferred the
color of cheddar over Gouda. The majority
of participants thought the Mac and cheese
containing gouda was gooier than cheddar.
Almost everyone agreed that Gouda had the

better texture than the Mac and cheese

containing cheddar. For the taste test Figure
1 shows that the majority of people prefer
the Mac and cheese made with Gouda over
the mac and cheese made with cheddar.
This data confirms that gouda is better or
mac and cheese.

Figure 2: Average Viscosity

Figure 1: Taste Test Result Averages

Figure 2 shows the average

viscosities from our 3 tests of each cheese
sauce. There were no outliers so it is not
necessary to look at calculations other than
the averages. As one can see from the figure
on average cheddar has a higher viscosity
than gouda. This means that gouda is gooier
than cheddar, which would make gouda the
more desirable cheese for mac and cheese.
The lower the viscosity the thicker the
cheese was. This is because the numbers in
this figure show how far the cheese traveled
within thirty seconds in the consistometer.
When the cheese travels farther it has a
higher viscosity, a runnier consistency, when
the cheese takes longer to move through the
consistometer it has a lower viscosity.

By comparing the results from our

viscosity tests to our taste tests we can
decipher if the viscosity of the different
cheese sauces effects how enjoyable the mac
& cheese will be. The left column of values
are the viscosities of the cheddar and gouda,
the other values are from our taste tests.
According to these results a lower viscosity
accounts for a better texture and more gooey
consistency. Over all we can assume from
this that a lower viscosity is more enjoyed
by the population.
Figure 3: Viscosity of Cheese Sauces
Compared to Taste Test Results for Texture
and Gooiness

Discussion:
The results from this investigation
showed that gouda makes a better mac and
cheese. Now the question one needs to ask is
why is a gouda based mac generally more
enjoyed than cheddar? When looking at the
results from the quantitative test and the
viscosity tests, one can see that gouda is a
much thicker and less runny cheese when
melted, where cheddar is runnier and has a
greater viscosity. This shows that generally
the people who filled out the survey for our
taste test prefer a thicker cheese in their mac
and cheese.
These results were not what we were
expecting after doing some initial
background research. Most home made mac
and cheese recipes call for some form of
cheddar or American cheese, and very few
recommend use of gouda. This is most likely
because the taste cheddar gives to the mac
and cheese is very similar to the generic
store bought box mac and cheese most
people are used to. While gouda has a
tangier sharper taste not often expected in
mac and cheese. Gouda and cheddar are
fairly similar cheeses, they are both young
dence cheeses best used for melting or using
in sauces. They have very different tastes
but their chemical makeup is similar. They
are both optimal cheeses for mac and
cheese. Cheeses such as parmesan or
gruyere are less commonly used for melting
because they are aged cheese thus having
less liquid in their makeup making melting
very difficult. For this reason these cheeses
are less often or never used in a cheese
sauce.
The most likely possibility for the
difference in the results we got from what
was expected was the simple idea of

different people having a different taste in

cheese. Chances are the people who taste
tested our mac and cheese prefer the taste of
gouda to that of cheddar, this may not be the
case for the general population however.
This could mean that our results are not
accurate to the population of the U.S but
rather only accurate to the people who took
our taste test. Because the people who took
our taste test were entirely Animas High
School students or teachers we know that
the results are accurate to these people. The
next step to take to better this experiment
would be to administer taste tests to a larger
variety of people, including different ages
and location of residence. In addition to
better the investigate performing another
viscosity test with a real bostwick
consistometer would allow for the most
accurate results to use for comparison.
Conclusion:
To conclude, we would recommend
gouda in your home made mac and cheese.
It gives a rich and unique flavor and is an
easy meal everyone should try. It has a
higher viscosity than cheddar and thus it is
gooier. It was the most enjoyed by our taste
testers and in our own opinion the tastiest,
and definitely worth trying. It provides a
unique artisan flavor that is both memorable
and makes you yearn for the next bite. For
the full recipe and instruction on how to
make the mac and cheese in this experiment
get The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
or go on line and look up mac and cheese
by The Food Lab and make your own! We
hope you enjoy many mac & cheese dinners
to come!