Kraft Buffalo Mayo

Hmm. I didn't think I was a mayo person OR a buffalo style person, but this was nice. I put it on chicken nuggets (and I don't consider myself a chicken nugget person) and it was a good, buffalo-wing flavor with also chicken there. Not too warm or creamy or gross, not particularly spicy or vinegary, but a little bit. I enjoyed it! Sadly the bottle is huge, it's like 43 100-cal servings worth, and it expires this month. The burden of buffalo. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Just Crack an Egg - Southwest Style Scramble Kit

Aw, it'd been a while since I had one of these! This is a new flavor to me, but really, they're all pretty similar. As always, it was filling and easy. This one did have weirdly chewy meat bits, though. The taste was definitely "breakfast burrito filling", which I liked, but the texture was pretty weird. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Light Miracle Whip

This Whip is a light miracle. Honestly, mayo is so gross compared to Miracle Whip, and I don't understand the haters. The only valid complaint about miracle whip is that it's really bad for you. Probably like 100cals per tablespoon. So, in comes this bad boy, at 20cals per spoon. Is it a little bit less delicious? Yes. But is it infinitely better than mayo and perfect for mixing, salads, and sandwiches? You bet your sweet bippy!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Kraft macaroni & cheese - Frozen II shapes

I know what you might be thinking: does this really deserve its own entry, distinct from Regular Kraft Mac and Cheese, Spirals Kraft Mac and Cheese, or Easy Mac with Paw Patrol Shapes? But I claim to you: yes! Yes! It is distinct, and it is better. The quantity is less than the non-shaped macs, including spirals, which is good for my health, but the taste is also better, I guess because the noodles are firmer(?) and carry more sweet, sweet sauce. I also like Frozen II well enough (but the other shapes like Cars II and Spongebob II and even Paw Patrol Cop Dogs II taste equally good). Of course, the taste is creamier than Easy Mac. I will say that sometimes I get a liiiittle stomach ache after eating, but I suspect that's just what milk and fat and cheese will do to a girl. Worth it.



Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

Kraft macaroni & cheese - spirals

These are pretty good! They come out very soft and not liquidy (like eating a cloud of cheese!) but they are tasty, more than regular mac n cheese, and very filling too.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

J.L. Kraft Garlic Aioli

The fact that Kraft gets initials when it wants to be fancy is very funny to me. I would like some J.L. Kraft Singles please. One J.L. Kraft Easy Mac to go please. Absurd!

I got this for a recipe. It's pretty niche in my diet, unfortunately, since I don't have any fries on hand (or like, bread). It tastes, basically, like mayo with a strong garlic flavor. Very strong garlic flavor! I'm sure there are places where this is good. Egg salad, as it happens, is not one of those places. I suspect a roast beef or turkey sandwich could do with it.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Kraft Triple Cheese Easy Mac

I know this isn't even called easy mac, but whatever, man, that's what this is. The idea of 'triple cheese' excited me, since as a kiddo I would sometimes double up on the cheese powder pouches in normal mac and cheese, forcing my parents to eat plain cheeseless elbows later. In retrospect, it is a little surprising that I was allowed to do this. 

But alas, this so-called "triple cheese" didn't taste any cheesier than the normal version. In fact, if I were forced to judge, it might even taste LESS cheesy. In general it's very similar to the baseline model -- maybe wetter(?)? In conclusion, it is fine.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Deluxe Cheddar Cheese Macaroni and Cheese (Easy Mac)

Ah, fancy easy mac. Much like the white cheddar version, this is good, though noticeably different from non-deluxe mac. There's a goo packet instead of a cheese powder packet, but mixed in it's pretty good like a Kraft singles sticky coating. The packet is annoyingly hard to open (it's foil, not paper) but otherwise these are pretty addictive. I wish they were bigger, because I have a porblem.


Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 1$ each)
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Singles

Ah, a quintessential American food! I had these all the time as a kid, much less so as an adult, but I have them now because it's the only cheese I have access to at Walgreens, the only store I go to during COVIDPOCALYPSE. Anyway, no nuts, individually wrapped, stay good forever, cheese, there's definitely positives here. And they melt well too and go well with mustard. Not so great on their own, as they do taste a little plastic-y or artificial. But as a supplement to Noodle or Sandwich, I like 'em, Not great for quesadilla though, sadly. 

 

 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Miracle Whip

I know there's some Miracle Whip haters out there. Heck, I'm a mild mayo-hater myself. But I grew up with miracle whip (in moderation) and so I really like it where it goes. Here's where it goes: egg salad, deviled eggs, cold turkey sandwiches, sweet bologna sandwiches. I think that's about it. Maybe macaroni or potato salad, but I rarely make those things myself. Anyway, egg salad for me is just a scoop of miracle whip and 2 eggs, and it's great. What else could you want? Of course it's not super healthy, but it adds the perfect flavor to these limited foods. The little zest is so much better than just the tasteless oil blorp that is mayonnaise. I haven't gotten a turkey sub for takeout in a while, but when I do, if they have miracle whip available I like it so much more. For now, the at-home egg-salad has been a great treat for me, since I have tortillas and have gotten eggs in the mail. Praise be to the Miracle whip!

Overall

Cost: 6/10

Taste: 8/10

Cheez Whiz Original Cheese Dip

I'm really going all in on the Kraft "cheese-like" products, huh!? Believe it or not, I've never had Cheez Whiz in any form before today, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was the only queso-esque thing I could find online so I got it. Heated up 2 spoonsful in the microwave for 30sec and had with some tortilla chips. It definitely wasn't the nacho queso I'm used to, but it was OK. At first I thought it tasted like the cheese chunk in those Handy Snacks crackers and cheese things (not a great endorsement, but nostalgic), but then I realised it just tastes a lot like movie theater nacho cheese. Makes sense. The texture is more "thick" and "processed" than an ideal queso, but the taste is OK if you accept what it is (I usually love shitty processed movie theater nacho cheese if I'm expecting it). It's no Qdoba queso, but it's way better than Chipotle queso, so do with that what you will. I don't know if I'd rebuy this given, say, a Tostito's option (we'll have to try that soon), but I plan to finish the jar with my corn chips and maybe pretzels (or tortillas? or rice? or pasta??), who knows!

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (Around 3.50)
Taste: 6/10

Easy Mac (no cup)

What the heck is this? Easy mac in a bag that you need your own bowl for? Seems silly since I usually have easy mac on the go (in a hotel with no bowls, for instance), but now that I'm at home, an 18 pack of easy mac for 7$ is hard to pass up. This is actually somehow better than the cup version (IMO) in terms of taste/texture. It doesn't have the white powder in the noodles, which might be related, I'm not sure. You add 2/3 cup water to the noodles and microwave for 3.44 and then stir in the cheese powder (the hardest part since I use a small bowl). It really tastes very close to regular mac and cheese, more than the bowl easy mac does. Almost buttery even though I didn't add butter/milk. This is nice. I think it must be very bad for me since I feel feverish and stomachachey after eating it most of the time, but I will enjoy this 18 pack til it's gone and try to hold out on rebuying for a while. But it is super easy and enjoyable. And a good, appropriate portion.

Overall
Cost: 9/10 (less than 50 cents a pack)
Taste: 7/10

Velveeta Shells & Cheese - Queso Blanco Microwaveable Cups

I got these to change up my easy mac palate, but these are virtually identical to the Kraft White Cheddar Easy Mac, even down to the instructions and little goopy cheese sauce packet. The only differences are that the noodles are little shells instead of elbows, and the branding. But of course, Velveeta is owned by Kraft!! So Velveeta singles and Kraft singles are the same? Which explains why this tastes like the homemade Kraft-single-melty mac and cheese from my youth. Anyway, it's still very quick, easy, and comforting (and bad for you), but it's nothing new, so that's too bad. I wonder if there's a radically different type of easy mac available! Maybe Annie's? If quarantine continues, I will surely find out! Stay tuned!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Deluxe - White Cheddar (Easy Mac)

Again, I guess this technically isn't called Easy Mac (anymore?), but it certainly isn't regular Kraft Dinner/Mac n Cheesers! Which is good for now, since I don't have access to milk or butter. Just water and powder for me! So, this is white cheddar ("Deluxe") flavor, but the calories and instructions are identical to the non-deluxe cheddar. The powder, however, has been replaced by a thick gloopy "sauce". It comes out of the pouch like sour cream. Very unnerving, but when you mix it in hot (I was too unnerved to try it on its own, though I am curious), it results in a thin sauce that reminds me of my mom's homemade mac and cheese (made with Kraft singles and milk :D). The noodles here are also "ribbed" and a bit firmer, maybe to catch the sauce in their grooves? Overall I like the effect, and it does feel more deluxe actually. But the taste isn't quite up to snuff - it's a bit tasteless, even with all the salt and stuff. Could use more creaminess or stickiness, somehow. Still not bad for what it is.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Paw Patrol (Easy Mac)

So nowhere on the container does this actually say "Easy Mac" -- did they depreciate the name? Where did the name come from?! -- but this is definitely easy and potentially mac. No milk needed, which is why Easy Mac is the only Mac for me in this non-house-leaving life. And it's not bad, even if it's maybe not good for me. A cute size for this new life, just 3 min in the microwave, and decent warm/creamy taste even given how the sausage is made. Noodles are more formless and chewy, and there's some unnatural taste in all Easy Macs, but it's not unpleasant. And the puppy on the packaging seems fun. Is Paw Patrol cancelled? Is that why these were in stock? Who can say. But I give it 2 Paws Up.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with Cauliflower Pasta

Sooo I got this because I'm always trying to eat more veg. But it turns out cauliflower is like, the last ingredient. On the plus side, this tastes just like normal mac and cheese, maybe a little bit firmer texture. It made my ear hurt but that might be because I ate too fast. Ultimately it was filling and a good amount, but it's easy to speed eat I guess. I also think this might be discontinued because I bought it on sale, but otherwise I'd get it again for the illusion of healthfulness!

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10

Kraft Easy Mac

This is just so darn handy. I got it from the little lobby market at my hotel when I was at a conference, and it cost FIVE DOLLARS. What!? And it was the small size (220 cals). Insane. Usually it's like 1-2 dollars max at a gas station. But anyway, maybe it was just the insane price, but it tasted pretty good. Super easy to make, portable, warm, comforting, nostalgic. For someone who is lazy and loves noodles and cheese, this was a major turning point in Food. Realistically it tastes way worse than fresh pasta, but hey, it's cheap, fast, low cal, pre portioned, and no dishes. You could do worse. Even for 5$...


Overall
Cost: 5/10 (in this case. in general 7/10)
Taste: 6/10

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

If you haven't had mac and cheese, I dunno what to tell you. It's a childhood and college classic! Not very healthy but super tasty and filling and easy to make. I recently learned that if you use the amount of margarine it says to use, it tastes way better but also gives me a stomach ache. So maybe you might want to use a bit less margarine (1 tbsp seems to do the trick for me). This is also great to add some frozen veggies to, like brocos or asparagus. Always good to have on hand.


Overall
Cost: 9/10
Taste: 8/10