Pressure cooker mac-and-cheese

 

A key strategy of mine as a lazy cook is to remove steps and/or ingredients one by one to achieve the most pared down recipe possible. This mac and cheese is so easy that I don’t even look up the instructions anymore. If we always have a box of macaroni in the pantry and a bag of cheese in the fridge, then this no-fail mac and cheese is always a dinner option:

 

Place in an electric pressure cooker (6qt size):

 

2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

3 cups water

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons butter

 

Stir to make sure macaroni is evenly distributed in the water.

 

Set to cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. (On my cheapskate Wal-Mart Farberware cooker, I use setting 5/Meat, but most “presets” are at the same level of pressure and therefore interchangeable.)

 

When it’s finished cooking, allow to sit for 3 minutes; then release remaining pressure.

 

Stir the cooked macaroni, then dump in an 8 oz. package (2 cups) of shredded cheese. Preferably Cabot!

 

Set the lid back on for a few minutes to allow cheese to melt. Then stir it thoroughly and serve. Done.

 

If you find this bland, you can mix in a shake of Worcestershire or a squirt of prepared mustard with the cheese, but this is the basic recipe. Or maybe your family is going to smother it with ketchup, in which case, why bother? Keep it simple.