Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

• 4 ½ cups (450 g) elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 4 cups (400 g) mature Cheddar, grated from the block
• 1 ⅓ cups (150 g) Monterey Jack or Red Leicester, grated from the block
• 1 ½ cups (354 ml) evaporated milk (one 12 fl oz tin)
• 1 ½ cups (350 ml) whole milk
• 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) butter, cubed, plus extra for the pot
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 0.5 tsp garlic powder
• 0.25 tsp smoked paprika (optional, for a whisper of warmth)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Grate. Grate both cheeses from the block and set a good handful aside for the top. This is the step that decides the whole dish — pre-shredded bags are dusted with anticaking starch, and that is exactly what turns a crock grainy.
2. Parboil. Cook the macaroni in well-salted boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes — a good 2 minutes short of the packet time. It should still have a bit of fight in it. Drain well.
3. Butter. Butter the slow cooker pot generously, then tip in the hot macaroni with the cubed butter and toss until every piece is slicked. That coat keeps it from clumping while the sauce comes together.
4. Combine. Whisk the evaporated milk, whole milk, mustard powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika if using, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper in a jug. Pour it over the macaroni, add the grated cheese (minus your reserved handful) and give it one good stir.
5. Slow-cook. Lid on, and cook on Low for 2 to 2.5 hours. Low only — High is how a crock splits, and no amount of stirring brings it back.
6. Stir. At the hour mark, lift the lid for one quick stir, scatter over the reserved cheese, and get the lid back on smartly — every extra peek costs you 20 to 30 minutes of heat.
7. Serve. Start checking at 2 hours: the pasta should be tender and the sauce glossy and thick. If it has tightened, loosen it with a splash of warm milk. Serve straight away, or hold on the Warm setting for no more than an hour.