On Jun 21, 7:42 am, stark > wrote:
> On Jun 20, 6:33 pm, wrote:
>
> > We're having neighborhood pot luck next weekend--every family brings a
> > dish to share. I would like to bring a mac andcheesecasserole.
>
> Other replies noted, I'd only have acheeseconcern. Everybody likes
> good Cheddar and good Swiss, but don't these cheeses separate when
> heated and look greasy? I think for fondues you turn to American and
> Dutch Swiss or Jack cheeses. How 'bout mac 'ncheese?

I've been reading up on this. White Sharp cheddar is fine. Extra sharp
they say gets grainy. Same with yellow cheddars. They tend to separate
more than white cheddars. And some people use a blend of cheeses to
counter the separation issue. Then there's the white sauce. I read
about evaporated milk...the reason the most successful mac and cheeses
use evaporated milk is that there's something about it that binds to
the fat in the cheese, keeping it from separating and / or curdling.

I think the best blend would be white sharp cheddar combined with
velveeta. You'd get some yellow color which people expect and the
smoothness of velveeta but the sharp cheddar adds flavor and the white
tones down the bright orange color. Sharp cheddar also tends to get
"chalky" when baked, so the velveeta would help there, too.

I may decide to make a simple pasta salad next week, but if I go with
the mac and cheese plan, I'll post the recipe.

I prefer not to use stuff like velveeta, creamy canned soup, etc. I
actually like to cook and my husband and I try to eat good, homemade,
fresh and healthy. We really don't use pouches and cans. (he watches
Sandra Lee for the gross factor, like some people watch horror
movies!) But for this, velveeta might be the best choice.
Thanks to those who actually provided helpful answers.