The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
As a newcomer to Canada, one of my favourite things about moving has been trying all of the local dishes for the first time.
From poutine to Caesars, and every Canadian snack in between, Canada has some intriguing cuisine and one thing I was really curious about was Kraft Dinner.
I should probably begin by saying I'm not the biggest fan of mac n' cheese. While I don't have anything against it, I've always thought of it as more of a side than a main course.
However, after hearing rave reviews from almost everyone I've met in Canada, I decided to give Kraft Dinner a shot. As I do enjoy instant noodles as a comfort food, I thought KD could be right up my alley on a cold, snowy day.
So, here's how it went:
Is KD real cheese?
To begin with, I was amazed that there's more than one variety of KD. Sure, there's the classic Kraft Dinner box, but you can also get it as an instant noodle cup and in flavours like cheddar cheese and four-cheese.
I decided to go with Original to get the most authentic experience.
The box looked pretty huge, to be honest, and I knew there was no way I could finish it all off in one sitting. So, I decided to halve the quantity so that I could actually eat all of it and not let anything go to waste.
If you have a small appetite, like me, I would HIGHLY recommend you do the same.
The first thing that struck me when I opened the box was how little the pasta pieces looked. I had expected the usual macaroni, but these pieces were so tiny they almost looked like rice.
I followed the instructions on the box and cooked the pasta until tender and then drained it. I then added half of the cheese sauce powder, which was an alarming orange colour.
Is it supposed to look that like? That can't be real cheese … right?
Am I cooking this properly?
I then added a splash of milk. The box actually said to add 1/3 a cup but since I had halved the quantity, I decided to wing it and pour a little less milk in.
I waited about two minutes with this mixture under a slow heat and by this time, I was having some major regrets. I'm not going to lie, it did not look appetizing.
The pasta looked undercooked, the sauce was too thin, and it wasn't merging well at all.
In fact, it was looking pretty disgusting.
What colour should KD be?
Just when I began freaking out that I had somehow messed up the quantities (how is that even possible with boxed pasta?), a friend recommended I turn up the heat and let the sauce thicken.
In just five minutes, the sauce had finally thickened and turned that wonderful golden colour that's displayed on the box.
Finally, it was verdict time.
Can you add extras to it?
I tried a little sample and it was surprisingly better than I expected. I thought it would be really bland, but it did actually have a little flavour.
That being said, I'm not going to lie, I felt like it was missing something. This brought me to my final question: can we add something to this?
A check online said that ketchup on Kraft Dinner was apparently the condiment of choice, but that honestly grossed me out.
A colleague recommended sliced hot dogs if I was feeling like I needed some protein and this was especially tempting, but I didn't have any in the house.
I settled for… pepper.
Don't take it personally, Canada. I add pepper to everything, including fries.
I thought it added an interesting flavour, and the dish was definitely welcome comfort food on a cold day.
Why do Canadians love KD so much?
Despite the comforting vibes of the dish, I still don't think this is something I could eat on a regular basis because the apparent unhealthiness of it bothered me.
In fact, I could practically hear my mum screaming about the lack of veggies in my meal.
All in all, I'd give my first KD experience a 6 out of 10. Although, I'm not 100% sure I completely understand all of the Canadian hype around it.
That said, the rest of the box will stay in my cupboard until next time I want one of those lazy meals (just don't tell my mother).
In the meantime, please let me know what I can add to my Kraft Dinner to zing it up a bit in future. I have a feeling that advice will come in handy.
Until next time, KD!
I Tried Canada's Kraft Dinner For The First Time Ever & I Have Some Big Questions
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