The Mac And Cheese Brand Fans Swear Is The Hands-Down Best: 'I Always Have At Least 2 In My Freezer'

When it comes to macaroni and cheese, you can always go with the classics. Who among us would turn down a golden, gooey bowl of Kraft's famous blue box mac and cheese? Or for that matter, who would turn their nose up at some of Annie's Shells & White Cheddar? (And not only for the fact that you can sing the product name to the tune of "Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues.) But if you ask some mac and cheese aficionados, the very best option is a frozen meal you can find in a popular supermarket chain: Trader Joe's Diner Mac 'n Cheese.

One fan posted on Reddit's r/traderjoes subreddit declaring their love for the dish, saying, "It's the best and nothing will ever change that. I've never had a better one from any restaurant, brand, or grandma. I hope it never changes." Another chimed in to say, "I always have at least two in my freezer." High praise, no doubt, but if you want an explanation for what makes it so good you can find it from scrolling further down in the thread. This commenter said, "The sauce is actually creamy and melty. A lot of frozen mac and cheese just taste kind of fatty/oily/one note, but this sauce is a little tangy in a good way — like they actually used real cheese in it. It isn't just one cheese, you can tell they used a few different kinds. The noodles aren't mushy either." Anyone who's had mac and cheese practically disintegrate (as with Banza, our least favorite store-bought mac and cheese from our ranking) will tell you what a blessing that is.

You'll notice on the box pictured above that the "Diner" part of the dish's name isn't attached to the mac 'n cheese; it's Joe's Diner, implying the existence of a Trader Joe's diner. It's one of those playful branding exercises Trader Joe's does so well, but it's only charming because there's quality to back it up; with its gooey, unctuous sauce with a perfect cheese stretch and four-cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss, havarti, and gouda. Writing about the dish in our ranking of 10 Trader Joe's frozen pastas, we put it at number six, but that shouldn't be seen as a knock on it at all. As we said then, "Joe's Diner Mac n' Cheese is delightful. It may be a shortcut, but it definitely doesn't taste like one."

The only real downside is that, apparently, the dish used to be even better. (Isn't that just the way? First they made SmartFood white cheddar popcorn not taste the same as it used to, and now this.) In that same Reddit thread, one person posted: "It used to be way better. I have pictures showing it used to he [sic] much creamier/saucy and now its just cheese on macaroni. I can't eat it anymore and it used to be my fav." If the current product represents a big step down in quality, we can only wish that more companies would make their downgrades taste this good.