Ingredients

• Milk is a perfectly acceptable substitute for cream in homemade macaroni and cheese. It has fewer calories and costs less. You're also more likely to have it in your fridge. Whole milk or 2 percent milk will produce creamier results than fat-free milk. You can even use canned evaporated milk in a pinch, although it imparts a slightly sweet flavor. Don't use sweetened condensed milk.

Method

• To substitute milk for cream in homemade macaroni and cheese, make a white sauce as the base of the dish. Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in an equal amount of flour. Whisk constantly until the flour becomes golden brown. Slowly stir in milk and heat over medium high heat. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Once thickened, this sauce can be mixed with grated cheese, seasonings and macaroni. Bake the dish in a 350 oven until golden and bubbly.

Drawbacks

• When substituting milk for cream, keep in mind that milk curdles more easily when cooked. When making the sauce, don't allow it to come to a boil. Instead, cook it just until it thickens and then remove it from the heat. Another potential drawback is that when you use cream, you don't necessarily have to make a white sauce because the cream itself is thick. Milk lacks the structure by itself to make an acceptably thick sauce, so you must thicken it with flour and butter.

Ratios

• Recipes vary, depending on your personal preference, but in most cases, you'll want at least 4 cups of sauce per pound of pasta. Add between 2 and 4 cups of cheese, depending on how rich you want the finished product. Traditional recipes call for cheddar cheese, but try experimenting with other cheeses, such as jalapeno jack, Gruyere or Swiss cheese. Dress up mac and cheese with gourmet ingredients such as lobster, artichokes or prosciutto.