Frozen Mac and Cheese in an Air Fryer

Doneness

The cheese top is golden-amber and visibly bubbling at the ramekin edges during the last minute of uncovered cook. A spoon bisecting the centre shows creamy, glossy sauce coating tender (not mushy) elbow pasta throughout, with steam rising from the cross-section.

Technique

Transfer the frozen mac and cheese from its original foil tray to a basket-fit oven-safe ceramic or glass ramekin — the foil tray reflects convection air and produces an uneven cook. Tent the ramekin loosely with a 7-inch square of heavy-duty foil bent over the rim, but do not press it down or it will stick to the soft cheese top mid-cook. Set 350 °F (177 °C) for 22 minutes total; at the 16-minute mark remove the foil tent so the cheese top can brown for the final 6 minutes uncovered. No flip — mac and cheese is a casserole, not a solid piece. At the pull mark, probe the centre horizontally with an instant-read thermometer, avoiding the ramekin bottom; the pasta-and-sauce mass must reach 165 °F before serving. Exception: Banquet Mac & Cheese Bowls ship in oven-safe paper-fibre bowls and can go directly into the basket without transfer.

Oil & seasoning

No oil — the cheese sauce already contains plenty of fat from butter, milk, and cheddar. Adding oil produces a greasy surface that pools at the ramekin bottom.

Watch out for

• !Transfer to a ramekin before cooking. Cooking in the original foil tray reflects convection air, leaving the cheese top pale and the centre under-temperature.
• !Do not skip the foil tent for the first 16 minutes. Running the full 22 minutes uncovered scorches the cheese top in the first 8 minutes while the centre is still cold.
• !Probe the centre to 165 °F — a golden cheese top is not a reliable indicator that the pasta mass underneath is fully heated through.
• !Stay at 350 °F. Above 360 °F the cheese sauce emulsion breaks, producing a greasy, curdled texture.