As much as everyone enjoys eating out and cooking meals, there are times when the freezer will suffice. As a quintessential comfort food, mac and cheese should be taken seriously. Below is my documented journey of finding the best mac and cheese money can buy — from the freezer aisle.

8. Blake’s Farmhouse Mac & Cheese

The company boasts that every meal is made from scratch in small batches. This was also the most expensive of the macaroni and cheeses, so I had high hopes.

The panko looked like wood shavings and tasted like soggy crackers. As far as the noodles go, I felt like I was chewing pencil erasers. Each bite tasted less and less like cheese. There was a point when I tried to reflect on what real cheese tasted like, and I couldn’t remember.  

7. Kid Cuisine Catch A Wave Mac & Cheese

Perhaps the most fascinating element of Kid Cuisine is how it gives virtually every item in the food pyramid the same cooking time. I never had the pleasure of trying Kid Cuisine, so I finally understood what I’d been missing all of these years. When I was a kid, I was usually stuck with Eggo waffles, but that’s aside from the point.

My particular arrangement consisted of mac and cheese, fruit gummies and corn. The cobalt blue container seemed more disturbing than inviting. What are they compensating for with the fun container? Why does this box have a tropical theme? Is this what a surfing penguin would eat — microwaved gummies?

When the time was up, I didn’t smell anything. I thought it was undercooked, so I put it in the microwave for a minute more. I had an instinct that I might burn it, but I remembered there was a mountain of other mac and cheeses in the freezer, so I took the risk.

The mac and cheese was surprisingly edible, but it was dry and mushy.

I can’t pinpoint why I’m not repulsed by the meal. It’s probably due to the Kid Cuisine commercials I was exposed to at a tender age.

6. Weight Watchers Smart Ones — Three Cheese Macaroni

At my local grocery store, these were buy one get one free. Some people may find that sketchy, but not me. I figured that Weight Watchers’ macaroni and cheese is so delicious, it’d be criminal to keep them in stock. Naturally, I bought a couple boxes, because I can’t resist a good deal.

It was a great idea, until I took a bite and realized I purchased mushy noodles floating in a chalky paste.

5. Atkins Mac & Cheese

Atkins Mac & Cheese is uncomfortably yellow. I would bet money that this glows in the dark. The noodles had a grainy texture. The sauce could’ve saved this dish, but it didn’t because it’s Atkins and everything has to taste like protein powder.

4. Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese

This macaroni is made with organic pasta, which is supposed to make me feel better for consuming a block of salt. When I tore the box open, I saw the most unappetizing slab of frozen food. It resembled the surface of Mars with air bubble craters and protruding noodles.

After peeling off the cellophane, there was an odor. I could barely toss it in the microwave, and considered axing this off of the list of candidates. But I was already committed. There was no turning back.

After an excruciating four minutes, the color shifted from clay to fluorescent yellow. I could taste the cheddar cheese, which was visibly charred on the perimeter of the dish. Yet, there was an overwhelming taste of flour. It tasted like someone tried to make mac and cheese for the first time.

On the back of the package, I was satisfied to find “organic whole durum flour” listed as the second ingredient.

3. Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese

There was an unsettling amount of sodium, which is classic of Stouffer’s. It was scorching when it came out of the microwave.

The cheese was creamy, smooth and faintly tasted like cheddar. Yet, there’s something juvenile about this mac and cheese. If you plan your day around a can of Chef Boyardee, then you’ll like this dish. It could never pass off as homemade; nevertheless, it’s a noble effort from the frozen food mogul.

2. Trader Joe’s Mac ‘n Cheese

The macaroni was plump, tender and wasn’t swimming in neon sauce.

1. Evol Truffle Parmesan Mac & Cheese

The mac and cheese was hearty, the panko breadcrumbs were crispy and the flavor was unwavering. The noodles melt in your mouth, and the cheese is rich and silky.

The truffles were refreshing and added a lot of depth to the meal. According to the box, the truffles “grow wild in the fertile woodlands of Italy” and are sniffed out by “specially trained dogs at the perfect moment of maturity.”

Camouflaged in a casing of forgettable frozen foods, it’s a TV dinner you won’t be ashamed to eat.