TikTok’s Favorite Mac & Cheese by Chef Tini: Preparation and Taste

If you noticed that all cavatappi (and not elbows) were strangely missing from the pasta aisle right before Thanksgiving, you can thank TikTok’s favorite chef, Tineke “Tini” Younger. And when the person who handles the macaroni and cheese at your family gatherings suddenly comes out with a portion that tastes ten times better than any meal they’ve ever made, you can thank Tini for that too.

Tini is a cooking content creator who was there Next level chef a few years ago. She’s a young chef who basically has a stranglehold on the entire internet with her easy-to-follow but incredibly delicious recipes — especially her Mac & Cheese.

Remember the height of the pandemic when everyone was making Dalgona coffee? Well, Tini’s macaroni and cheese recipe is exponentially more comprehensive and trendy than you could ever imagine. Her original video showing how to make her Mac & Cheese has over 130 million views (her second video, where she recreates the recipe in her new home, has over 80 million views). And people not only watch her videos, they also cook her recipe. How do I know this? Not only because grocery stores have been stripped of the type of pasta that Tini recommends instead of typical macaroni, but also because that’s all I saw on my timeline.

And while mac & cheese is sometimes thought of as just a Thanksgiving side dish, it’s great for all holidays. So if you don’t have the patience to watch a 3-minute video, here’s how to make one yourself.

How to make Tini’s Mac & Cheese

@tinekeyoungerHow to Make Mac & Cheese for this Holiday Season🍂🦃❤️ Welcome to Thanksgiving with Tini where I will teach you all how to make EVERYTHING♬ Original Sound – Tini👩🏼‍🍳🔥

Overall, Tini’s recipe really isn’t that complicated. She emphasizes using corkscrew pasta (1 pound to be exact) for better texture and also says it’s important to shred your own cheese (1 pound mozzarella, 8 ounces cheddar, and 1 pound Colby Jack). She seasons the pasta with salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika before making a roux with 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour and thickening it with a can of evaporated milk and 2 cups cream. She adds 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard for flavor and then gradually adds the cheese, letting it melt completely before adding more. Then she tosses the pasta with the sauce, layers it with more cheese, and bakes at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. She then grills it for a few more minutes to create a nice crust on top. After it comes out of the oven, she garnishes it with chives.

I had friends who made Tini’s macaroni and cheese recipe for Thanksgiving and they said it turned out delicious. So if you want to impress your family or your guests during the holidays, I would say you should start your cavatappi shopping now.