Grandma’s Secret to the Best Mac & Cheese Even Impressed Drew Barrymore

Mac and cheese is one of those foods that’s universally loved, yet there are so many ways to do it—stovetop, baked, and even from a box—but is there any mac better than the one made by grandma? 

Phyllis Gardner’s 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren certainly don’t think so! This “glamorous grandma,” or “Glamma,” as coined by The Drew Barrymore Show host Ross Mathews, is sharing the signature dish she always cooks for her grandkids: Baked Mac & Cheese in a new show segment premiering on Oct. 16. The segment, “Recipe Road Trip,” features hometown cooks across America making their best recipes.

Gardner is kicking it off with this recipe she learned from her brother. It’s since become a family favorite, passed down from generation to generation. But what makes it so good? The Brooklyn, New Yorker shared the secret to the beloved dish with us.

Grandma’s Secret to the Best Mac & Cheese 

You guessed it: it’s the cheese.

“I don't use all that fancy stuff...my go-to is sharp [Cheddar] cheese and extra sharp [Cheddar cheese],” says Gardner. “And I really think the extra sharp is the thing that sets everything off, as far as the taste.”

She goes on to explain that the combination is key, because if you only use extra sharp Cheddar, it will overpower the flavor of the whole dish, but if you only use sharp Cheddar, it will be too bland. A little of both is the way to go for a perfect mac.

But how much of each, you ask? Don’t ask Gardner, who says the other key to the perfect mac and cheese is measuring with your heart.

“I don't measure. It's [all about] how it feels and how it looks and the texture and all of that,” she explains. She goes by feel to know if it needs more butter, milk, or flour to get the sauce to the right consistency, and then adds the cheese, which she cuts off right from the block, again, until “it feels right.” Gotta love grandmas.

Luckily the team at the Drew Barrymore Show worked out some measurements based off of the mac and cheese Gardner made on the show, so we have the full recipe for you. And if you need a grandma-approved pairing, try Gardner’s collard greens.

To see the full recipes and Gardner in action, tune into The Drew Barrymore Show on Oct. 16.