Instant Pot macaroni and cheese

Katie's note: This is another blog from back in September.

     Today I was hungry but didn't really have anything read to eat in my fridge. Knowing that I had a few blocks of cheddar cheese and milk left in the fridge, I decided to research stovetop macaroni and cheese. After doing a few searches, I thought I would also research Instant Pot macaroni and cheese and came across the recipe from the blog Dad cooks dinner, a blog I stumbled across and have been itching to try the recipes in. Check it out at: http://dadcooksdinner.com/2013/04/pressure-cooker-macaroni-and-cheese.html/ Using this recipe for inspiration, I modified it based upon what I had at hand. So, here goes:

Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese (based upon Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese) from http://dadcooksdinner.com/2013/04/pressure-cooker-macaroni-and-cheese.html/

Ingredients: 

1 pound dried elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
4 cups water
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
16 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
6 ounces shredded Parmigiano cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)

Notes:

4 cups of water is just enough to cook 1 pound (16 ounces) of pasta. No draining is necessary; the water will be absorbed by the pasta. If you have a smaller box of pasta - 12 ounces and 13.25 ounces are common sizes of whole wheat pasta - cut the water back to 3 cups. (Everything else can stay the same.)

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook the pasta and spices: Stir the macaroni, butter, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt, and 4 cups water in the instant pot. Lock the lid on the instant pot and cook on Manual high pressure for 4 minutes. When the cooking time is done, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
2. Stir in the evaporated milk and cheese: Turn the electric pressure cooker to sauté-low or keep warm mode and stir in the evaporated milk. Test a piece of pasta by taking a bite - it should be al dente, but cooked through. If the pasta is still tough in the middle, simmer it for a few minutes, until it is tender. Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, stirring constantly and waiting for the current handful to melt before adding the next handful.
3) Optional step, if you like a toasted bread crumb topping: Pour the macaroni into a 3 quart broiler-safe dish, patting it down to level out the surface. Sprinkle the panko over the macaroni and cheese in an even layer. Broil the macaroni and cheese on high until the bread crumbs are toasted, about 5 minutes. Check the bread crumbs often - they go from pale brown to burnt in a flash.

The results? Okay. A lot of macaroni and cheese. I skipped the panko topping (which I usually love) in the interest of quicker cooking time.  However, the macaroni and cheese itself was a bit grainy and didn't quite have the right taste for my palate. Still, another reason to continue with my blog name and keep trying to find the perfect macaroni and cheese...

Pretty good... not great.  Plus why do they call it macaroni and cheese when it's really shells and cheese?