Wafflized Mac & Cheese Sous-Vide Burger

- October 14, 2020

Mac & Cheese Burgers are the quintessential definition of comfort food. Comfort food to me is nostalgic and sentimental. Comfort food can be characterized by high calories, high carbohydrates and contributes to cardiologists' wealth.

This is not my first Mac and Cheese Burger. I made a stuffed version that can be found HERE. I've been asked which one is better and to be perfectly honest, they are very different from each other. But if I had to choose, it has to be the Waffized one. The crunch of the cheese, macaroni, and panko make this one the winner by far.

I used my own Mac and Cheese Recipe, but you can use whichever floats your boat. As far as Waffle Irons, you have some options. I have three of them, but I chose the Belgium round one because it produces a thicker waffle.

Here is a link to my Sous-Vide Burgers. Note: The burger in the picture is 5" x 1". The Burgers were processed at 131.5f for 02:45:00, which means they were pasteurized too. Note: The Mac & Cheese must be very cold before making the Waffle.

Preheat the waffle iron. To make a crusty cheesy waffle, you need to make a breading. I did not measure it, but it's effortless. I took some panko, parmesan cheese, and butter mixed it all together. And as an option, you can spice it up too. Spray the waffle iron with some cooking spray and toss in some panko-mixture.

The fun part begins. After tossing in the panko-mixture, add the very cold Mac & Cheese and push out a bit with your fingers. Add some more of the panko-mixture and close the lid. So this is where it gets a little tricky. After a couple of minutes, lift the lid ever so gently to see if it has come together. The first time I did it, I lifted the lid prematurely, and it fell apart.

The burgers were exactly 5 inches, so I used the mold to form the burgers to trim off excess Mac & Cheese. Before you ask... Yes, I ate the trim, and it was the bomb.

The Sous-Vide Burger was coated with a schmear of mayo and spices. The Burger was topped with more cheese, Mac & Cheese Waffle, and more cheese. Oh, yes, more cheese, please.