The Kitchen Appliance That Will Revolutionize How You Reheat Mac And Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the best comfort foods around, as delightful next to barbecue ribs as it is served up as the main dish (though it can be made even better with some tasty mix-ins). The great thing about mac and cheese is that, whether you're making it from the box or from scratch, there tend to be leftovers. What if you eschewed the normal microwave reheat and instead turned to an underused kitchen appliance?

Scoop your leftover mac and cheese into your waffle iron, press down the lid, and enjoy an ASMR sizzle as it cooks for a few minutes. Once it's done, you've got a no-fork-needed (unless that's your preference, of course) method for nomming down on last night's cheesy pasta. Oh, it's also the perfect vessel for holding condiments, such as hot sauce or mustard. You can even add a protein, like chopped ranch chicken or pulled pork.

Why stop at mac and cheese leftovers? There is probably something languishing in your fridge right now that deserves to be shaped into grid-like goodness by your waffle iron (if you don't have one already, this Cuisinart model is highly recommended, or you could turn leftovers into adorable little waffles with this DASH mini-waffle maker). One super clever idea come Thanksgiving is waffle iron stuffing – the savory factor in stuffing is somehow upped by changing its texture from soft to crisp. Stack your Thanksgiving waffle spread with some turkey and gravy, and you won't mind so much that your mom makes enough to serve a football team.

In that same vein, mashed potatoes make for very nice waffle material (if you can have potato pancakes, why not potato waffles?). It does help to add a binder, like an egg or cheese, but they'll crisp up very nicely and can even be dressed with all the fixings you'd put on a baked potato, like bacon crumbles or sour cream. If you made perfect fried rice the night before, you can also make fried rice waffles. Again, you'll probably want to use an egg as a binder so the waffles don't fall apart. Once they're done, you can top them with scallions, sriracha, a fried egg — or all three.