Anytime Jack Black graces us with his presence, we know we’re in for a hilarious time. Whether it’s his acting and comedic timing in movies like “Kung Fu Panda,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” or “The Holiday;” his dancing TikTok videos; his viral “Peaches” song from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie;” or his interviews on press junkets, Black always commits to the bit.
While the clip of Black singing Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” with his co-star Paul Rudd is currently making its rounds on the internet, that’s not the only comical interview that the pair has done on their press tour for “Anaconda.” Black and Rudd joined Jenna Bush Hager on Today’s “Jenna and Friends” right before the holidays to discuss the new film, as well as their holiday plans. Hager asked Black if he was a good cook, and, in true Black fashion, the actor quickly retorted, “I’m an incredible cook, I make an incredible Kraft Mac & Cheese.”
As Kraft Macaroni and Cheese fans ourselves, we were immediately intrigued by Black’s method for making the simple comfort meal—especially after he mentioned that his choices were a bit “controversial.”
Jack Black’s Upgrade for Kraft Mac & Cheese
The answer may have started out as a joke, but it’s clear Black takes his mac and cheese as seriously as we do.
“There’s an art to it. You’ve got to get the right amount of butter, the right amount of milk, [and] mix it properly before you dump it into the mac and cheese,” he said.
But the real science comes before he even boils the noodles.
“It’s controversial [but] I take two packets [of mac and cheese] and throw away some of the mac [so] it’s a little extra cheesy,” he said.
Fewer noodles and more cheese? Now that’s a creamy, cheesy dish we can get behind. But that’s not even the real controversial part of Black’s “recipe.”
“My secret ingredient: a tiny, little squirt of Heinz ketchup,” Black said.
A lot of people—including Rihanna—like to top their mac and cheese with ketchup, but it sounds like the “School of Rock” actor adds ketchup directly to the pot along with the other boxed mac and cheese ingredients.
“It’s like a marinara. Maybe a couple crumbles of hamburger meat and it’s bolognese,” Black joked.
While he may have been kidding about a mac and cheese bolognese, Black has been known to add ground beef to mac and cheese. In 2024, the actor told WGN News that one of his favorite recipes to make is cheeseburger mac and cheese—along with cheeseburger burritos, but we’ll save that mystery for another day.
But whether you add the ground beef or not, Black’s upgrade for a simple box of Kraft seems like the easiest recipe to try this week.
Dining and Cooking