You can also use a lot less water than is standard: just enough to cover the noodles. Kenji Lopez-Alt has written about this a bunch [1]. Noodles cooked that way were indistinguishable in his testing. He's also discussed it on his cooking youtube channel, which I recommend to anyone. For example, a 3-ingredient macaroni and cheese [2] in which he discusses the noodles at 0:40-ish.
Kenji's 3-ingredient mac and cheese is a masterpiece. It's become the go-to meal for my kids. It also has to be the peak in energy efficiency for pasta.
The idea is that by minimizing the water you can maximize the starchiness of the water, which creates a great emulsifier for the cheese sauce, along with evaporated milk. The combo is truly creamy mac and cheese, with no grittiness or separation of oils. It tastes great, it's faster than Kraft, it's energy efficient, it's easy to learn (literally 3 ingredients plus water).
It also has easy-to remember-units (6 oz pasta, 6 oz cheese, 6 fl oz evap milk). The evap milk amount perfectly divides the USA standard 12 fl oz evap milk can.
Kenji has tweaked the ergonomics of scratch mac and cheese light years ahead of where it was.
We use the recipe all the time too, but I can't understand it being given in 6oz proportions. None of the ingredients, except maybe some cheeses, come in 6oz sizes standard.
I do a 16oz box of pasta, 12 oz can of evaporated milk, and 16oz bag of shredded cheese. I put the milk and cheese in while there's a bit more water still in the pan, and have never missed the extra bit of evaporated milk.
The idea is that by minimizing the water you can maximize the starchiness of the water, which creates a great emulsifier for the cheese sauce, along with evaporated milk. The combo is truly creamy mac and cheese, with no grittiness or separation of oils. It tastes great, it's faster than Kraft, it's energy efficient, it's easy to learn (literally 3 ingredients plus water).
It also has easy-to remember-units (6 oz pasta, 6 oz cheese, 6 fl oz evap milk). The evap milk amount perfectly divides the USA standard 12 fl oz evap milk can.
Kenji has tweaked the ergonomics of scratch mac and cheese light years ahead of where it was.