Stovetop macaroni and cheese

Salt and boil all the pasta at once, strain it and portion it into bowls.

Put a portion of cooked pasta in a pan over medium-low heat and add the evaporated milk.

Once it just starts to simmer, add the cheese and stir until it melts into a silky sauce.

Hold the finished batch in a water bath so every batch is served at the same temperature, and stir again right before eating as the sauce slips to the bottom.

Variation, general: with a cheese that does not melt well, such as aged cheddar or parmesan, add an emulsifier -- evaporated milk, sodium citrate powder, cornstarch tossed through the grated cheese, or some American cheese or Velveeta, which already carry sodium citrate.

Variation, test two: keep 40 g of cheese and replace 25%, 50% or 75% of the Velveeta with extra sharp cheddar. The 50-50 was the winner on flavour with no graininess; the 75% had more flavour and a touch of dryness.

If a high-cheddar batch reads dry, add a little more evaporated milk or other liquid.