Like so many other foods, forgetting to season your mac and cheese can make it fall flat. This recipe for macaroni and cheese taught us to fold some Parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs, which adds another layer of flavor to the crunchy topping.

We were inspired by Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumbs to cook the panko in butter with garlic until lightly toasted. With its light and airy texture and supreme crunch, panko won over our hearts. Next, we tackled the great debate over traditional breadcrumbs vs. Secret #4: Upgrade Your Breadcrumb Topping with Garlic and Parm The mustard powder brings a subtle, horseradish-like heat that highlights the flavor of the cheddar in the best way possible. We tried a few spices like cayenne pepper and nutmeg, but were blown away by the addition of mustard powder used in this macaroni and cheese recipe. In many recipes, there's a special ingredient that might not be immediately detectable but boosts the other flavors in a dish. Secret #3: Add a Dash of Mustard Powder for a Kick You'll have the creamiest, cheesiest sauce possible in no time. Another key for success we discovered: Be sure to whisk in the cheese in three stages, making sure it melts completely at each stage before adding more. So we took inspiration from Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumbs and tried a combination of milk and cream, which added the indulgent texture we were seeking. We tried making béchamel with milk, which was delicious but didn't have the luscious creaminess that we were looking for in our mac and cheese. The most crucial element of this casserole is the basic white sauce (aka béchamel), which serves as a creamy vehicle for all that cheese. Secret #2: Add Cream to Make a Super-Rich Sauce That bagged stuff at the grocery store usually has stabilizers, a drier texture, and less flavor than a hunk of cheddar does. Add we recommend you shred your own cheese. We chose extra-sharp cheddar to stand out in our béchamel sauce (more on that below). The parm brought a nuttiness that rounded out the cheddar flavor rather than distracting from it. We tried a few of these other cheeses in a blend with cheddar but the only one that still tasted iconic was this macaroni and cheese, which called for a combination of cheddar and parmesan. But we wanted our ultimate recipe to deliver classic mac and cheese flavor-meaning we wanted it to taste like cheddar. Many recipes call for cheesy additions of gruyère, fontina, brie, gouda, and even blue cheese. Photo by Gieves Anderson, food styling by Anna Hampton Secret #1: Classic Cheddar is Better

The best mac and cheese ever