Redditors Are Divided Over These Trader Joe's Mac And Cheese Bites

The Smithsonian says that the first record of macaroni and cheese dates all the way back to 1769. It is thought to have been brought to the United States by Thomas Jefferson and macaroni and cheese even made an appearance in the early pages of Ernest Hemmingway's "A Farewell to Arms" where the protagonist is eating cheesy pasta out of a bucket. It's a dish that's gone through many versions. You can have spicy macaroni and cheese, creamy, or even baked until it's dry and crispy. In theory, there's no wrong way to enjoy this ultimate comfort food.

Unfortunately, almost all foods have a breaking point. Eventually, someone gets into a kitchen with the idea to make something good, and they end up wrecking the dish. Consider what TikTok said when Rachael Ray tried making pozole – many Mexican abuelas were disgusted. Then there's the heat Nigella Lawson drew down on herself when she showed how she butters toast. Jamie Oliver even received death threats when he mixed chorizo with paella, according to the Independent.

It seems Trader Joe's might be the next name in the hot seat. The grocery retailer has been selling mac and cheese bites, and the people of Reddit are up in arms on both sides, trying to determine whether the snack should be celebrated, or sent to the graveyard of failure.

The mac and cheese bites that Trader Joe's is selling aren't anything novel. They're essentially a popper, but instead of jalapeno and cheese on the inside, biting through the breaded exterior will reveal a pasta and cheese mixture that is, in the words of one Reddit commenter, "So goood!" The thread began with a Redditor sharing a photo of the item and deeming them a "10/10."

However, not everyone agrees that these are delicious enough to warrant the extra o's in good. "They were kinda bland to me," someone complained, and that sentiment was repeated by another, saying, "They definitely are bland." But, they then explained, "it's the sauce that'll make it 10x better." 

Others weren't even generous enough to say that sauce could save these from their flavorlessness. "I may be the only one but I thought they were so so bad," said one user. Another declared, "no matter how they were cooked, they sucked," after trying a couple of different heating methods.

Despite the voices of dissent, the majority of the comments on the thread above, as well as another Reddit post about the Trader Joe's bites were people suggesting sauces. It seems that alone these are tolerable, but slather them in ranch, marinara, or "Chik-fil-A sauce," as one person suggested, and they take on a whole new life.