Kurt Cobain, the late lead singer for Nirvana who suffered from chronic stomach disorders, reportedly found that Kraft Macaroni & Cheese was one of the few foods he could eat. But for those of us with iron intestines, the product evokes childhood memories and we consume it prolifically – often with a twist.

According to Joyce Hodel from Kraft Foods Corporate Affairs, more than one million boxes of original Kraft Macaroni & Cheese are purchased daily within the U.S., a staggering figure in an age when so many Americans turn up their noses at processed foods.

Introduced to the mass market in 1937, the “dinner” requires zero culinary skills: boil the mini pasta tubes until tender, drain and mix in milk, butter and the included cheese powder, which derives its electric-orange color largely from Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 food coloring.

A snoop into the kitchens of those who admit (often reluctantly) they eat the stuff reveals a litany of alternative preparations that defy the product’s basic cooking instructions.

Jennie Bianchi

Kensington

Self-employed real estate broker

Bianchi is a Kraft Foods two-timer in that she always starts with a couple of boxes of the product to make way for a can of White Chunk Albacore Tuna (“the other brands are cat food”) and a bag of frozen Bird’s Eye California Mixed Vegetables. “I also prefer using whole milk and then adding a little bit of shredded extra-sharp cheddar at the end. I’ve been making it this way for 22 years since my kids were little,” she adds. “And when an aunt of mine first tasted it, she thought I was a culinary master.”

John Bilow

North Park

Marketing director

Extra milk and a little less butter results in a liquidy sauce that allows Bilow to dip pieces of French bread into it. “I’m a late bloomer and didn’t discover Kraft mac and cheese until high school, when my mother stopped cooking for me,” he notes. “Now I eat it at least once a week. I add a lot of black pepper and prefer the spiral-shaped pasta because it tends to grab onto the cheese sauce better.”

Madison Gentry

Elementary school student

Talmadge

When asked by her mom to make the product a couple of years ago, the 13-year-old Gentry accidentally boiled the pasta in milk and liked the way it turned out, noting that the pasta tasted creamier. “Now, I only add a little bit of milk to the water for boiling the noodles,” she says. “And it still tastes just as good.”

Sean Magee

Hillcrest

Chef

“I’ve been eating Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for more than 30 years, although I started fooling around with the recipe about 10 years ago, when the same-ol’ just wasn’t enough. So I started doubling up on the cheese packets per one box, letting it be all it can be. I also add an extra teaspoon of butter and spice up the sauce with Pico Pica Hot Sauce. When my tire is completely full of air, I’ll throw in some Baco’s. And let’s not forget the fresh ground pepper…or what’s the point?”

Linda Pahler

Clairemont

Photographer

Pahler insists that people haven’t discovered the beauty of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese until they toss in shredded rotisserie chicken and frozen peas. “A cousin I was visiting last year in Oregon turned me on to the recipe, and haven’t eaten it plain since. It’s fabulous. I love peas. I love cheese. And the chicken gives the meal an extra protein boost, which prevents me from eating the whole box.”