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1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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2
Fill the 4-quart pot halfway with water.
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3
Add the salt and oil, and bring to a boil over high heat.
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4
Add the macaroni and boil over low heat.
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5
(The package directions will tell you exactly how long to let the macaroni cook.
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6
But you should reduce this time by 5 minutes, because it cooks more in the oven later.)
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7
When the macaroni is cooked, turn off the stove.
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8
Use pot holders if needed to pour the cooked macaroni into the colander to drain.
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9
If the pot is too large for you to easily and safely handle, have an adult do this step.
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10
Melt the butter in the sauce pot on medium heat.
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11
Then cook the onion in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes.
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12
Next, whisk the flour into the butter.
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13
This is called a roux (pronounced roo).
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14
Gradually add the milk, whisking to break up as many lumps as you can.
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15
Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally with the whisk, until it thickens.
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16
It should take 5 to 8 minutes.
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17
Stir the grated cheeses into the sauce with the whisk until the cheeses melt.
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18
Next, stir the macaroni into the cheesy sauce.
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19
Dump the mac and cheese into the greased baking dish.
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20
Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top if you want to.
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21
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
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22
Use your potholders to take the baking dish out of the oven.
