Perhaps no American comfort food is more identified with a specific brand than macaroni and cheese. Ask 100 people to name a brand and it's a safe bet that at least 95 of them will say Kraft.

There's a reason for that: history. The Kraft Dinner was one of the first boxed meals. It was introduced in 1937, when wartime rationing of things such as meat and dairy products made "meal stretchers" like macaroni and cheese highly appealing.

But, just as with any successful product, pretenders and competitors come along. If you build a mousetrap, sooner or later someone is going to come along with what they claim is an even better one. The shelves at today's grocery store have dozens of mac and cheese options, from traditional boxed ones to even frozen and refrigerated versions.

In this test, we looked at boxed mac and cheese only. (Check out an earlier look at other options.) Rather than use Kraft as a baseline for comparison, this was a straight taste test, with each entry judged on its own merits. Our panel of five adults testers was joined by two members of the under-12 set. While the kids didn't award actual scores, their reactions were noted and will be described.

Each adult tester was allowed to award up to 20 points per entry based on flavor, appearance and overall impression, for a possible perfect score of 100. Nutritional information will also be included for each entry based on the "as prepared" directions, if available.

Let's start at the beginning.

Kraft: 410 calories, 19 grams fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 710 mg sodium, 49 grams carbs.

Often, there seems to be no real reason why the leading product in a category has that lead. Either time or innovation has left it in the dust, and newer products outshine it easily. That's not the case here. The adults loved the balanced consistency between the noodles and cheese, and the strong cheese taste. The kids inhaled it so fast it was a bit frightening. The only demerit was the appearance, which three testers thought was a bit too pale. Final score: 93

Back to Nature: 330 calories, 10 grams fat, 30 grams cholesterol, 680 mg sodium, 58 grams carbs.

This one had less sodium per serving than the Kraft, so its overly salty flavor is a bit of a puzzle. All five adult testers remarked on the saltiness, and this was the only entrant that both kids flatly refused to eat after one bite. The macaroni was also a bit tough when cooked according to package directions. Final score: 58.

Annie's Shells & Real Aged Cheddar: 280 calories, 5 grams fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 48 grams carbs.

When you see a name that makes it obvious the makers are trying to elevate themselves above mundane mac and cheese, the flavor really needs to step up and meet the challenge. When that high-class name is combined with a price roughly twice that of the major brands, the pressure only increases. Annie's was almost equal to the task. The organic pasta was nicely firm without being rubbery, and the cheese sauce packed good flavor. There just wasn't quite enough sauce. Even after prolonged mixing, some of the pasta tasted unsauced. Final score: 84.

Lowe's Foods: 400 calories, (remaining figures for dry mix only) 2 grams fat, .5 mg cholesterol, 610 mg sodium, 49 grams carbs.

Somewhat similar to the Back to Nature mix, this one was heavy on the salt. However, it did at least get a good cheese hit on the palate along with the sodium drenching. The pasta was middling quality, a bit squishy but not soggy. Final score: 79.

Velveeta Shells & Cheese: 360 calories, 12 grams fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 940 mg sodium, 49 grams carbs.

At first glance, you'd think this one was almost cheating. You don't even have to mix milk, butter (or margarine) and the dried cheese packet. The pasta comes packed with a packet of Velveeta cheese sauce that you can either squeeze over the hot pasta or use for some really disgusting practical jokes. After tasting the finished product, the latter use might actually be the better one. Instead of the creamy, smooth, slightly chewy consistency produced by the dry mixes, the end product here was gluey to the point that it almost stuck the testers' teeth together. It congealed into a mass in the pan that required more than a plastic serving spoon to pry apart. The flavor was vaguely cheesy, but not impressive. Final score: 35.

Pasta Roni: 200 calories, 3 grams fat, 1.5 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 560 mg sodium, 37 grams carbs.

This one's another oddity. The only thing you add is water. The cooking process is a bit long, but the final product is fairly good. The cheese flavor was pronounced, although the pasta became a bit soggy and nondescript over the long cooking time. The salt was nicely balanced with the cheese flavor. Final score: 88.

So, after the dust settles, for once the "old favorite" stands up to the competition. After one of the most carb-intensive testing sessions ever, the testers awarded both the top score and the best buy designation to the Kraft blue box.