Kraft Dinner has long been a staple among university students and is also popular among children. It is a very cheap meal. One box of Kraft Dinner, which is meant to serve four, comes with macaroni pasta and a package of dehydrated cheese. To this one adds milk and butter. It can be made either on a stove or in a microwave. While the box says it feeds four many can consume an entire box at once.
While many love it it has frequently been decried for its neon orange cheese, its lack of nutritional value, and the artificiality of its ingredients.
Kraft Dinner was introduced in Canada and the United States in 1937. It became extremely successful during World War II when most types of food, such as meat, milk, and eggs, were severely rationed. Kraft Dinner, containing only artificial ingredients, escaped these restrictions.
Canada has always been the world's largest per capita consumer of Kraft Dinner and despite being invented in America and sold by an American company it has become a part of Canadian culture.
There are many modifications to the basic recipe. Some use two packages of cheese for more flavour. Others serve it with cut up hotdogs or with ketchup. The milk can also be replaced with water.
The Kraft company has also come out with many different varieties of the dish:
Other companies have also produced their own imitation versions of Kraft Dinner. The No Name and President's Choice brands have both had some success.