Everyone's favorite childhood comfort food, mac and cheese. Whether you're a fan of boxed Kraft or grew up on homemade (lucky!), you're probably super picky about how you like it. Burnt edges? Crusty on top? A blend of fancy cheeses or just good ol' cheddar?

Most people agree on one thing, though -- you want your mac and cheese nice and creamy (whether or not you like a crunchy top). But how do you get it that way?

Our iVillage members debated this subject, swapped recipes and offered some ideas:

"I think the secret is Velveeta. (grin)"

--annie1992

"I think the secret is not to bake the mac and cheese very long and to use lots of sauce. Just bake it until it bubbles a bit."

--chase

"I've heard the trick to creamy is to use evaporated milk."

--jojoco

Then someone suggested making mac and cheese on the stovetop without baking it and skipping the bechamel sauce (the white sauce most mac and cheese recipes start out with). Apparently, Alton Brown does it this way and it comes out fantastically creamy every time.

I've never made mac and cheese entirely on the stove, but I'm definitely trying it next time. What do you think -- is stovetop mac and cheese the secret to creaminess?

--Maggie

photo: n. hill/getty images