Today, Tineke “Tini” Younger is serving up a vital tip to fans hoping to perfect her viral mac and cheese recipe.
The social media chef whose viral Thanksgiving side dish recipe has reached over 103 million views so far on TikTok, admitted she’s noticed a common mistake as people attempt to recreate her take on the holiday staple. And this is how to avoid it.
“My advice for people making it the first time is go slow with it,” Tini told E! News in an exclusive interview. “I use a lot of liquid in it—I use one can of evaporated milk and two cups of heavy cream. You have to just pour it in slowly and then let it cook.”
Indeed, Tini, 24, noted that her fans tend to go “too fast” when combining ingredients, which can ultimately compromise the dish.
“I’ll see some people say, ‘Oh, the mac and cheese is soupy,’” she added. “It’s probably because they weren't patient enough, so you just gotta go slow, be patient, and then taste as you go, as well.”
Tini—who is pregnant with her and husband Antoine Wright Jr.’s twin baby girls—also emphasized that her recipe doesn’t need to be copied verbatim.
“My measurements for my seasonings—it's gonna be different than other people, cause everyone has different taste buds,” she reasoned. “I taste as I go to see if I want more garlic powder or more smoked paprika, if it needs more salt.”
Ultimately, the Next Level Chef alum encouraged amateur chefs to trust the process.
“Just take your time,” she added. “Don't stress out, it's just mac and cheese.”
As for when it comes to preparing other holiday dishes? While Tini is all for a packed menu, she advises beginners to “not put too much on your plate.”
“It's OK if you buy store bought buns instead of making them homemade,” she explained. “Then just try and prep as much as you can the day before because it'll make everything so much easier for Thanksgiving.”
As she put it, “I would focus on two main things that you want to impress people with and then it's OK to get store bought stuff.”
Tini isn’t only trying to help out first-time cooks this holiday season; she also wants to ensure everyone has food on the table to enjoy, which is why she chose to partner up with HelloFresh to create limited-edition meal kits—available from Nov. 8 to Nov. 15—with proceeds of up to $50,000 going to No Kid Hungry.
"I already volunteer at a women's shelter and I see kids, women every day,” Tini shared. "To me it was another outlet of being able to help.”
And for her, it is doubly important to do so during the busiest time of year.
“Especially around the holiday season, people are tight on money,” Tini detailed, “and if this is a way they can use me to promote No Kid Hungry and just use my platform—especially it's an authentic way because it has to do with food. I'm very excited about that.”
To see how more stars have celebrated Thanksgiving, keep reading…
Martha Stewart
The cookbook author baked a total of 35 pies, including chocolate pecan, brown butter maple rum pecan, pumpkin phyllo, apple crumb and cranberry.
"Took two days," she noted on Instagram. "100 eggs, 14 pounds pecan halves, eleven jars Karo syrup, 25 pounds heckers flour, thirty pounds plugra butter, six cups maple syrup, 60 ounces pumpkin puree, 18 cups fres cranberries."
Bruce Willis, Tallulah Willis & Scout Willis
The Die Hard star's daughters shared this sweet family photo on Thanksgiving, writing in a joint Instagram post, "Grateful."
Sofía Vergara
The Modern Family alum enjoyed an outdoor dinner with her loved ones, including son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara.
Jennifer Lopez
The Hustlers star revealed who she is thankful for this year, sharing a sweet note to her fans.
"I hope everybody had a beautiful and Happy Thanksgiving," she wrote on Instagram. "I am so incredibly grateful for all of you."
Nicole Scherzinger
The Pussycat Dolls alum volunteered at Feeding America in New York City.
Simone Biles & Jonathan Owens
The Olympic gymnast spent Turkey Day not at the dinner table, but on the football field to watch her husband and the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions.
Keltie Knight & Justin Sylvester
The E! News hosts gave back on Thanksgiving by volunteering for dinner service at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles.
Tom Brady
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was in full dad mode on Thanksgiving, sharing this sweet photo of his 17-year-old son Jack (who he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan) posing alongside kids Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11 (who he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen).
Olivia Munn
The Magic Mike actress snapped a photo of her and John Mulaney's son Malcolm enjoying his Turkey Day breakfast.
Elizabeth Chambers
The TV host and her kids Harper and Ford—who she shares with ex Armie Hammer—volunteered at the Los Angeles Mission.
Kelsea Ballerini
The country music star gave a glimpse into her Thanksgiving feast preparations, sharing a photo of her turkey brining with the caption: "that's chef ballerini to you."
"Weird Al" Yankovic
The "Eat It" singer cooked up a storm at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles
Heather Rae El Moussa & Tarek El Moussa
The Flipping El Moussas stars celebrated Thanksgiving with both of their parents as well son Tristan, 23, months, and Brayden, 8, whom Tarek shares with ex Christina Haack. As for where Taylor, 14, was?
As Heather explained "for the haters" on Instagram, "Tay is on a trip with her mom, that’s why she’s not in our photo.
Barack Obama & Michelle Obama
The former president and his wife dressed up their dog, writing on Instagram in a joint post, "From our family (and Sunny!) to yours, wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving!"