this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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Just wanted to say that the hate on American cheese is unjustified. American cheese is just cheddar that has been heated to 170f (iirc) for long enough to kill bacteria and make it shelf-stable. They add an emulsifier (again, iirc) to help it bind better and have a more pleasant texture.
All other criticisms of America are valid, but the cheese doesn't deserve the hate it gets.
I agree, the american cheese is an Interesting and useful invention. At the end of the day it's just emulsified cheese. Similiar to emusified sausages and meat products, which are popular all around the world.
I much rather hate american insistace on substituting technique and culinary education with cream, corn syrup, sugar and butter, for example cacio e pepe or carbonara.
They are?
Mortadellas, doctors sausage, frankfurters etc. should be emulsified afaik
Aren't they just finely ground? I mean when they're made properly.
Sir I just work here.
If by 'more pleasant texture' you mean 'no texture whatsoever' then yes, I suppose so.
I'd go with "rubbery".
"Pleasant" in the context of what it would be otherwise. My understanding is that, without the emulsifier, it would be crumbly and kinda chalky, and not hold a form very well.
I'm sorry, but have you never had actual Cheddar?
I have, and it's <chef's kiss>.
You forgot to mention that it's watered down. That's what the emulsifier is for, to make the oils in the cheese mix well with the added water. The concept is fine - for some applications - if it were only that, but this is hyper-processed American food we're talking about here. Gotta pad out that ingredient list:
The above is the standard Kraft singles ingredient list, and at a glance is the shortest one I saw on their website.
But it's a great source of phosphates! Where else are you going to get your phosphates?
Literally this is why it gets hate. It’s not remotely Cheddar. Real Cheddar is deliberately none of these things. I love a crunchy cheese crystal and a crumbly organic texture. To each their own, but it’s not Cheddar, barely cheese. I’d have it in a burger, but only because so few places will melt real cheese properly. Brie is pretty good in a burger. Is Somerset Brie really Brie? Time for a Frenchman to tell me to gtfo…
I didn't say it was cheddar. I said it was made from cheddar. It's decidedly not cheddar, which is why it's not called "cheddar".
"almost" Cheese product....
gtfo.
IMHO, it has three purposes:
If your Kraft singles are too precious, I think the Dollar Tree brands stray even further from gods light.
wtf would you put that on apple pie? Pie deserves a nice sharp white cheddar
Wait wtf you put American cheese on your apple pie?!?
Are you from the US? I’ve never heard of that, and honestly I’m horrified and intrigued
I think it might be an “older people in the south” thing. (Like all boomers and older I’ve talked to about it know about it, usually not younger) I worked at a diner for a bit, and it would be Silent Generation types that would order it.
It’s pretty good, but real cheddar would be better. It’s that similar salty/sweet combo that makes French fries and a McFlurry better than sex.
i heard of it as kid on some cooking show on PBS in the 90s. I thought it was super weird, but my mom had heard of it. Except it was cheddar cheese, not american. I tried it and thought it was pretty good, so i bring it up when people talk about apple pie. it never fails to weird them out if they've never tried it!
I wonder if one of the problems is your comparison of American cheese to what I’m guessing might be American cheddar. I say this because most (and I know there are some niche outliers) American cheddars are pretty awful. It tastes processed, rubbery and bland.
When I, a Brit, lived in the USA for 4 yrs I quickly learned the only good cheddar was the NZ or UK stuff. I say this as someone who has gone through at least 1-3 blocks of various British cheddars a week for almost 40 yrs.
I wonder if you have had imported (not just branded as “English cheddar” before for example? It might blow your mind… but also if American cheddar is all you have know it might not taste all that good - we all have our tastes shaped by our upbringing.
American Cheese is not actually cheese. It is cheese food product. Even deli American cheese is not cheese.
Legally they can't label it as cheese, but get anyway with cheese being part of the name.
Because it's made out of cheese. Legally if you take something that is cheese and use it as an ingredient in another food, then it is no longer "cheese", it is "cheese food". The first ingredient is cheddar
Processed cheese is only called "American cheese" by Americans.
The rest of the world doesn't call it that, and it's strange to see that some of you take it on as part of your national identity.
@JacksonLamb @SPRUNT 'American cheese' is a specific type of cheese. I think the closest thing we have in the UK, we'd call 'plastic cheese' but even Kraft cheese slices/Kraft singles aren't 'American cheese' as they have extra milk in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American/_cheese
Thank you. I did not realize their processed cheese was even worse than Kraft.
I'm partial to the odd Laughing Cow on toast.
Your assuming a lot. I just like cheese.
Then why were you calling it a criticism of America?
That does not make sense.
They said that in the broader context of saying they don't think American cheese deserves the hate it gets. It was qualifying their defense of American cheese by saying they aren't just blindly defending any criticism of America but honestly like the cheese.