# Can You Age American "Cheese" Into Something Tasty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492 "2012-12-09T06:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/21 "2012-12-09T20:45:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > To me American Cheese is a condiment. Something mild to add to a sandwich. Almost a substiture for mayo. It is essentially a form of margerine. No, it is NOT margarine, not by a long shot. Margarine is a non-dairy spread of oil that attempts to masquerade as a butter-like substance. American cheese, on the other hand, is _cheese_. Even the bastardized corruptions known as “cheese food” and “cheese product” normally contain some percentage of actual cheese. While you may substitute it for mayonnaise, that does not make it margarine or mayo. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Not true at all. A lot of American cheese, including Kraft Deli Deluxe, can be purchased individually wrapped. Hence I said “general rule” and not “immutable law of nature”. You _can_ purchase American cheese slices individually wrapped but you don’t _have to_ - in contrast to cheese food and cheese product slices which don’t remain slices without a wrapper around them. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/22 "2012-12-09T21:06:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > No, it is NOT margarine, not by a long shot. Margarine is a non-dairy spread of oil that attempts to masquerade as a butter-like substance. American cheese, on the other hand, is _cheese_. Even the bastardized corruptions known as “cheese food” and “cheese product” normally contain some percentage of actual cheese. > > While you may substitute it for mayonnaise, that does not make it margarine or mayo. > Hence I said “general rule” and not “immutable law of nature”. > > You _can_ purchase American cheese slices individually wrapped but you don’t _have to_ - in contrast to cheese food and cheese product slices which don’t remain slices without a wrapper around them. I don’t have any idea why you think it’s a general rule when American cheese is ridiculously easy to find individually wrapped. It’s not like I’m pointing out a rarity. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/23 "2012-12-09T21:08:13Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > What if I love a Kraft Deli Deluxe for my grill cheese sandwich, but prefer other cheeses, with more ‘character’ for other dishes? Do I get my snooty card then? Or do I only get it if I take American cheese off the menu altogether? You should spend four hours every day in the cheese aisle at the supermarket. Anyone so much as looks at Kraft Singles, and you can sigh and utter a “feh.” Bonus points if you go to a more upscale supermarket and hide all the Kraft behind the box wine (or is that cool now?). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/24 "2012-12-09T21:11:59Z")
American cheese from the deli is a LOT better than Kraft Singles. It’s a nice, creamy mild cheddar that tastes great on sandwiches. It’s basically freshly sliced and then wrapped in paper, just like lunch meat. If you try to “age” it, I’m guessing you’ll just end up with moldy cheese. My dad did accidentally “age” some Kraft cheddar he bought – it might have been Cracker Barrel. It somehow got moved to the back of the fridge and because our fridge was so full, it ended up back there for three years. It was the sealed package, so it didn’t go moldy, but it was extra sharp. Totally delicious. I don’t know if that counts. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/25 "2012-12-09T21:22:36Z")
The thing is, all American cheese is processed cheese. None of it is 100% cheese. Some of it is just more processed than others. ETA: Guin, cheddar is unprocessed cheese. Not the same thing as American. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/26 "2012-12-09T23:02:09Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I don’t have any idea why you think it’s a general rule when American cheese is ridiculously easy to find individually wrapped. It’s not like I’m pointing out a rarity. Read the labels again. I’m willing to bet most of what you see as American cheese in individual wrappers is actually that cheese food or cheese product stuff. Actual cheese in individual wrapped slices isn’t unknown but at least in my neck of the woods it’s quite uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/27 "2012-12-09T23:20:39Z")
I doubt it. I just counted 4 brands of individually wrapped real Anerican cheese at the Publix here in Atlanta. I know the difference and always read the labels carefully. That’s why I knew that Kraft Deli Deluxe offered the product. Land o Lakes also does. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/28 "2012-12-10T05:25:29Z")
Maybe so, but there’s definitely a difference between the individually wrapped stuff and the sliced stuff you get at the deli. Try it and see. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/29 "2012-12-10T05:43:23Z")
Wow this whole issue is just so much more confusing than I thought. So… there is a thing known as American Cheese, that you can ask for in the deli, and they will slice it for you. But even this is not a “true” cheese in some sense, in that it is actually a product of cheese and milk mixed together (am I right so far?). But there is also stuff labeled “American Cheese”, always individually wrapped, that is actually a processed cheese food product, that has even more milk processed in, and hence less flavor. But at the end of the day, American Cheese is always a processed cheese, right? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/30 "2012-12-10T05:49:59Z")
American Cheese is not cheese, and doesn’t need to contain any cheese. It is made from wet and/or dry milk products such as whey or milk protein mixed with milk fat and water. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/31 "2012-12-10T07:06:57Z")
Yo, **Tripolar** = got a cite for that claim? Because the US has laws about mislabeling food, and American cheese most certainly is cheese, even if foodies turn their noses up at it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/32 "2012-12-10T07:14:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yo, **Tripolar** = got a cite for that claim? Because the US has laws about mislabeling food, and American cheese most certainly is cheese, even if foodies turn their noses up at it. How about the[Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cheese). > [@](#): > > Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States, it may not be legally sold as “cheese”, and must be labeled as “processed cheese”, “cheese product”, or similar—e.g., “cheese food”. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/33 "2012-12-10T07:18:58Z")
Generally no longer made from blended cheeses… but _some_ American cheese you buy may be _real_ cheese in the sense that is made from blended cheeses and other dairy products. So is the Kraft Deluxe made from a real blend of actual cheeses and other dairy products, but the regular “American singles” or whatever really have absolutely no cheese in them at all? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/34 "2012-12-10T08:00:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How about the[Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cheese) > [@drewtwo99](#): > > Generally no longer made from blended cheeses… but _some_ American cheese you buy may be _real_ cheese in the sense that is made from blended cheeses and other dairy products. > > So is the Kraft Deluxe made from a real blend of actual cheeses and other dairy products, but the regular “American singles” or whatever really have absolutely no cheese in them at all? That information from Wikipedia is not accurate. [Processed cheese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processed_cheese) and cheese food must be made from real cheese. The US regulations on “pasteurized process cheese” can be found [here](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1999-title21-vol2/pdf/CFR-1999-title21-vol2-sec133-169.pdf) at §133.169, and the regulations for “pasteurized process cheese food” can be found [here](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1999-title21-vol2/pdf/CFR-1999-title21-vol2-sec133-173.pdf) at §133.173. Something made from “a set of ingredients such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt” (but no cheese) would be imitation cheese, and probably couldn’t even be labeled “cheese product,” since it isn’t a product made from cheese, even though there’s no legal regulation that I could find of the specific term “cheese product.” “American singles” also isn’t regulated specifically as far as I can tell, and could presumably be used to label anything produced in America, since it doesn’t have any other intrinsic meaning that I can see. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/35 "2012-12-10T08:24:47Z")
Ugh… the plot (cheese?) thickens ☹ Why can’t there just be a simple answer here!!?? ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/36 "2012-12-10T08:29:53Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > What if I love a Kraft Deli Deluxe for my grill cheese sandwich, but prefer other cheeses, with more ‘character’ for other dishes? Do I get my snooty card then? Or do I only get it if I take American cheese off the menu altogether? I think people in the thread that said American cheese was needed to make a “proper grilled cheese sandwich” can keep their snooty card and people like me, who pointed out that there are other ways to make a proper grilled cheese, get to make snide comments about your snooty cards while secretly wanting one of our own. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/37 "2012-12-10T12:28:36Z")
There is a difference between cheese and something that is made from cheese. American cheese is the latter. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/38 "2012-12-10T14:08:56Z")
Thanks for the replies…what exactly is that USDA “cheese” (that is given out in large blocks)? Is it cheese or “cheese food”? Also, I’m told that al lot of cheap pizza chains don’t use real mozzarella cheese-they se something made from lard and milk powder-is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/39 "2012-12-10T15:32:58Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > That information from Wikipedia is not accurate. [Processed cheese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processed_cheese) and cheese food must be made from real cheese. The US regulations on “pasteurized process cheese” can be found [here](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1999-title21-vol2/pdf/CFR-1999-title21-vol2-sec133-169.pdf) at §133.169, and the regulations for “pasteurized process cheese food” can be found [here](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1999-title21-vol2/pdf/CFR-1999-title21-vol2-sec133-173.pdf) at §133.173. > > Something made from “a set of ingredients such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt” (but no cheese) would be imitation cheese, and probably couldn’t even be labeled “cheese product,” since it isn’t a product made from cheese, even though there’s no legal regulation that I could find of the specific term “cheese product.” “American singles” also isn’t regulated specifically as far as I can tell, and could presumably be used to label anything produced in America, since it doesn’t have any other intrinsic meaning that I can see. I must bow to your superior cite.\*\* Broomstick\*\*, you have been proven correct. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492/40 "2012-12-10T15:33:01Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I doubt it. I just counted 4 brands of individually wrapped real Anerican cheese at the Publix here in Atlanta. > > I know the difference and always read the labels carefully. That’s why I knew that Kraft Deli Deluxe offered the product. Land o Lakes also does. > [@drewtwo99](#): > > Generally no longer made from blended cheeses… but _some_ American cheese you buy may be _real_ cheese in the sense that is made from blended cheeses and other dairy products. > > So is the Kraft Deluxe made from a real blend of actual cheeses and other dairy products, but the regular “American singles” or whatever really have absolutely no cheese in them at all? > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > There is a difference between cheese and something that is made from cheese. American cheese is the latter. There is in fact such a thing as “real” American cheese, made as a cheese, not a processed "cheese food: or as a blending of other cheeses. I could direct you to two sites in Upstate New York where it is still made (in Sodus and Colosse), and I believe there are still others. You are right that many major brand names prefer to market something that is blended or processed. When I was a kid there was a ‘cheese factory’ (meaning a cottage industry in this usage, not an industrial plant) in Rodman NY which had been poducing American cheese direct from the milk of local dairies for all of my grandmother’s 75 years (she was born within 4 miles of it), but it has long since closed. Further, you can in fact get a sharp Americxan cheese that is distinct from cheddar in a difficut-to-define way, but let me analogize it to the difference between drinking whole milk(sharp cheddar) and drinking 2% milk (sharp American). We can actually buy it at the Food Lion here in small-town North Carolina – you just have to be looking for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-age-american-cheese-into-something-tasty/643492.md?page=3)