I thought American cheese was just a blend of cheddar and Swiss? That’s what I’ve been telling people who give me shit for liking it, anyway. 
Apart from Philadelphia cream cheese I’ve never seen any american made cheese in New Zealand. There’s (literally) stacks of locally made Colby though, it’s one of the big bulk cheeses here (along with Cheddar, Edam and ‘Tasty’ aged Cheddar).
You, sir, need some Liederkranz. Or I need some. Really need some. Qadgop, you’re not messing with me? It’s the real thing?
But it’s true. I have a coupon for Cabot cheese but when I bought their “Seriously Sharp Cheddar” I found it…bland. No crunchy little cysts of bacteria that bit into my tongue, as God intended a sharp cheddar to have.
Australia has some excellent cheeses (although I have to say I think some of the NZ stuff is nicer, albeit more expensive). However, in over a decade, I have never managed to find Monterey Jack cheese for sale anywhere here (and not that many more people who’ve even heard of it- even in fancy delicatessens). I quite like American Cheese as a toasted sandwich cheese, but that too isn’t something I’ve been able to track down either, except as “Cheese In A Can”.
In response to the OP, when I think “American Cheeses” I think of Hazardous Warning Orange coloured blocks of processed cheese or blocks of yellow “Generic Cheese”- Cheddar or Colby or something functional but unexciting like that. I’m certainly not thinking of Bries or Camemberts or Blue Stilton or anything “interesting”.
I believe it’s referred to as Emmental.
To clarify, by the way, “American cheese” is a specific term. An American might walk up to the deli counter in the grocery store and say “Give me a half pound of American”, and the guy behind the counter would know exactly what’s meant. Nobody would ever regard Colby or Jack or whatever as a subset of “American cheese”.
It’s not much of a cheese shop, is it?
I took a trip up to Wisconsin when the Liederkranz came back on the market. I tried it plain, on rye with red onion, and with some apple slices. I think I prefer it with the onion and a stout bread, but it’s good on a wheat cracker plain as well. It was honestly every bit as good as limburger, but at close to twice the cost.
If the price comes down, I’d buy it again, and I’d recommend trying it if you’re a limburger fan. For me, I don’t get anything from the cheese I don’t also get from limburger, which I can find in my local stores.
It’s good for Tex-Mex food: nachos, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc. I agree that for other purposes I always preferred British (or continental) cheeses.
What? People do that? Can I hit them? Who’s throwing events that are too classy for kraft singles but not classy enough for quality cheese?
I’m entirely ignorant of American cheese. Do you have equivalents of Stilton, Brie, Camembert, and Cambazola?
Yes. We call them “Stilton”, “Brie”, “Camembert” and “Cambazola”. <insert winky emoticon here>
Most of those cheeses sold in US markets are made by US cheesemakers, and I’m assuming the cultures are nth generation imports from the original locations for these cheeses. I also think the ubiquity of “old country” cheeses in this country is why there aren’t many cheese varieties which were developed whole cloth (whole cheesecloth?) in North America. The natives never really made cheeses, and the European immigrants brought their own.
Umm pretty sure that Kraft deluxe American is indeed cheese. It is pre-sliced but not indiviually wraped. Every grocery store deli that I have been too has American as well.
Not sure why all the hate for good American cheese. Just snobbery I suspect. The real stuff is actually quite good.
Yep, Emmantaler (or Emmental) is what I’ve seen what Americans refer to as “Swiss cheese” called across Europe.
I’m sure it is. However, with a few exceptions (such as Liederkranz mentioned previously) it seems to be uniformly bland. Bland cheeses certainly have their place – with many dishes you don’t want the cheese to overpower the other flavours. But some recipes call for stronger flavours which in my experience aren’t commonly found in American cheeses.
Yes, indeed. Maytag Blue is probably our most famous blue cheese, and happens to be one of my favorites, just below Stilton (Long Clawson and Colston Bassett) and Roquefort (no particular producer.)
The deli stuff is quite a bit better than kraft singles and perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. I don’t know that I’d use it for much else but it’s great for that.
I like strong cheeses (sheep’s mostly), so I don’t eat any American cheeses except melted on a cheeseburger, sorry.
And now it’s lunchtime and I’ve got a craving for Manchego, damnit :mad:
“Swiss cheese” is based on Emmental.
The vast majority of Americans are almost entirely unfamiliar with strong-flavored cheeses. They know American, cheddar, Swiss, colby, jack, mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, brie, cream cheese, and camembert (and maybe a handful of others) but almost exclusively in their mass-marketed processed forms, not in their strong artisanal forms.
So, yes, even fancy parties may very well include a cheese tray with slices of cheddar, jack, and American.
American cheese has its purposes, but it’s a very basic, bland cheese with very little character or distinctiveness.
It’s too bad you can’t get Humboldt Fog.
There’s “American Cheese” (the orange stuff) and cheese which is made in America. To the latter, American cheesemakers produce sterling examples of every cheesemaking tradition in the world. They just aren’t likely to be exported, or even available outside the immediate locality of the cheesemaker.
Manchego, to my mind, is not a strong-tasting cheese.