# What color is American cheese? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311 "2012-07-15T17:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/21 "2012-07-16T00:04:03Z")
Red, white and blue…if you leave it out of the fridge for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/22 "2012-07-16T01:22:07Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Forget the white variety; this poll is strictly about the yellow or orange [Kraft American Singles](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XF9ahs10L._SL500_AA300_.jpg) product (should have said that in the OP, I know). > > And the poll is designed only for those who think it is strictly one or the other (yellow vs. orange, that is). > mmm It’s orange. It’s a yellowish orange, but it’s clearly more orange than yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/23 "2012-07-17T00:26:12Z")
It’s not [banana colored](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656636). ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/24 "2012-07-17T02:50:27Z")
I say yellow, because it’s the first thing that came to mind. But I very nearly voted orange after having seen it as the other option. Difficult choice! ETA: I see that my vote tipped yellow into a very slight majority. Now I feel even worse! ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/25 "2012-07-17T02:56:01Z")
In my house it’s yellow but at Subway it’s white. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/26 "2012-07-17T02:57:56Z")
White or orange, it comes in both colors. They taste the same to me though. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/27 "2012-07-17T22:19:35Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > In my house it’s yellow but at Subway it’s white. > [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > White or orange, it comes in both colors. I guess you ignored: > [@](#): > > And the poll is designed only for those who think it is strictly one or the other (yellow vs. orange, that is). ---
**Author:** ![core\_dump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@core\_dump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core_dump)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/28 "2012-07-17T22:49:44Z")
It depends how long it’s been sitting in my fridge. I have noticed that the color of a fresh pack I have is darker than the one that is a couple years old. If you want to settle the argument just take a slice into the paint store and have them stick it on one of those machines. You can write down the hex/decimal color code of your slice and the apply a color distance algorithm to see which color is closer. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/29 "2012-07-17T23:02:28Z")
Yellow ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/30 "2012-07-17T23:32:06Z")
American cheese started out as a mix of failed cheddars and failed colby cheeses (say at the 2 month testing mark, the cheddar wheel wasn’t going to cut it, the wheel was pulled and sent to a processor who made “American Cheese”) All cheeses would range from white to yellowish w/out dye (see your own Straight Dope Answer here: [Why is cheddar cheese orange? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1284/why-is-cheddar-cheese-orange) ). I was taught that during the war, the processed “American Cheese” became popular because it melted quickly and provided a stable consistent food product for the masses and those in field kitchens. Now a days, they make American cheese straight from processing recipes, so it is no longer failed cheddars/colby of the past. So the answer to the question is that the color is what ever color the manufacturer picks. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311/31 "2012-07-18T01:01:31Z")
I didn’t miss who the poll was for. I didn’t take the poll. I just made a remark. As did some others. Sorry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-american-cheese/628311.md?page=1)