What is American Cheese?

Factual Questions
1

Obviously (or maybe not so) it is some form of cheese, but… well let me just ask a few questions:

  1. is it only an American thing? If not, what do they call it in other countries? I’d be embarassed if other countries referred to it as “american cheese.”

  2. is it just really, really, REALLY un-sharp cheddar? Or is it its own “new” type of cheese… a whole new creation? Is it even “cheese” by the very definition of the world?

  3. when was it invented/created? Did they have “American cheese” 100 years ago?

  4. do other countries mock it? (I feel they should, but that’s just my opinion)

  5. why is it so popular in America when practically every other cheese out there (there are probably 10,000 different types) are so much better? Subjective? Naw, not on this level.

  6. I have a gut feeling (no pun intended) that it’s the most unhealthy/fattening/cholesterol-filled type of cheese. Am I right?

  7. Is American cheese one of the reasons for us being called the Great Satan? We don’t actually export this stuff, do we??

Thanks for answering all my trivial little questions. I really do appreciate it :slight_smile:

2

From the American Dairy Association:

3

ok, one question down :slight_smile: thanks!

4

Don’t touch it! It’s evil!

I gots me 4 pounds of a seven year old cheddar in the fridge. I’m gonna age it a few more years, then party hearty!

5

it’s horrible. that’s why i’m so fascinated by it.

although… i must admit… and i’m gonna kill myself for saying this… i actually like it on a grilled “cheese” sandwich. ugh! did i really just admit that?

it doesn’t taste like cheese to me… it’s just this fatty, creamy substance that tastes okay melted between two slices of bread. but i still don’t consider it “cheese.” Cheese is something that is good eaten alone – with some nice wine. But melting stilton between two slices of bread just doesn’t work. But gimme a break, i’m a graduate student. :slight_smile:

6

Q, when you’re ready to cut into that bad boy, call me up. Nobody should have to … um … suffer like that alone.

:smiley:

7

I don’t think I’d even heard of American cheese until I visited the SDMB. Maybe a couple of references in films or books had gone in one ear and out of the other. I’ve never seen it sold in supermarkets or cheese shops over here, but I do recall visiting an American-style restaurant as long ago as 1983 that made a big deal over a cheeseburger being made with “real Monterey Jack”.

Qadgop the Mercotan:
IMHO a refrigerator is not a good place to age cheese. Too dry. Surely it’ll go like a block of wood within a few weeks?

8

It may be cheese, or it may be “cheese food”, which is not the same thing. Oddly enough, there’s a parallel thread running on this topic, right now. Why is Swiss cheese so much more expensive than other kinds of cheese?

Yes. It’s one of, I believe, three cheeses acknowledged as having been invented here in the USA. Cottage cheese and Cream Cheese being the others. And, I imagine other countries do call it American cheese, when they aren’t calling it something worse.

Kraft processed cheese is introduced. This “American” cheese is made from ground chunks o’ pasteurized cheddar or other natural cheeses that are stirred with an emulsifier and water into a smooth, homogenous fluid. Would you dare make a grilled cheese sandwich with anything else? Source: Kitchy Foods

Not quite 100 years ago. It was invented by JL Kraft & Bros., in 1914. Source: Kraft Foods

Probably, when they aren’t snarfing down Big Macs.

It’s cheap, readily available, keeps well, is convenient, and melts beautifully. Also, it’s what most of us grew up thinking cheese was supposed to be like.

Actually, no. Not about the fattening, cholesterol-filled part. The jury is still out on the health part. But, American cheese, as it’s produced today, has less milk fat than any “artisan” cheese. If you want a heart attack on a cracker, try a triple-creme brie. (Note: this excludes stuff like low-moisture, low-fat, part-skim shredded mozarella. Which tastes only slightly better than the bag it comes in and melts slightly less well.)

Could be. We do export the stuff. By the shipload. Mostly government surplus cheese that comes from the dairy industry subsidy programs. We keep paying companies to keep cranking the stuff out, even though the supply greatly exceeds the demand. It has to go somewhere.

9

Whoa, whoa. You know that Monterey Jack and American cheese are not the same thing, right? Monterey Jack is a real cheese, and one of my favorites. It’s nummy.

American cheese is a vile cheese-like substance. It comes in individually-wrapped slices, so you don’t have to go to the awful, horrible trouble of slicing the cheese yourself. It’s very orange, and not particularly cheese-like at all. Despite Davebear’s assertion that it’s what most of us grew up thinking cheese should be like, and that it’s proper for a grilled cheese sandwich, I never encountered the stuff 'til I was 10 or 11 and visiting a friend. It is an abomination upon god, and anything (well, maybe not Stilton) would be better on a grilled cheese sandwich. Some nice sharp cheddar is lovely for that purpose.

10

Yeah, I realised Monterey Jack and American cheese were not the same thing. Actually, we’ve had Kraft Cheese Slices for ages too. I would not call them cheese.

11

Wrong-o.

Several reasonably good cheeses have been developed in the United States, Leiderkranz being one of them, and several EXCELLENT cheeses have, too, Saga Blue being one of them.

Saga is a double-cream blue cheese, an idea so great I can’t believe the French didn’t come up with it.

12

thanks for the great answers, davebear!

13

If you think American Cheese is gross, then quit buying those prewrapped pieces of rainslicker in the dairy case. Then go to the deli counter and ask for a pound of Land O’ Lakes American freshly sliced. THAT stuff is good.

14

Muenster makes great grilled cheese sandwiches. Especially in combo with cheddar or jack.

15

Mmmmm… 64 slices of American cheese.

As long as I don’t have to eat the vile stuff. We do mock it in Canada. And we don’t call it cheese. But a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and onion is another matter entirely.

16

I’d like to back up Guin here, and point out that Kraft Singles are NOT american cheese. They’re american cheese flavored processed cheese food, and are inedible. Land O’ Lakes american is a whole different animal, and is, by taste, just a softer, very unsharp cheddar. And it’s delicious.

17

Exactly-it’s a very mild mild cheddar, soft and very creamy. It’s a subtle flavor, but it’s good. It has a nice, light texture and it goes great on sandwichs and salads.

18

Sort of on the same topic…How about a good recipe for the cheese topping on a Pizza?

I’ve had good results with a mixture of Mozzerella, Cheddar and a bit of Gorgonzola. (45, 45 & 10%)

19

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by everton *
IMHO a refrigerator is not a good place to age cheese. Too dry. Surely it’ll go like a block of wood within a few weeks?

[QUOTE]

It’s safely sealed in wax. Trust me, I’ve done this before. Took a lovely 5 pound wheel of cheddar, and aged it 6 further years. Ye gods, it was delicious!

My dad grew up in a cheese factory. Its in our blood. Which explains all the angioplasties in the family.

20

Can you give us some quick tips? I would assume the piece must be sealed in wax. What types of cheeses can be aged this way with good results?