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What is American Cheese?

05/13/05 @ 02:03:59 pm, by Kate Hopkins Email 17303 views • Categories: Cheese

Ahh.. A question that lies on our tongues quite often. Too often, some might say.

American Cheese is not cheese, at least in the traditional 'Separate curds from whey and then pack the curds' cheese-making process that, y'know, actually makes real cheese. That's not to say that there isn't real cheese in American cheese. There is. But the cheese is also processed with emulsifiers, preservatives (sometimes something as simple as salt, other times with various chemical compounds) and often food coloring. These additives are what make defining American Cheese so difficult.

You see, each type of cheese out there is based off of a well defined enzyme that gives it a particular taste. That's one of the items that makes the difference between a Gruyere and an Edam (another items is the process in which enzymes and bacteria are introduced to the cheese, but that's a different post). Whether you take bite of an high quality Edam or one of mediocre quality, you should still be able to say "This is an Edam Cheese".

American Cheese is not really based off of taste as much as texture. American Cheese holds together very well and melts into a gooey blancmange. It's why we tend to use the cheese on burgers and other heated sandwiches: because it adds a gooey texture to the sandwich that we find palatable. The taste? Meh. We Americans don't care how the cheese tastes so much as long as it gives us a good mouth feel. That's why Kraft has a multi-million dollar cheese product line, instead of being a laughing stock of cheese-eaters everywhere.

Some American Cheese "makers" add so many items to their American Cheeses that they can no longer call it "Cheese". In its place we get items like Cheeze Whiz and Velveeta. These products are sold as "cheese food", "cheese spread", or "cheese product", depending primarily on the amount of cheese, moisture, and milk fat present in the final product.

So, rather than ask "What is American Cheese?", one would get a quicker answer from the missive "What isn't American Cheese?" to which one would reply "It isn't cheese". It is, however, a non-standardized cheese-variant popular more for its texture than taste.

Oh, and it's orange, only because we Americans think cheese should be orange. But that's another story for later.


Permalink • 37 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Tara C [Member] Email · http://www.dementedkitty.com
What isn't american cheese? Bread. Apples. Very small rocks. Cider. Gravy. Cherries. Mud. Churches. Lead. And quite possibly, ducks. :p
PermalinkPermalink 05/13/05 @ 15:09
Comment from: nichole [Visitor] · http://www.madisonatoz.com/
Cheez. Yuck. A Madison theatre company put on a "blitzkrieg" musical, a project completed in 24 hours from writing to performance. My favorite skit to come of that was "American Cheese," starring a cast of squeaky-clean, yellow-and-orange clad youths, who related the history of the cheez in a 10-minute song and dance.

The chorus is the only part I really remember, and they sang it to a driving beat while waving huge blocks of orange styrofoam:

American Cheese!
American Cheese!
Where did it come from?
Where is it going?
American Cheese!
American Cheese!

I pray that someone captured that on tape. I'll do it myself if I ever get another chance.
PermalinkPermalink 05/16/05 @ 08:17
Comment from: Arthur [Visitor]
Um...but it isn't always orange, as you say. The cheese that one buys at a deli counter is usually white or yellow, while the Kraft-made "stuff" is orange. Surely, there is some difference between the two. I tend to think of the white deli cheese as the "real" American cheese, and the orange stuff as a "pretender". They are so different from one another...they can't possibly be the same thing.
PermalinkPermalink 06/16/06 @ 00:04
Comment from: Richard [Visitor]
I've always known American cheese to be yellow or orange. Perhaps the white stuff you are getting at the deli is simply a different type of cheese.
PermalinkPermalink 07/21/06 @ 14:18
Comment from: Lilly [Visitor]
Why don't you tell us the ingriedients??!!
PermalinkPermalink 01/28/07 @ 11:59
Comment from: Lilly [Visitor]
Why didn't you tell us what's in AMerican cheese??!!
PermalinkPermalink 01/28/07 @ 12:00
Comment from: Adriana [Visitor] Email
It is true about the American cheese that is not a real cheese. I came to USA from Romania, and I was shocked about the taste of "cheese" here. Doesn't taste as the real cheese, not at all. You can feel is a processed one, processed million of time, probably, then contains all kind of unhealthy stuff, color etc. It is very surprising for me to see the Americans like it, though. My question is " what do you like in that taste?" To be in your place, I would buy at least to make the difference, some real cheese in the international department where you can find cheese, pate ( another thing which is not used here, again i dont know why), salami ( and I am talking about the real salami, like Genoa Salami, Hard Salami, Palermo Salami which tastes just great ). I know those products are a bit more expensive, but the explanation is only one: they are real and good food. But still you can try and you will feel the difference. I am dissapointed to see the Americans like fake, unhealty food. That is the reason why this nation is so fat. Each county has its fat people, but you will never see so many fat people in another country like in USA. And I just explained why. Thank you for reading my message and I wish to everybody all over the world "Happy Easter"!
PermalinkPermalink 04/06/07 @ 08:52
Comment from: Tracey [Visitor] Email · http://www.womanwithmanyhats.com
Adriana, the reason so many people in the U.S. like the fake foods is that they've never tasted the real thing. The vast majority don't have a good, open-air market near; don't garden; don't buy their food right from the farmers. I grew up having to avoid factory-produced foods because of a mold allergy. So that meant a huge garden, and buying milk and meat from neighboring farms. I'm raising my kids the same way. They are *thin*, and I was just told by a photographer who specializes in restoring photos from 1920 backwards that my kids are built like old-fashioned kids and have the right facial structure, and he could use them in some of the freelance work he sometimes does for historical magazines and journals!

Buying fresh and local makes a huge difference.
PermalinkPermalink 06/04/07 @ 17:14
Comment from: david [Visitor] Email
This may muddy the waters a bit but I'm trying to understand what American cheese is from an Australian perspective. I can buy Kraft processed cheese here, but I suspect that the definition of 'processed cheese' is not universal. Rather, the food laws of our respective countries may vary and the Kraft product may be tailored to local tastes.
A very popular category of cheese locally is 'tasty'. Widely used, relatively bland, also referred to as 'cheddar'. The inventor of the most popular tasty cheese would be proud to know that his product is still being sold under the same name 80 years later. Unfortunately his surname, and the name of the product, has not aged as gracefully. Every so often there is a news item that the product name 'Coon' may be racially offensive. Its a strange world.
PermalinkPermalink 06/04/07 @ 17:31
Comment from: sherri [Visitor] Email
I am from Canada and we don't understand what American cheese is. From this definition on the site I understand it to be Kraft cheese slices. In Canada, we understand "cheese" to be cheddar. I am asking because of an American recipe that calls for American cheese. Can anyone help me out?
PermalinkPermalink 07/31/07 @ 02:00
Comment from: Jong Lee [Visitor] Email
American Cheese originated as a cheese made from mixture of cheeses melted together. The orange color is because originally it was made mostly of Cheddar. Although not anymore.

Currently American Cheese is processed Cheese. Nice Analogy would be Kielbasa to hot dog links. They are both in the same broad category.

It is generally considered an elitist nonsense to claim American cheese isn't cheese. I think it is just ignorant European egotism to claim American's don't know the taste of "real" cheese given all kinds of cheese from all over the world are available in the US.
PermalinkPermalink 08/05/07 @ 01:17
Comment from: Kate Hopkins [Member] Email · http://www.accidentalhedonist.com
Actually, since they add coloring to the process (a look at any ingredient list will show you this), you're theory about American Cheese being orange from them using Cheddar is incorrect.

Additionally, cheesemaking is a process. And while American Cheese may have originated as a cheese made from mixture of cheeses melted together, it's certainly not done so today.

"Generally considered elitist" by whom? If you're going to make observations, it's best to back them up with at least a link or two.
PermalinkPermalink 08/05/07 @ 08:25
Comment from: JD [Visitor] Email
WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!!!
"American Cheese" IS real cheese!
You are confusing it with "American Singles". That garbage is "Pasteurized Process Cheese Food" or "Pasteurized Process Cheese Product". If it is single wrapped it IS NOT cheeze. it is a "product" However, if it says "American Cheese", it is real cheese.
PermalinkPermalink 08/06/07 @ 10:50
Comment from: Kate Hopkins [Member] Email · http://www.accidentalhedonist.com
Um... I addressed this already.

"Some American Cheese "makers" add so many items to their American Cheeses that they can no longer call it "Cheese". In its place we get items like Cheeze Whiz and Velveeta. These products are sold as "cheese food", "cheese spread", or "cheese product", depending primarily on the amount of cheese, moisture, and milk fat present in the final product."

Look, I know you're upset. But really, the post speaks for itself. Instead of hurling invectives and typing in capital letters, how about showing some evidence?
PermalinkPermalink 08/06/07 @ 11:03
Comment from: kally [Visitor]
I SOOOO agree I accully went here so I could prove my point in a argument with sombody. thanks!!!!!!!!!
PermalinkPermalink 10/09/07 @ 12:56
Comment from: Chris Buek [Visitor] Email
You guys have obviously never tasted Cooper sharp American. I guarantee you, regardless of what country you're from, that's cheese. Damn good cheese.
PermalinkPermalink 11/13/07 @ 21:23
Comment from: Epicanis [Visitor] Email · http://www.bigroom.org/wordpress

If it just says "American Cheese", with NO other modifiers, I believe it really is made of almost entirely cheese ("cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these may be designated as ``American cheese''."). If it says "Pasteurized Process" Cheese, with NO other modifiers, it is still almost entirely made of cheeses (2 or more varieties blended together) but can have something like 5% added milkfat/cream/whatever, 3% emulsifiers, and a small amount of other additives (acidifiers, food coloring, etc.)

When you start adding other modifiers to the name is where you start getting into the stage of being made "with" cheese instead of being made "of" cheese. "Pasteurized Process Cheese Food" is only required to be 51% cheese. "Pasteurized Process Cheese Product" is the same thing, but without the 51% requirement: yes, "cheese product" can be almost entirely "not cheese".

The "cheddar is orange" thing is because nice, healthy grass-fed dairy cattle will seasonally end up producing yellowish-orange tinted cheese due to the carotenoid pigments they get from the grass. Same thing goes for yellow butter. People being obsessed with their fear of variation, retailers took to dying the products so they'd always be a consistent color. In the US, at least, people often think of "cheddar" as the default real cheese, which they also always assume will be orange. Therefore, fake-cheese makers will dye their product orange to make people think what they're buying actually IS cheese, even if it's really just "cheese product".

The Code of Federal Regulations defines it all: you can find the cheese stuff in 21CFR133, which I would provide a link to if the blog allowed anchor tags (grrrr....)...

Instead, you'll have to go here manually:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/21cfr133_07.html

PermalinkPermalink 11/23/07 @ 14:03
Comment from: Joe Anybody [Visitor] Email
Epicanis, thank you for actually bringing some fact and actual standards into the discussion and not useless drivel derived from opinion and elitist attitudes.
PermalinkPermalink 12/09/07 @ 08:11
Comment from: Erik [Visitor] Email
Living in Canada I cannot get American Cheese on a regular basis. Luckily I live only a 45 minute drive from the U.S. border. I have loved American Cheese all my life. What I know as American Cheese can be bought in slices at a deli or packaged in the Dairy counter. I will not by individually packaged slices, they are just awful. However American Cheese for me is white in color not orange...when asked if I want orange or white I will always pick white. I have had good and bad American Cheese. I tend to find the deli sliced to be too salty and the packaged much less so. Kraft does make a good American Cheese and it is labelled American "Cheese", here in Canada Kraft makes Canadian Singles, you cannot get them any other way than individually wrapped, orange in color and it tastes just awful. The best way is to make sure it says "Cheese" and not "Cheese Product", and American Cheese makes the best grilled cheese on the planet. Try a sandwich made with American Cheese on bread with Guldens mustard (another great American product)....Yummy!
PermalinkPermalink 01/07/08 @ 20:13
Comment from: Erik [Visitor] Email
Basically speaking: if you like it then fine...if not, don't eat it. Picking it apart and analyzing it to death is pointless...just enjoy it! If you don't then just let it be.
PermalinkPermalink 01/07/08 @ 20:17
Comment from: Epicanis [Visitor] Email · http://www.bigroom.org/wordpress
(I'm jealous - I wish MY blog's posts were still being actively commented on almost two years later!)

Actually (as you can probably guess from my earlier comment) I tend to disagree with Erik. Knowing what you're actually getting is important. How many people think all "American Cheese" is awful industrial-product crap because they assume "Kraft Singles®" is representative, for example?

The major benefit of the "American Cheese" products that are actually made OF cheese is that they have been chopped and then pressed back together with a small amount of reasonably benign additives, which makes the resulting material melt really smoothly (making it especially popular for sandwiches and hamburgers).
PermalinkPermalink 03/17/08 @ 16:51
Comment from: michelle [Visitor] Email · http://hillison.com
Just a comment to Richard - the white american you can get at the deli counter is most definitely american cheese. I just ate some now in fact.

Kraft singles have just a bit taste to me - I still use them if I need them (kids). But fresh cut white american tastes different than kraft singles and is better on burgers, sandwiches, etc.

White American with roast beef on a crusty roll is so good. I'd never consider it with kraft singles - bleech.

Try some Boars Head White American at a deli - no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no fillers, and no by-products.

If any of you doubt it, make two of something very simple, like grilled cheese. See if you can see a taste difference in the one with white american.
PermalinkPermalink 04/20/08 @ 20:41
Comment from: Arya [Visitor] Email
Does anyone know what kind of enzymes are used in American cheese?
PermalinkPermalink 07/13/08 @ 07:47
Comment from: tastyfish [Visitor]
For Canadians, "American" Cheese, if it's sold in a deli, is what we call Brick.
PermalinkPermalink 08/08/08 @ 09:50
Comment from: seriously [Visitor]
i cannot believe people are getting shot in the back of the head right now almost on the brink of world war 3 and you guys have nothing better to do then go back and forth getting snippy with each other arguing about cheese
PermalinkPermalink 08/24/08 @ 07:01
Comment from: Teagan [Visitor] Email
Tastyfish, I must say that Brick and white american cheeses are by far not the same things. I manage a deli and spend quite a bit of time with cheeses and I can assure you that Brick and White American are two very different cheeses.
And just to note, the prepackaged Kraft 'american cheese' are about as close to real deli american as oscar meyer prepackaged salami is to genoa. I think if you are going to make comments about what goes in it and how it tastes you really need to make sure that you know the difference between brands and qualities before you begin.
PermalinkPermalink 09/14/08 @ 06:36
Comment from: Teagan [Visitor] Email
As an update to my original comment, I have checked with our distributer and our labels and while white and yellow american cheeses are made with the same ingredients (cheddar cheese, cream, enzymes, etc) the only thing that gives the slight taste difference is the vegetable protein that is used to color the american cheese yellow. That is the only difference between the two cheeses.
PermalinkPermalink 09/18/08 @ 06:21
Comment from: therouk [Visitor] Email
Hey Teagan u said"vegetable protein that is used to color the american cheese yellow". I have a question for you do u know what kind of Enzymes american Cheese, the yellow and white like in SUBWAY
PermalinkPermalink 10/23/08 @ 01:23
Comment from: Rita [Visitor] Email
There's something that bugs the crap out of me at the deli I work in. Sometimes the customer asks for yellow, and if we're out of yellow, we ask if they want to sample white. They'll act as if we just insulted their mother. I once had a guy say "NO, I do NOT want to sample white!!" and storm off. Yellow and white American taste exactly the same! The only difference is food coloring! And it's not as if we were forcing them to buy it, we ask if they want to sample it first to see if they like it.
PermalinkPermalink 01/07/09 @ 11:17
Comment from: Cristy [Visitor]
I have always grown up eating deli everything, from hard salami to Swiss including American (both colors are fine), and the other day I tried prepackaged "cheese" and there was really no comparison to which was better. Deli all the way!!!
PermalinkPermalink 01/10/09 @ 21:49
Comment from: TomD [Visitor] Email
It makes me want to weep at the state of food in the USA. Can I make a one point.

Cheese comes from Cows, NOT a factory. White, yellow, orange, or pink, if it is wrapped in plastic as a single slice it is NOT cheese.

End of story
AS a foodie, I am dismayed that every time I get a recipe from the states, it lists quantities of ingredients as tins, jars, packets.

How sad

PermalinkPermalink 01/27/09 @ 04:55
Comment from: dom youngross [Visitor]
From http://www.kraftfoods.com.au/kraft/page?siteid=kraft-prd&locale=ausm1&PagecRef=2442&Mid=2442

"He [JL Kraft] sold US$5,000 worth of pasteurised cheese in tins in 1915, the first lots going to India and Asia. The next year sales went up to US$150,000. The new product was ideal for shipment over long distances, and the US Government ordered more than 6 million pounds of Kraft cheese in tins to feed soldiers during World War I."

If it can be shipped long distances without going bad, and it makes a good war ration, well, not a cheese I want to eat. Unless I live a long distance away from food. Or I'm fighting a war.
PermalinkPermalink 03/02/09 @ 14:42
Comment from: Gabe [Visitor] Email
Someone asked about what kind of enzymes are used in the production of American Cheese. Enzymes are organic molecules that are produced by a living organism. The pasteurization process kills everything that is alive in a cheese, so there are no bacterias or enzymes. But the sad truth is that they were never there to begin with, that's why the American Cheese tastes so blend.
Imagine an Apple, instead of taking its time to grow in a tree in 6 months, it is assembled molecule with molecule and glued in place in several minutes with chemicals, artificial flavoring and preservatives. It has the same shape and color, but it tastes nothing like the original thing.
That's American Cheese explained.
PermalinkPermalink 03/26/09 @ 19:08
Comment from: Rebekah [Visitor] Email
So here is the real burning question!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: What is this rumor I hear about all processed cheeses containing an ingrediant that comes from boiling pig parts?!?!?!?!
There is a rumor going around here in the Southern United States that in order to make any type of processed cheese they stick all the left over pig parts in a pot with water and boil them. Whatever rises to the top of the boiling liquid is skimmed off and added to all processed cheese products. I have done a ton of internet research and I can not find anything that proves or disproves this rumor. What does processed really mean as far as EXACTLY WHAT INGREDIANTS ARE USED???????????? Should vegetarians eat processed cheese?
PermalinkPermalink 04/09/09 @ 09:35
Comment from: Chris W [Visitor] Email
I'm 25 and have been eating American Cheese my entire life. I can taste the difference between cheese from different delis and of course processed packaged cheese.

I find that Dietz and Watson deli cheese is the best tasting American Cheese in my opinion. It has a stronger taste and I can not get enough of it! This is coming from a person who does not like bland foods.

I could live off of it I love it so much. I am very healthy according to the Dr. and I am in good shape. Its about 100 calories per slice.

Rock on American Cheese! (Deli style of course!)
PermalinkPermalink 04/18/09 @ 21:07
Comment from: Rob Smith [Visitor] Email
I've just been watching Steven Fry's series on the US and he constantly complains about the state of American Cheese. He only came across decent American cheese when it was made by local farmers to traditional recipes.

That's ALWAYS been the way however, right across the globe. The best cheese is from local milk made on local farms.

What mystifies me is, that at several points in this thread people have referred to Cheddar as "orange". WHAT?? Cheddar is a light yellow colour. Double Gloucester and Shropshire are orange but a "natural" looking orange. Not the dayglo stuff you see on burgers.

Of course the best cheese is veined with blue (or yellowy green in the case of Gorgonzolla). I recommend Shropshire Blue, which, as you might guess is orange and blue. A combination that the marketing men who have ruined the American cheese market would hold up their hands in horror at.

Rob, England
PermalinkPermalink 06/18/09 @ 01:51
Comment from: Rob Smith [Visitor] Email
PS Why turn your nose up at white cheese? Try some Cheshire. White and crumbly. Useless in cooking but great in salads.

PPS There was no "Mr Cheddar" who had a recipe. It comes from the area of the Cheddar Gorge which is in the West Country. (Where the stereotypical pirate accent come from. AAAARGGGHH!)
PermalinkPermalink 06/18/09 @ 02:02

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