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[–] wanderer 46 points 3 months ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

Technically Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler invented the first processed cheese in Switzerland in 1911 by heating cheese up and mixing in sodium citrate. Kraft patented the process in the USA in 1916. The term "American Cheese" was later coined to refer to any processed cheese.

The American Cheese Wikipedia page is poorly written with mostly redundant information from other Wikipedia pages... it's just a commonly used word to refer to processed cheese and marketing term.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (7 children)

There's so much inaccurate in this, I don't even know where to start. I'll try and find the comment I made the last time this all came up, and either link or copy it here, but it was months ago, so I have no clue if I'll find it.

The short version is that "American cheese" is cheese, just processed with an emulsifier to make it more stable and melt easier.

The process wasn't german in origin, it was swiss, and even that isn't fully accurate since the process used to make the original processed cheese in the US was slightly different.

And, if you read your packages in the US, where the terminology on packaging is legally defined and limited for cheese, you can tell whether or not it has any cheese in it by the terms used.

That's the short version, and unless I find my previous mini essay, that's all the work I'm willing to do this time around, but all of this is verifiable online if anyone wants to write up their own essay on the subject

Edit: holy shit, I actually found it quick! https://sh.itjust.works/comment/8390398

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The swiss are just mountain germans.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

I can't deny this :)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

holy shit, I actually found it quick!

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[–] I_Has_A_Hat 30 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The hamburger did not originate in Germany, despite its name. While the exact origins are debated, it is pretty well agreed that it was created in the US sometimes in the late 19th to early 20th century.

The closest connection to germany that some try to make is an entirely different dish that uses ground beef or pork, which is such a loose connection that you might as well say it originated in Egypt as they were the first civilization to make bread.

[–] CitizenKong 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

The problem is that the origin is "hamburger ~~beef~~ steak" which is the beef patty that came from Germany. This was combined with a sandwich to create a "hamburger sandwich". Over time, the sandwich part was dropped and now here we are.

[–] I_Has_A_Hat 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It wasn't even really a patty as we know it in burgers, it was more like a slice of breakfast sausage.

[–] JusticeForPorygon 6 points 3 months ago (11 children)

I'd argue if you put breakfast sausage on a bun it adequately fits the definition of a burger.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The story I heard was that it came to America with Russian Jewish immigrants who took transatlantic ocean liners from Hamburg, which is where it got its name from. (The Jewish origins are important as apparently the beef patty we know originated as a way of prepreparing kosher meals for travelling through areas where options were unknown.)

[–] JusticeForPorygon 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

People seem to forget there's a difference between American cheese and fucking Kraft singles. Kraft singles are like the Spam "ham" of cheeses.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

They don't forget, they conveniently ignore the label on kraft singles that says "Cheese Product".

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago (5 children)

The wider world when they think of American cheese: yellow shiny shrink wrapped oily substance, wiggles like rubber

Me thinking of the American cheese I've eaten all of my life: white, dry-ish, cut from actual blocks at the deli, feels like, well, cheese

Dunno if it's some regional thing or what. The only place I see yellow American is at chain restaurants.

Also, related and timely:

https://youtu.be/2ck8pXRrI7c

[–] Dabundis 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Where I'm from, we have access to sharp american cheese. It slaps.

Pointing to kraft singles and insisting that "american cheese bad" is like pointing to Little Caesars and insisting that pizza is a lousy food.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Little Caesars is pretty darn good, considering it's 1/3 the cost of any other chain.

[–] Dabundis 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My point being that if someone didn't like little caesars and concluded that pizza is bad, that opinion is terribly uninformed

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Oh, sorry, didn't mean to confuse things. Your point was clear!

[–] JusticeForPorygon 9 points 3 months ago

Lots of people only think of Kraft singles when they hear American cheese. Nothing beats a burger/grilled cheese with real deli style American cheese

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

That's not American cheese.

That's the kraft "cheese food product".

American cheese is essentially Swiss that hasn't aged.

Edit: looks like they've changed the label, but it still says "cheese product", so NOT cheese, kraft even admits it.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago

Swiss that hasn’t aged

But "Swiss cheese" isn't a thing in itself either. The term is used solely in the US.

Switzerland has all kinds of very different kinds of cheese. Aged and young ones.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Kraft is obligated by food regulations. They can not call a product "cheese" if it is not a certain percentage cheese.

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[–] cAUzapNEAGLb 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It also makes a really good grilled cheese

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (6 children)

Yea, people try to get fancy with regular cheese on grilled cheese sandwiches and I hate it. Every one I've tried as soon as it cools off it gets weird and lumpy and gross. Kraft singles stay melty a lot better. Also great on egg sandwiches for the same reason. I do prefer regular cheeses on burgers though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

You didn't ask, but I'll tell you how I make a grilled cheese with normal cheese. I have never experienced "lumpy and gross", but perhaps this is left to the individual.

Choose your bread. Anything you desire. Choose your cheeses. Nothing wrong with mixing it up and using different cheeses. If you have one of the cheese platters in the house that has a variety, this is the prime time to make a grilled cheese. Butter the pan and lay down your first slice of bread (medium-low heat). Lay whatever cheese you like on the inner side of the bread (season if desired). Let the bread toast and the cheese will soften, but you can cover it to let the heat build up enough. Not too long though as you don't want moisture building up. Throw your second slice of bread on top when you want and when the bottom side meets your expectations of toasty, flip the sandwich (during the flip, I flick more butter in for the fresh breaded side to begin its toasting session). You are now faced with the toasted side. Take more cheese and place it on the toasted side. I often use parmesan or asiago (you can use any type), but do not use a lot here. When the second side is toasted to suit, flip it back on to the outer cheese side so it can melt and toast again. Then ply the second toasted side with cheese and flip when the time is right. You will have a nicely toasted cheesy side now with the second toasted cheesy side.

You can season with garlic or garlic salt or some other herb or spice you enjoy. I love making grilled cheese sandwiches like this. They seem fancier and definitely have more flavor. I also welcome any constructive criticism or suggestions to help "up" my game further as I am always looking to improve.

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[–] Protoknuckles 11 points 3 months ago

I will not sit here and let grilled cheese be forgotten. American is the best at any melty cheese sandwhich!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Common mistake. American Cheese is cheese. It's a blend, just like Colby Jack, and nobody argues that's not cheese.

Kraft Singles are not cheese. That's different.

[–] IsThisAnAI 7 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

If you can't get behind American cheese you live a sad life. The best chefs on the planet use it all the time. Not everything is Kraft garbage.

[–] TheBat 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

American cheese is the best cheese for a cheeseburger because it melts without splitting

- Chef Voldemort

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

I'm not saying American cheese is good, but sometimes you just need that shit on a breakfast sandwich.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Monterey Jack is a proper cheese. Sure there must be others too, as my Georgian colleague is always complaining you can’t get them in Oz.

[–] Delphia 3 points 3 months ago

Costco is good for a few America-centric foods in Australia.

Nobody aside from my wife knows that the secret to my BBQ is Montreal steak seasoning and my burgers kick ass because my cheese is American.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

As an American, American "cheese" (including single slices, and things like spray cheese) fucking suck. Give me a good pepperjack or white cheddar on my burger, not that processed shit.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I like the goo in a can on Ritz or Wheat Thins.

But I have no illusion about what I'm eating.

That kraft garbage is not allowed in my house.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Spray cheese, Ritz, topped with a pizza roll. It was one of my "treating myself" staples in college

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Oh man, with a pizza roll? Now you're livin'!

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It's full of emulsifiers and nearly flavorless so it can also make sauces super creamy

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

You can add sodium citrate and milk to just about any cheese to make it melt smoother if you want. Skip adding American entirely.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I can find american cheese a lot easier than I can find sodium citrate

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

True. But now you have options.

[–] weariedfae 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Aren't you just describing more or less how they actually make American cheese? Real cheese (cheddar and ?) mixed with curd and emulsifiers.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

It's Velveeta, versus cheddar. Our Velveeta melts much better.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

IMO the ideal thing to do for hamburgers, mac and cheese, and grilled cheeses (the three foods that I would consider using American cheese for) is this:

Half american cheese for meltiness, half gruyere or other aged flavorful cheese for flavor.

A lot of modern recipes suggest that approach and it has worked well for me.

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