American Cheese

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:16:37 GMT

Great idea, Twinwillow. I didn't even think of Boar's Head. You're right, they make both white and yellow American in blocks. Maybe they have it at Publix.

Re:American Cheese (Twinwillow)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:45:15 GMT

I prefer Boar's Head brand (white) American cheese sliced double thick for my burgers and grilled cheeses sandwiches.

Re:American Cheese (Buddy Dek)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:48:10 GMT

This Kraft Cheese Powder is also available from San Francisco Herb Co. by the lb. This is a very handy flavoring to enhance homemade mac & cheese. The only drawback is the company requires a $30 min order plus shipping. See attached thread:http://www.sfherb.com/store/FullView.asp?URLStr=354
The american cheese I remember as a child was yellow, brittle, some what dry tasting and very tasty on a grilled cheese sandwich regardless of the thickness of the slices. Buddy

Re:American Cheese (bartl)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:47:10 GMT

I like the convenience of the pre-wrapped slices (especially as unwrapped slices have a tendency to refuse into a single block). Kraft, for a while, had Pasteurized Process American Cheese individually wrapped, which I bought, but Pasteurized Process American Cheese Food is still fine. Unfortunately, just about everybody has switched to Pasteurized Processed American Cheese PRODUCT, which I find to be definitely inferior (and, apparently, has no FDA definition, unlike pp cheese and pp cheese food).

Bart

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:14:32 GMT

For what it's worth, I did find Land-O-Lakes American Cheese (both yellow and white) in 5 lb. blocks at the Wal-Mart Deli yesterday. I don't know what the texture is like, but I'll buy some when I have to shred cheese for kids that don't like cheddar.

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:32:38 GMT

I agree, BackAlley, NC hoop cheese is fantastic. Had my first taste of it at a little corner store in Raleigh a few years back, and I was hooked. Rivals some of Wisconsin's best.

Re:American Cheese (BackAlleyBurger)

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:19:38 GMT

Rusty246

We called cheese that came from a wheel "hoop" cheese. I miss the days where you could find it on convenience store counters with a glass cover over it. You just cut what you wanted, the clerk wrapped it in wax paper. Good stuff. Was it just us West Virginians??

i just had a slice of hoop cheese yesterday, most gas stations around here have a basket by the register, and most of the baskets are hard to keep filled up !!
i was raised on hoop cheese, best to let it sit on the counter, at room temps, no worries of going bad, it wont last that long !
little mom and pop store up the road from me has it in sandwich size slices, about a 1/4" thick, now that makes for a hellacious cheeseburger

Re:American Cheese (pnwchef)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:29:42 GMT

items From my food service order guide
Cheese Amer Shred Restrict melt 4-5#
Cheese American white loaf 1- 5#
Cheese American cheese Proc Shredded 4-5#
Cheese American w/ jalp extra melt 6-5#

Re:American Cheese (David_NYC)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:08:35 GMT

Searching for a five pound unsliced loaf of "Kraft American Yellow Cheese Loaf" was one of my first quests around 1987. Back in the 50's in the NYC Metro area, the predominant "American Cheese" you saw at deli counters and diners was Kraft American Yellow Cheese Loaf, unsliced. It was available in both white and yellow and stiff, as PNWCHEF noted. It did not keep long; it got hard right away as opposed to the presliced stuff they sell today. I really didn't notice any difference between the yellow and white versions. I remember hearing some scuttlebutt that it was for appearance purposes only. As was mentioned by others, the American cheese back then was a way the goverment got rid of surplus milk during the glory days of farm price supports. Then Kraft disappeared, to be replaced with brands like Starfield, Dorman's, Borden's, Land O' Lakes, New Yorker, supermarket house brands (generally terrible), and later private labeled (but not made by) Boar's Head, Dietz and Watson, Thumann's etc. This product always had a different mouth feel from any other so-called American cheese, including pre-sliced five pound loaves and anything packaged in the supermarket dairy case and called American Cheese. I did find the Kraft loaves from time-to-time in the New York area and also around the country after 1987, but Kraft seemed to have changed their formula. Currently, Boar's Head, and Dietz & Watson seem the closest to what I remember from the 50's and 60's. I don't know why Kraft disappeared from the NYC Metro area, but here are a few UPC numbers of the product. I was unable to find a description of the third product:
21000-01395 Yellow
21000-01396 White
21000-60001 ???
These may be sold through Kraft's supermarket sales operation and not their foodservice operation. Kraft's websites are not comprehensive; a wholesaler or foodservice distributor may be of help.
I also found a listing for a one pound package (21000-61676), but you have to buy in bulk:
http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/186075/Kraft-Deluxe-American-Cheese-Loaf-1-Pound.htm
I'd appreciate it if anyone who spots these items in their local food outlets tells me where they are.
EDIT: I removed Land O'Lakes name from current cheese since I see it is now a "product" (no longer meets federal labeling spec for American Cheese) made with such good stuff as Milk Protein Concentrate and Buttermilk.

As with pizza cheeses, I don't think restaurants were able to buy much pre-shredded cheese back then, they shredded it themselves.

Re:American Cheese (pnwchef)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:26:02 GMT

The American cheese I grew up with was white and stiff, sliced at the butcher shop or deli. I went through my order guide a few months ago and saw they offered a white american cheese. The people in the PNW never saw white American cheese, they all buy and use a yellow cheese. I would take the old American white cheese over todays tasteless wonders............
Dawn, I now melt a shredded cheddar and jack cheese for my home use on burgers and grilled cheese. When it's shredded it melts smooth and stays melted, doesn't get hard. If I had a upscale gourmet burger Restaurant, I would shred my own cheddar and melt over the burgers. There is no comparison to the quality and taste ..................PNWC

Re:American Cheese (DawnT)

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:30:34 GMT

Bubba, I took a look at the cheddashreds. It might be a good substitute to try and I'm going to check with our supplier to see if we can get it. We made up a batch of the cheese base this afternoon and discovered the finely shredded medium cheddar almost led us to a disaster with scortching the roux as the cheese balled up and we couldn't whisk it manually. Whatever this American cheese product was must have been instantly melting.

Re:American Cheese (chefbuba)

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:59:49 GMT

Dawn, This is what I use on my burgers. It also comes in shreds. This is a premium american cheese product.
I use it along with other cheeses when I make mac & cheese.
Has a good flavor and gives that velvet smooth consistency you want in a cheese sauce.
Not the typical rubbery crap that most american cheeses are.
It would be similar to the premium american available in the markets.

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:37:45 GMT

Hoop cheese is alive and well in North Carolina, as Ralph said. Its a nice soft mild cheddar, almost colby-like.It derives it's name from the hoop that holds it after the cheese is poured in there to cool and form.

Re:American Cheese (Ralph Melton)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:36:48 GMT

I saw hoop cheese for sale in February in Big Ed's in Raleigh, North Carolina. But I didn't know what it was and had to ask.

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:51:27 GMT

We had hoop cheese counters in small stores here, too, but for the most part, they're long gone. That was always a fun purchase.

Re:American Cheese (Rusty246)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:47:59 GMT

We called cheese that came from a wheel "hoop" cheese. I miss the days where you could find it on convenience store counters with a glass cover over it. You just cut what you wanted, the clerk wrapped it in wax paper. Good stuff. Was it just us West Virginians??

Re:American Cheese (BT)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:17:42 GMT

seafarer john

Cheddar was never known as "American cheese" - although, I assume that all or most of the cheddar we ate was of domestic origin. Now-a-days we make cheddar, some of which is every bit as good as the best English cheddar.

The main difference I've noticed--in earlier decades or now--between "American cheese" and domestic supermarket "cheddar" (which is to cheddar as Gallo "Burgundy" is to the French product although there are, indeed, artisanal cheddars produced in the US that are quite good) is that the "cheddar" is "sharper" and the American has a softer, more rubbery texture. But this may be mostly a matter of aging. And the mildness of flavor and softness of texture is not necessarily a bad thing if you are looking for a cheese that will melt well and not overwhelm other flavors.

My point, though, is that the dividing line between what is called "cheddar"and what is called "American" varies by manufacturer. And in the 50's and 60's I really don't recall much, if any, "cheddar" in supermarkets. What they had besides "American"--and I know this because my Dad loved it--was "sharp cheese" (so labeled). That was often made in Wisconsin but I don't know if the labeling was a regional thing (Ilived in the DC suburbs).

Re:American Cheese (Mosca)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:03:09 GMT

Dawn T: "I'm not sure this what I remember as a kid that was called American cheese that had the consistancy of cheddar or colby and quite firm, brittle, and broke easily. "

seafarer john: "A somewhat more expensive, and much superior, product was available... it always came in wedges cut from a wheel of the product. As I remember it ranged from white to yellow in color, was more or less crumbly..."

Could this be what we used to call "brick cheese", something you don't see any more? That was either yellow or orange, slightly crumbly and a little milder than a mild cheddar.

And, around here (NE PA) we get a sharp American called Cooper cheese. It's not bad, soft and creamy with a bite.

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:19:52 GMT

A book I have credits the Swiss with the invention of "process" cheese at the turn of the century, before any American patents, but I doubt they were referring to American cheese per se.

Re:American Cheese (seafarer john)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:33:51 GMT

The industrial processed product we commonly call "American Cheese" was invented here in the USA by a cheesemaker in Monroe, NY in about 1910. The details of this story were posted right here on Roadfood only a few months ago. Maybe someone with skill enough to wring some information out of our so-called "search" function can find those posts for us.

Cheers, John

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:20:05 GMT

It's interesting how Americans poke fun at process cheese, yet it was invented by the Swiss!

Re:American Cheese (seafarer john)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:18:23 GMT

In the '30s there was an inexpensive product called "American Cheese"; it was white or yellow and came in blocks of, I think, 1 lb. I don't remember the sliced product being available until sometime after WWII. A somewhat more expensive, and much superior, product was available called "Cheddar cheese", and more commonly known as "Rat Trap Cheese" - it always came in wedges cut from a wheel of the product. As I remember it ranged from white to yellow in color, was more or less crumbly, and ranged from mild to sharp with the whitest being sharpest. Cheddar was never known as "American cheese" - although, I assume that all or most of the cheddar we ate was of domestic origin. Now-a-days we make cheddar, some of which is every bit as good as the best English cheddar.

At some point after WWII the laws changed and the word "cheese" was dropped from the "American" product - after all, the stuff never was a real cheese by any stretch of the imagination.

But, cheese or not, I have fond memories of the stuff on grilled cheese sandwiches from the school cafeteria from as recently as the late 1990s. The best ones were allowed to "age" for an hour or two in the cafeteria steam table before being served...

Cheers, John

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:16:08 GMT

I eat American cheese all the time, in many ways, shapes and forms.

Re:American Cheese (Scorereader)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:10:29 GMT

American cheese gets a bad wrap. It's soft, creamy and has a lot of uses.

There was a couple from Switzerland checking out various cheeses at the local Harris Teeter some months ago. They were commenting on how some we were tasting were good, like europe, others not so much. Then, they tried some America cheese, which had been cut into cubes for tasting. They loved it. soft, delicate and creamy. It was unique to them. They wanted it in cubes, not slices (as one would usually have for sandwiches.) I asked which wine they'd pair it with...they said, oh, red or white, didn't matter, probably a merlot or syrah, or table white.

Here, in my view, were people who knew good food and wine. Not because they were from europe, but because they spoke intelligently about the foods they were tasting. they didn't know anything about the negative stigma that encircles american cheese. Not one bit of stuffiness. Not one bit of arrogance. They liked it, they wanted it in cubes to be paired with, I assume, some meats and crackers and wine.

So, since then, I've had a new interest in American cheese. Tasting the good and the bad. And, yeah, there's room for american cheese in my fridge, and occasionally on my hors d'ouvres plate.

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:33:21 GMT

Just added food coloring, bill.

Re:American Cheese (1bbqboy)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:12:41 GMT

Is there a difference or is Yellow just added food coloring?

Re:American Cheese (hatteras04)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:01:56 GMT

annpeeples

I freeze the amount of bulk American cheese I need before I grate it. Works like a charm.

This is exactly what America's Test Kitchen recommended to do in their Wisconsin Cheddar Beer soup. It was a mixture of cheddar and american and the american was to be put in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to grate. I bought a block from the deli (they had yellow and white at Kroger's, I got yellow) and it was easy to grate this way.

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:50:02 GMT

Re:American Cheese (MellowRoast)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:09:20 GMT

Ann, you're something else. Thank you.

Re:American Cheese (ann peeples)

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:26:27 GMT

Yes, you can freeze just for the purpose of grating.Especially since 90% of the time it goes in something that will be cooked. Does not compromise the quality or consistency. I do not freeze the cheese otherwise.