Originally published at: Burger King's new cheeseburger is just 20 slices of American cheese, no meat | Boing Boing
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If they used Velveeta, then there would be no meat and no cheese.
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It’s american cheese. Doesn’t that count as a non-food too?
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I hope it comes with laxative.
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Hey now, by law at least 48% of velveeta has to be actual dairy cheese product… while the other 52% can be “processed cheese food.”
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American Cheese Labels
(via Seriouseats)
| Label | Definition | Examples (NB: Some of these products have new labeling; see the text below the table) |
|---|---|---|
| Pasteurized Process Cheese | A food prepared by melting one or more cheeses (most commonly cheddar and/or Colby) together along with optional additional ingredients, such as cream, water, salt, approved coloring, or spices, as well as an emulsifying agent (commonly sodium or potassium citrate or monosodium phosphate, though a number of other salts can be used). The level of quality and flavor within this category can vary greatly. The precise definition runs over 2,000 words and includes stipulations for moisture (no more than 43%) and fat content (no less than 47%) of various process cheeses. | Deli-sliced American cheeses, such as Boar’s Head or Land O’Lakes, as well as some packaged cheese slices, such as Kraft Deli Deluxe. |
| Pasteurized Process Cheese Food | Similar to process cheese, but with a higher percentage of “approved” added ingredients allowed. The final product must have a fat content of no less than 23% and a moisture content of no more than 44%, with a minimum actual cheese content of 51%. | Kraft singles. |
| Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread | A process cheese, with a minimum of 51% cheese, a moisture content between 44 and 60%, and a milk fat content of at least 20%, that remains spreadable at 70°F (21°C). | Block cheeses intended for macaroni and cheese, like Velveeta; cheese spreads, like Alouette or Laughing Cow; Cheez Whiz; Easy Cheese. |
| Pasteurized Process American Slices | Here’s where we get into true #notcheese territory. “American slices” are vegetable oil–based products that are meant to mimic the meltability and flavor of actual American cheese. They do a pretty poor job at both. | American Sandwich Slices, Tropical Sandwich Slices, Valu Time Sandwich Slices, or anything else that doesn’t have the word “cheese” in it. |
That last one qualifies as “non-food” in my book.
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Wouldn’t lactose-intolerance take care of that?
Velveeta created their own category: “pasteurized prepared cheese product”
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Speaking as someone who actually enjoys eating American cheese, I like the concept.
Speaking as someone who’s been unemployed for the last 8 months, I can only laugh in mockery at the price for this sandwich, when I can toast my own ‘burger roll’ and pile on that much hyperprocessed semi-organic plastic at home for much, much less than the posted price.
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Look, i love cheese as much as the next guy. Probably even more. But this… i don’t know who this is for.
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“American cheese” is a legitimate style of cheese. Saying it’s not really cheese is like saying blended whisky is not real whisky. There are some over-processed garbage brands and some decent brands too. According to FDA rules it’s just a blend of Colby and Cheddar, but you can also use curds or some other cheeses, and that’s where companies like Kraft play fast and loose.
Maybe it’s not a particularly good style of cheese, but that’s a matter of taste. There are so many different styles of cheese, sometimes bland and sweet is preferable to hard and stinky. American cheese works on sandwiches, Limburger not so much.
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This negativity seems unwarranted. Until now anyone who wanted a fatberg had to venture into the sewers and defeat one in single combat; and now they are being made readily available at retail. Progress!
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It’s for me.
Off to Thailand!
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I can feel the week long constipation as that moves through me after I put down 3 daily doses of fiber and Miralax…
I feel like there is a very fine line where the cheese is hot enough to be gooey, too hot and it’s a runny mess, and cooled it’s a disgusting congealed blob. I agree with @Perrin_Rynning that I could make a much better cheese sandwich at the house for much less.
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It melts like a dream, and many cheese snobs forget that.
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I have semi-fond memories of big blocks of unsliced government cheese we used to get when I was a kid. This sounds like that…but slapped between two pieces of bread. Maybe after unwrapping the cheese. Maybe.
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No way is what Thai BK is using on this “cheeseburger” anything close in quality to Midwestern US Government cheese.
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That is way too much cheese - and way way too much of that kind of cheese.
I wouldn’t call my memories fond… I hated that cheese… Though I guess it was ok grilled.
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I guess the average Thai can digest cheese.
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American cheese is great…for certain things. It melts really well, so it’s a great cheese to use on top of a burger. It also is fine for a cheap and easy grilled cheese sandwich. And that might make you think this burger would be ok, because it would essentially be like the cheap grilled cheese sandwiches you grew up with, but just more cheese. However, the cheese doesn’t look melted at all. It looks like they just stacked cold slices (or probably room temperature) on a cold bun and called it a burger. Cut the amount of cheese in half and actually grill that bad boy, and it might not be inedible.
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