I don't hanker for a hunk o' American flavored imitation pasteurized process cheese food

I firmly believe there’s a fine, fine line between “quality cheese” and “biohazard, level four” and Casu Marzu is on the wrong side of it. I happen to like Pecorino, and I balk at adding larvae to it.

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thank you - Kenji was my first thought as well.

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lucky you. that song hasn’t left my head since the '70s.

Fun fact: the authentic Philadelphia cheese steak uses Cheez-Whiz. In fact, I recall seeing a joint called “Wizz or Wizzout,” but I’m pretty sure it was in Pittsburgh.

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Just today I had a Double Double whole grilled onion dry (i take mayo cuz i don’t want salad dressing on my burger) with fries well done. I’m thrilled that In-N-Out has moved into Texas… even my podunk town.

you are so mistaken… one large pack of velveeta, one can of wolf brand chili (no beans) slightly emulsified, and one container of Julio’s Salsa (mild or hot… but in the plastic tub, not bottled).

there is only one better cheese dip in the world and that’s the Caso Blanco from Taqueria El Mexicano #9 on N. Valley Mills Dr. in Waco, TX.

Oddly, the dip from 1-8 or 10-12 just isn’t the same.

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Just because:

Goats’ cheese cylinder, tangy and white
Roll over me in the flickering night
Oh please

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But those are the ingredients of a typical processed cheese food. It only qualifies as “real” in the sense that if you pinch yourself, it won’t vanish because you were having a nightmare.

The sodium phosphate is the part American Cheese lovers love best. It’s an emulsifier that keeps the cheese from separating when heated, unlike what happens with real cheese.

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Food wizard (and Cook’s Illustrated alum) J. Kenji Lopez-Alt thinks criticism of American cheese is bollocks.

“Saying “American cheese is not cheese” is like saying “meatloaf is not meat.” Just as meatloaf is a product that is made by blending real meat with texture- and flavor-altering ingredients, so American cheese is a product made by blending real cheese with texture- and flavor-altering ingredients. In fact, percentage-wise, there’s a good chance that there’s more milk and cheese in your American cheese slices than there is meat in your meatloaf!”

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That’s where you are wrong. The typical label as @pjcamp’s link points out is “Pasteurized Process Cheese Food” and not “Pasteurized Process Cheese” and it is a massive difference in quality. One is melting cheese and blending it with an emulsifier and then reforming it, the good brands using cheddar and colby cheese curds to form the log, and the other is technically cheese so long as it meets specific levels of fat and moisture and contains at least 51% cheese. The OP product is made from vegetable oil that forms a vaguely cheese-like product. These are worlds apart ranging from pre-melted smooth cheese to very solid orange margarine.

Also Jarlsberg and other melting cheeses don’t separate when heated when done properly, and work wonders as a burger topping or in grilled cheese.

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Oh well, the two things are not exclusive, you know. You guys talking about “American Flavored Imitation Pasteurized Process Cheese Food” doesn’t preclude me saying “ought to be illegal to sell under the name cheese”. For all I know it is equally as illegal in the US to call that sort of thing cheese on the label, as it probably is in the UK and EU, if so, yay for the good team and all that, huzzah.
Here, however, people do from time to time simply omit the qualifiers, and label the cheese-like substances as simply “cheese”. So, as I said, I think it ought to be illegal.

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Yeah but the good deli style shit that’s basically just 2 cheeses blended together with a basic stabiliser kicks the hell out of the 12 adjective thickened whey shit.

Unless your talking whiz on a cheese steak.

Even then homemade whiz is the best, purists be damned.

oh god, he’s American Cheese, isn’t he? We’ve elected mayor McCheese!

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it’s the natural counterpart to saltines.

Would Mayor McCheese be more pink than orange?

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Ha I’ve seldom had home made cheese sauce that had that uncanny smoothness. Most of them were based, in part, on some form of process cheese food paste entity. So good home made hell yes, most home made:give me whiz.

Your dog will eat that? :grin: For some reason that does sound good. Reminds me of the “Texas Fudge” a friend makes, a cheesy/salsa/bean/guacamole concoction that is to die for. I don’t think Velveeta played a part, though . . .

You know what’s worse than American flavored imitation pasteurized process cheese food product?

Provel. The sad, sad substance that St. Louis seems to be in love with for St. Louis style pizza.

This is so full of WTF that I can’t even.