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If you want ACTUAL American cheese, one that is real cheese, try “Land O Lakes White American Cheese”. That said, the Kraft Singles flavor carries a lot of nostalgia and acquired taste. It’s why some people prefer an Oscar Meyer mystery “meat” hot dog over something like an all choice cut high end dog. That’s why I said that it “hits”, not that it is best.
Most American cheese sold through the deli will be good. LoL is good brand, Boars Head is good. The “deluxe” versions in the lunchmeat aisle are alright but a bit lower-end.
It’s all about the cheese they use since American cheese is cheese with sodium citrate, that’s all.
Kraft singles are not cheese… but even they’re fine on a burger or whatever application yu don’t really care and just want some sort of melty semi-cheesy thing. :)
American cheese is a combination of Jack and cheddar cheeses that is specifically designed to melt, Kraft singles are basically Velveeta which is just sort of like cheese whiz but harder, that is to say processed cheese like food.
You can usually get American cheese at your deli counter.
Kraft cheese is made with standard real cheese ingredients. They add emulsifiers to it in order to lower the melting point to make it better on a burger or grilled cheese. The percentage of emulsifiers and moisture the slices have is the only reason it can’t be legally defined as “cheese”. But unlike other things, such as fake ice cream having to be labeled as something like “frozen dairy dessert” because it was made cheaper without enough milkfat and ending up with a worse tasting product, Kraft is just because they wanted their cheese to melt easier.
Kraft invented American cheese and then enshitified it to the point that it couldn’t be called cheese anymore. I’m not even sure what you’re trying to argue at this point. If Kraft singles were made of real American cheese they could call it cheese it isn’t so they can’t just like the ice cream.
ETA:
There is a reason this says “American cheese” and not “prepared cheese product”:
Lower melting point and more moisture than normal cheddar.
FDA requirement for packaging is 51% cheese to be labeled as “cheese”. The Kraft singles have extra milk and emulsifiers to make them more melty. it’s believed to be about 48% “cheese”.
The reason all restaurants use the upper one (I’ll take your word on this) is because it’s fucking cheaper to buy and you don’t have to unwrap each slice. That would be a huge pain in the ass.
American cheese is a combination of Jack and cheddar cheeses that is specifically designed to melt
You just basically described Kraft Singles, the first ingredient of which is cheddar cheese.
Kraft Singles are literally just cheddar cheese, milk, calcium/sodium phosphates, and trace amounts of colorings and preservatives. The phosphates are emulsifiers that allow the cheese and milk to mix, and are what gives it its melty texture. They really aren’t any different than the stuff you can get at the deli counter, from an ingredients-list perspective.
Kraft invented American cheese but Kraft singles are not cheese. Traditional American cheese uses sodium citrate, not phosphates and is typically white not yellow. I’m not sure you actually looked at the ingredients list before making this comment because they are very different.
Saying Kraft Singles aren’t cheese because the FDA’s legal definition categorizes it as something more specific puts you in the same category of people that insist that tomatoes aren’t vegetables because botanically they’re defined as fruit. Technically correct, but overly pedantic and unproductive when looking at things through a culinary lense.
First, if we’re going to be pedantic then tomatoes are berries not fruits.
And for the record the argument here is that kraft singles aren’t specifically American cheese. That the FDA doesn’t count them as cheese at all is part of the argument because American cheese still counts as cheese. But the point was that kraft singles aren’t even as good as real American cheese.
Phosphates, like nitrates, are not great for humans.
Kraft invented American cheese but Kraft singles are not cheese.
atomicbooks
Sounds like the argument you’re making is that Kraft Singles aren’t cheese.
Even if your argument is just that Kraft Singles aren’t American cheese, that would be a tough argument to support, as Kraft Singles fit the definition and culinary use of American cheese exactly.
Calcium phosphate and sodium phosphate are perfectly safe unless consumed in quantities that would be unreasonable to achieve by just eating food.
No, see now you’re being just as pedantic as what you tried to call out with the tomato thing. Just because tomatoes are culinarily used as vegetables doesn’t make them not berries, and just because kraft singles are culinarily used as American cheese doesn’t make them real cheese.
They aren’t cheese simply because they are 48% cheese instead of the FDA requirement of 51%. Kraft could easily tweak it that tiny bit so it would be “real” cheese, but then it wouldn’t be as nice in that grilled cheese sandwich.
The problem is tht Kraft singles are not cheese. They are cheese “product”. This is cheese-adjacent. Frankly, it’s more like a slice of cheese-type sauce, if you will. Good for some things, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob.
And yes, you are right, they are American cheese, but… they are not cheese. But yes, they are also American cheese (while technically not being cheese).
Basically, Flanders used to sell "burger patties’ for VERY cheap. I made the mistake of buying some. After I threw the ones I cooked way, I found that they had beef, but also mechanically separated beef, some other sort of ‘reclaimed’ beef, as well as beef hearts, liver, and maybe other stuff. All technically food and technically beef, but they were REALLY shitty…
Kraft singles are MUCH better than that, but still… it’s not good in all applicatins. heh.
They’re only not “cheese” because they add in more than the allowed percentages of emulsifiers and moisture. It’s real cheese made with all your standard real cheese ingredients, but they add in things that make it melty and gooey when heated.
Kraft singles are trash and their existence gives American cheese a bad name
If you want ACTUAL American cheese, one that is real cheese, try “Land O Lakes White American Cheese”. That said, the Kraft Singles flavor carries a lot of nostalgia and acquired taste. It’s why some people prefer an Oscar Meyer mystery “meat” hot dog over something like an all choice cut high end dog. That’s why I said that it “hits”, not that it is best.
Most American cheese sold through the deli will be good. LoL is good brand, Boars Head is good. The “deluxe” versions in the lunchmeat aisle are alright but a bit lower-end.
It’s all about the cheese they use since American cheese is cheese with sodium citrate, that’s all.
Kraft singles are not cheese… but even they’re fine on a burger or whatever application yu don’t really care and just want some sort of melty semi-cheesy thing. :)
Kraft singles ARE American cheese.
American cheese is a combination of Jack and cheddar cheeses that is specifically designed to melt, Kraft singles are basically Velveeta which is just sort of like cheese whiz but harder, that is to say processed cheese like food.
You can usually get American cheese at your deli counter.
Kraft cheese is made with standard real cheese ingredients. They add emulsifiers to it in order to lower the melting point to make it better on a burger or grilled cheese. The percentage of emulsifiers and moisture the slices have is the only reason it can’t be legally defined as “cheese”. But unlike other things, such as fake ice cream having to be labeled as something like “frozen dairy dessert” because it was made cheaper without enough milkfat and ending up with a worse tasting product, Kraft is just because they wanted their cheese to melt easier.
Kraft invented American cheese and then enshitified it to the point that it couldn’t be called cheese anymore. I’m not even sure what you’re trying to argue at this point. If Kraft singles were made of real American cheese they could call it cheese it isn’t so they can’t just like the ice cream.
ETA:
There is a reason this says “American cheese” and not “prepared cheese product”:
The bottom one has a lower melting point and more moisture. “Cheese” has to be 51% cheese per FDA. It is estimated that Kraft singles are around 48%.
That tiny amount difference isn’t because it saves money in production. It’s just because it works better in a grilled cheese sandwich.
Lower melting point and more moisture than what? The upper one that was already made to be a better melting cheese than Cheddar or Colby?
If that was true then why do all restaurants that I know of use the upper one and not the lower ones for grilled cheese?
I’m sorry, but in this case you’re wrong, singles are just the enshitified version of American cheese.
Lower melting point and more moisture than normal cheddar.
FDA requirement for packaging is 51% cheese to be labeled as “cheese”. The Kraft singles have extra milk and emulsifiers to make them more melty. it’s believed to be about 48% “cheese”.
The reason all restaurants use the upper one (I’ll take your word on this) is because it’s fucking cheaper to buy and you don’t have to unwrap each slice. That would be a huge pain in the ass.
You just basically described Kraft Singles, the first ingredient of which is cheddar cheese.
Kraft Singles are literally just cheddar cheese, milk, calcium/sodium phosphates, and trace amounts of colorings and preservatives. The phosphates are emulsifiers that allow the cheese and milk to mix, and are what gives it its melty texture. They really aren’t any different than the stuff you can get at the deli counter, from an ingredients-list perspective.
Kraft invented American cheese but Kraft singles are not cheese. Traditional American cheese uses sodium citrate, not phosphates and is typically white not yellow. I’m not sure you actually looked at the ingredients list before making this comment because they are very different.
What’s your issue with using sodium/calcium phosphate over sodium citrate? They all perform the same function in American cheese. Toward the bottom of this page there’s a table of ingredients found in American cheese, all three are included in it.
Saying Kraft Singles aren’t cheese because the FDA’s legal definition categorizes it as something more specific puts you in the same category of people that insist that tomatoes aren’t vegetables because botanically they’re defined as fruit. Technically correct, but overly pedantic and unproductive when looking at things through a culinary lense.
First, if we’re going to be pedantic then tomatoes are berries not fruits.
And for the record the argument here is that kraft singles aren’t specifically American cheese. That the FDA doesn’t count them as cheese at all is part of the argument because American cheese still counts as cheese. But the point was that kraft singles aren’t even as good as real American cheese.
Phosphates, like nitrates, are not great for humans.
Sounds like the argument you’re making is that Kraft Singles aren’t cheese.
Even if your argument is just that Kraft Singles aren’t American cheese, that would be a tough argument to support, as Kraft Singles fit the definition and culinary use of American cheese exactly.
Calcium phosphate and sodium phosphate are perfectly safe unless consumed in quantities that would be unreasonable to achieve by just eating food.
No, see now you’re being just as pedantic as what you tried to call out with the tomato thing. Just because tomatoes are culinarily used as vegetables doesn’t make them not berries, and just because kraft singles are culinarily used as American cheese doesn’t make them real cheese.
They aren’t cheese simply because they are 48% cheese instead of the FDA requirement of 51%. Kraft could easily tweak it that tiny bit so it would be “real” cheese, but then it wouldn’t be as nice in that grilled cheese sandwich.
No they’re not. They pasteurized processed cheese product.
American cheese is actual cheese. Kraft has a real American cheese. It’s the deli deluxe stuff.
Well, no.
The problem is tht Kraft singles are not cheese. They are cheese “product”. This is cheese-adjacent. Frankly, it’s more like a slice of cheese-type sauce, if you will. Good for some things, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob.
And yes, you are right, they are American cheese, but… they are not cheese. But yes, they are also American cheese (while technically not being cheese).
Basically, Flanders used to sell "burger patties’ for VERY cheap. I made the mistake of buying some. After I threw the ones I cooked way, I found that they had beef, but also mechanically separated beef, some other sort of ‘reclaimed’ beef, as well as beef hearts, liver, and maybe other stuff. All technically food and technically beef, but they were REALLY shitty…
Kraft singles are MUCH better than that, but still… it’s not good in all applicatins. heh.
They’re only not “cheese” because they add in more than the allowed percentages of emulsifiers and moisture. It’s real cheese made with all your standard real cheese ingredients, but they add in things that make it melty and gooey when heated.
The fact they’re called Kraft Singles because they’re not allowed to be called cheese
Because they wanted it to melt easy, so it has more moisture than “cheese” is allowed to have. It uses all the right ingredients for cheese.