4 ms·

Meh, this is just snobbery. Processed American cheese is still in fact a cheese, and whether you like it or not, it has its place.

paulie_a 8y ago
It has its place. It is called the garbage.
KozmoNau7 8y ago
Isn't it technically a "processed cheese product"? Why eat something so intensely boring, when there is so much great cheese out there?
- YinglingLight 8y ago
  Take pride in what you create, rather than what you consume.
  - KozmoNau7 8y ago
    I make amazing food, using quality ingredients.
- Pfhreak 8y ago
  I used to agree with you. Then I read this: https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american-cheese.html https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american... The answer to your second question is: Texture. The way process (not "processed") cheese melts is definitely different than similar cheeses. There's a gooeyness and meltability that's unique for applications like a grilled cheese or burger, and good process cheese is just cheese that's been melted with a few salts. It turns out there are many different American cheeses: Pasteurized Process Cheese - Various cheeses melted together with an emulsifying agent. Pasteurized Process Cheese Food - Mostly cheese, but with a higher % of 'the other stuff'. Pasteurized Process American Slices - Not actually cheese. A vegetable oil horrorshow.
  - KozmoNau7 8y ago
    I know there's a reason people like it, but when you can have cheddar instead, I still don't understand why anyone would prefer American cheese, other than nostalgia.
jdietrich 8y ago
>Processed American cheese is still in fact a cheese, and whether you like it or not Not according to EU law. Over here, Kraft Singles could only be described as "processed slices (made using a blend of cheese, vegetable oils and milk proteins)".
- mastax 8y ago
  Same in the US. You have to buy Kraft premium American cheese (or another brand) to get real process American cheese, which is just cheddar plus an emulsifying salt.
- sithadmin 8y ago
  Again, this is a type of snobbery, it's just encoded into law. The product tastes like a cheese. It contains the components of a cheese. It is used in applications where a cheese is used. It's not a great cheese, nor a traditional cheese, but it is in every way, functionally, a cheese. As long as consumers are clearly informed about what they are eating (via labeling) and the food is safe for humans to consume, constructing a legal definition of products like 'cheese', 'ice cream', etc. just seems like pandering to interest groups.
  - Someone 8y ago
    “Constructing a legal definition of products like ‘cheese’” is the way various governments ensure that consumers are clearly informed about what they are eating (via labeling). If it weren’t forbidden, this product would be sold in a package showing cows and cheese wheels, with “CHEESE” in huge letters on it, and, in a place people wouldn’t look at and in tiny low-contrast letters, a remark that this is processed protein made from diary.

paulie_a 8y ago

It has its place. It is called the garbage.

KozmoNau7 8y ago

Isn't it technically a "processed cheese product"? Why eat something so intensely boring, when there is so much great cheese out there?

YinglingLight 8y ago
Take pride in what you create, rather than what you consume.
- KozmoNau7 8y ago
  I make amazing food, using quality ingredients.
Pfhreak 8y ago
I used to agree with you. Then I read this: https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american-cheese.html https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american... The answer to your second question is: Texture. The way process (not "processed") cheese melts is definitely different than similar cheeses. There's a gooeyness and meltability that's unique for applications like a grilled cheese or burger, and good process cheese is just cheese that's been melted with a few salts. It turns out there are many different American cheeses: Pasteurized Process Cheese - Various cheeses melted together with an emulsifying agent. Pasteurized Process Cheese Food - Mostly cheese, but with a higher % of 'the other stuff'. Pasteurized Process American Slices - Not actually cheese. A vegetable oil horrorshow.
- KozmoNau7 8y ago
  I know there's a reason people like it, but when you can have cheddar instead, I still don't understand why anyone would prefer American cheese, other than nostalgia.

jdietrich 8y ago

>Processed American cheese is still in fact a cheese, and whether you like it or not Not according to EU law. Over here, Kraft Singles could only be described as "processed slices (made using a blend of cheese, vegetable oils and milk proteins)".

mastax 8y ago
Same in the US. You have to buy Kraft premium American cheese (or another brand) to get real process American cheese, which is just cheddar plus an emulsifying salt.
sithadmin 8y ago
Again, this is a type of snobbery, it's just encoded into law. The product tastes like a cheese. It contains the components of a cheese. It is used in applications where a cheese is used. It's not a great cheese, nor a traditional cheese, but it is in every way, functionally, a cheese. As long as consumers are clearly informed about what they are eating (via labeling) and the food is safe for humans to consume, constructing a legal definition of products like 'cheese', 'ice cream', etc. just seems like pandering to interest groups.
- Someone 8y ago
  “Constructing a legal definition of products like ‘cheese’” is the way various governments ensure that consumers are clearly informed about what they are eating (via labeling). If it weren’t forbidden, this product would be sold in a package showing cows and cheese wheels, with “CHEESE” in huge letters on it, and, in a place people wouldn’t look at and in tiny low-contrast letters, a remark that this is processed protein made from diary.