American cheese.

[Canoeyawl]

Maasdamer, Edam, Tilsiter, Parmesan?

American cheese has an uncanny similarity to TFG's hair color.
Is that also derived from annatto? Either way, I'm not eating it

Parmesan:

12E452EB-29CF-4685-A2ED-F6FD79A326A3.jpg

American:
(it's an acquired taste)

F4F6EA8C-98D2-4069-A99C-C7B2133B751A.jpg

[Art Haberland]

a proper cheeseburger is built upon american cheese
there really are no adequate substitutes for the type in this application at least
do not be brow beaten by the cheese snobs on this point

I hate to be a bore.. but I like the cheese on my burger to be so sharp it hurts. American Cheese is a blunt instrument.

[WszystekPoTrochu]

American cheese has an uncanny similarity to TFG's hair color.

I was thinking yellow as in hard types of rennet cheese, now I see that labelling them as yellow is not universal.

[RCRVRP]

Well, in that you're from Wisconsin I'd have to agree with you!

.....the variety of artisanal cheeses available nearby simply amazes me for the varieties one can choose from.

Wisconsin is a cheese lovers paradise. Within 40 miles of my home are more than 10 award winning cheese factories each with a factory store and tours and I'm not even in the part of the state with the most cheesemakers. Cheesemakers near Plymouth Wi. make between 10 and 15 percent of all cheese made in the US.
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisc...heese-capital/

My local supermarket has their regular cheese aisle that has more cheese than you can imagine but then also has their specialty cheese deli with a dedicated cheese monger/curator who is to cheese what a great sommelier is to a fantastic wine cellar. And thats just my local Hy-Vee supermarket.
The annual US cheese championship just concluded. 9 of the top 20 finalists for best cheese were from Wi. The winner was from Connecticut but the cheesemaker who made it learned his cheesemaking art in Wisconsin.
Wi. is the only state that requires cheese makers to be licensed by the state. The runner up and second runner up were Wi. cheeses. 56 Wi. cheeses won best in their category. In the world cheese championship Wi. routinely wins the most medals of any region.
This state in known worldwide as the dairy mecca.

5 years ago I was a guest at a small dinner party in a 17th century villa outside of Ambatto, Ecuador. I was the only North American in the room.
Seated next to me was the wife of the British General Counsel to Ecuador.
She asked where I lived, I said the United States. She asked which state, I replied, Wisconsin.
She put on the biggest smile and said, aaah yes, the land of beer and cheese.

Wisconsin is a great place to live!

[Chip-skiff]

When we lived in New Zealand, we enjoyed the excellent cheese made there. They don't add the dye coloring common in US cheese. so the cheddar is white rather than yield-sign yellow.



Ireland has marvelous cheese as well. The Little Cheese Shop in Dingle Town, Kerry, was heaven on earth.

[RCRVRP]

^
Indeed New Zealand has a great and well respected dairy industry as does Ireland [Irish butter, mmmm] and also Great Britain.
The Netherlands, France,Switzerland, Austria and many other countries as well. Great cheese does not all come from Wisconsin.
And none of them to my knowledge has been accused of making cheese from "the scrapings from the vats, floor sweepings, and other waste would be heaped into a remelt vat, screened (to remove dead mice, etc.), given a shot of chemicals, then molded and packaged. Previously, the waste product was fed to pigs. Friends from low-income families call it "welfare cheese."

As you alleged was done in the US.

[LeeG]

When we lived in New Zealand, we enjoyed the excellent cheese made there. They don't add the dye coloring common in US cheese. so the cheddar is white rather than yield-sign yellow.



Ireland has marvelous cheese as well. The Little Cheese Shop in Dingle Town, Kerry, was heaven on earth.

that is just perfect

[David G]

That cheese shop in Dingle Town reminds me a lot of the one that closed down in our neighborhood a while back. Didn't survive COVID. I'm still looking for a replacement with a similar variety, knowledgeable folks, and relatively reasonable prices.

[Nicholas Carey]

From Bon Appetit at https://www.bonappetit.com/story/wha...merican-cheese —

American Cheese Deserves Your Respect
Foodies love to hate this ingredient. But as a professional chef, I always keep it in my fridge.

By Shilpa UskokovicJanuary 23, 2023

Okay, so you’re, like, a food person, and you turn up your nose at American cheese because “it isn’t real cheese.” First of all, it is real cheese. Second of all, it’s an icon. Even The Menu, with its carefully crafted fine-dining commentary, acknowledges this. If that doesn’t sell you on the power of American cheese, maybe this will. Listen up.

What is American cheese, really?

For the context of this piece, American cheese refers specifically to the irresistibly melty, processed cheese found on every fast food burger worth its salt. (Not “a cheese made in the US.”) Be it neon orange or creamy white, American cheese is a scientific marvel. It’s molecular gastronomy before everyone and their cat knew about molecular gastronomy. Patented by the founder of Kraft way back in 1916, this processed cheese was developed as a way of sterilizing cheese and avoiding food waste–the resulting blocks of soft, sliceable, rindless cheese stayed fresh for a few months, were easy to portion, and didn’t dry out too fast. (Sliced bread was invented shortly after, in 1928, which might explain the meteoric rise and continued popularity of the grilled cheese sandwich.)

The process today remains mostly unchanged: Chunks of cheddar, colby, and/or Swiss cheese are melted down along with a liquid and an emulsifying agent, molded into bricks or slices, and packaged. The key addition of an emulsifying agent was patented in the 1920s.


What does “emulsifying agent” even mean?

The emulsifying agent in American cheese gives it a magical property––the ability to melt smoothly, without splitting into a greasy, clumpy mess. You’ve probably tried melting an extra sharp cheddar to fancy up your grilled cheese sandwich or baked mac and cheese, haven’t you? It likely didn’t go too well, disintegrating into stringy bits and oily pools. This is because cheese is a delicate suspension of fat, protein, and moisture. When heated, the fat melts and rises to the surface, the proteins break down, and the moisture is expelled. Adding an emulsifying agent or melting salt–such as the sodium citrate or sodium phosphate in American cheese–grips all these disparate elements together, keeping them in a smooth, fluid emulsion, even as they melt.

Think of American cheese as a cheat code, a way to make a sleek, silky cheese sauce that isn’t weighed down by cornstarch or flour, both of which can leave a powdery aftertaste if not thoroughly cooked.


Heads up: Not all processed cheese is equal.

For the best processed cheese experience, you need to read the labels carefully. There’s processed cheese, like block or deli-sliced American cheese. And then there’s processed cheese food or product, like Velveeta and most packaged cheese singles. The former has more fat (an average of 45%), resulting in a rich, velvety mouthfeel (want), while the latter can have as little as half the fat (around 23%), tasting watery and bland (don’t want). Run from any product labelled “imitation” or mysteriously missing the word “cheese” on the package.


Whispers: But what if I still want to substitute American cheese?

Sorry to be that person, but you simply cannot. The whole point of American cheese is that it’s unsubstitutable, an anomaly in the cheese world (read, ahem, everything above). There are other excellent melting cheeses, like Fontina or Gruyère—but when our test kitchen specifies American cheese in a recipe, it’s because it’s the best one for the dish. Here are some instances where American cheese is nonnegotiable:

Turkey Pot Pie: Associate food editor Zaynab Issa’s turkey pot pie borrows a trick from her grandma’s version: a few stealthy slices of American cheese for the creamiest filling.

Added-Value Grilled Cheese: This sandwich doubles down with both American and cheddar cheeses for blissful gooeyness and tangy flavor.

Breakfast Sandwich: Two slices of cheese are the essential glue that holds this breakfast icon together. Same deal with this other breakfast sandwich.

Seven-Layer Skillet Dip: It took me six tries before realizing American cheese is essential to the staying power of this game day dip. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.


Warm Seven-Layer Skillet Dip
This warm, melty, cheesy version of classic seven-layer dip marries the best of refried beans and queso for game day and beyond.
View Recipe

[The Q]

I don't know about American cheddar cheese.
But for the best there is only one place to buy cheddar cheese, its origin..
Many years since I used to live nearby to Cheddar in Somerset UK.
https://www.cheddaronline.co.uk/

[David G]

Nicholas,

Opinions are like... err... ummmm... bellybuttons: everyone has one. I can appreciate that emulsified processed cheese has certain qualities that are attractive. As a longtime proponent of whole foods... and one whose palate seems to be acute enough to notice and object to all the additives... it's not attractive enough for me to every buy any. Medium cheddars melts perfectly well for me.

[hawkeye54]

That cheese shop in Dingle Town reminds me a lot of the one that closed down in our neighborhood a while back. Didn't survive COVID. I'm still looking for a replacement with a similar variety, knowledgeable folks, and relatively reasonable prices.

Would you, perhaps, consider a regular trip to Ireland, then, to replenish your stock of cheeses ?

[David G]

Would you, perhaps, consider a regular trip to Ireland, then, to replenish your stock of cheeses ?

See... THAT'S why I come here. Where else is one gonna find THIS level of brilliant creativity. I assume this proposal comes with an endowment to fund the travel portion? <G>

[Mrleft88]

I prefer Vermont Cheddar to English Cheddar, but that's just me. I've had some horrid swill from Oregon, and Wisconsin, that shouldn't be allowed to be called "Cheddar".
I've heard that a certain place in maybe Wisconsin, or somewhere up/out there has received approval to create an American Brie cheese. I'd like to try that.

[LeeG]

Pt Reyes blue cheese is one of my favorites.

[Art Haberland]