Demographics: Processed cheese
- Thread starter strawman
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It's most definitely cheese if you do it right!
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/do-it-yourself/2011/09/how-to-make-american-cheese/
And, it makes tasty grilled cheese, quesadillas, and nachos!
But outside those applications, I don't use it.
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/do-it-yourself/2011/09/how-to-make-american-cheese/
And, it makes tasty grilled cheese, quesadillas, and nachos!
But outside those applications, I don't use it.
It's gross. I have used Velveeta for certain things, like Rotel's queso dip, because it has a good consistency for it. But if I'm given a choice between eating "cheese product" and a real cheese, I am going for the real thing. I love cheese with crackers or fruit. The Stilton with apricots we had on NYE was amazing!
It's disgusting and wasteful. Just give me a block of cheese and I'll cut it myself.
Grilled cheese sandwiches, omelettes, that dip you make by melting a block of Velveeta with a couple cans of chilli, easy cheese from the can on Chickin' in a Biscuit crackers, cheese fries, cheese-steaks, ham or turkey and cheese sandwiches to be dipped in soup on a cold winter's night, cheeseburgers... my wife thinks I'm nuts, but in the right situation, I love the stuff.
But never, ever, under any circumstances should you buy a knock-off brand of it. They don't melt at all.
But never, ever, under any circumstances should you buy a knock-off brand of it. They don't melt at all.
If you mean that thing which is labeled as "American pasteurized cheese food product," then I am not a big fan of it except for its convenience and its use in certain recipes*.
Given the choice, I tend to prefer things which, when bent, break apart along visible curd fracture lines. They may not melt as smoothly, but they brown/crisp up better when fried, and the taste is often superior.
--Patrick
*And even in recipes, there are usually blends of "real" cheese which can approximate the desired qualities of the fake stuff well enough to substitute. Full disclosure...I am currently eating a bowl of homemade cheesy scalloped potatoes which have a potato-to-dairy ratio of approximately 4:1, and they are amazing.
Given the choice, I tend to prefer things which, when bent, break apart along visible curd fracture lines. They may not melt as smoothly, but they brown/crisp up better when fried, and the taste is often superior.
--Patrick
*And even in recipes, there are usually blends of "real" cheese which can approximate the desired qualities of the fake stuff well enough to substitute. Full disclosure...I am currently eating a bowl of homemade cheesy scalloped potatoes which have a potato-to-dairy ratio of approximately 4:1, and they are amazing.
Dave
Staff member
My wife and I bought knock-off brand American cheese once and the dogs wouldn't eat it! They'd take it from us, but then spit it out. These are creatures that lick their own assholes, but they won't eat that cheese!
Note that they love Kraft American or Velveeta singles. Cheese snob dogs, is what they are.
This opens the possibility that Kraft American or Velveeta singles might remind them of the taste of their own assholes.
--Patrick
I don't understand that one.
disgusting, wasteful, and cutting the cheese...
Cajungal
Staff member
I definitely agree with @ThatNickGuy that individually wrapped slices of cheese(?) is pretty wasteful. I won't turn down American if I'm making a sandwich and that's all that's available, but I really prefer real cheeses. I don't make many cheese sauces or dips, so I don't have much use for Velveeta.
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Don't love it as much as I used to anymore, but I still enjoy it for sandwiches and grilled cheese. Tried it for a cheese omelette once and found it not as good for that application as plain cheddar. I agree though that the individually sliced packaging is rather wasteful and I should probably avoid purchasing it on those grounds. You can find blocks of Tillamook presliced for easy sandwiches with nothing but small pieces of paper separating the slices (still inefficient but I presume not as bad as shrink wrapping each individual slice in plastic).
Not that EZ-Cheez is healthy, but this doesn't really prove much other than "The food preservation process we've been tweaking with the last few thousand years is working as intended."
I put it on grilled cheese sandwhiches, and that's about it.
It's not cheese.
I mean, it's a sensible enough form of, err, well, foodstuff, in its own right, and in certain recipes it's useful. It can be handy. But it's definitely not anywhere near real cheese.
Mind you, I don't eat normal cheese cold, but...really, it doesn't bear any relationship. Might as well call it yoghurt slices or milk flats, it's about as accurate.
I mean, it's a sensible enough form of, err, well, foodstuff, in its own right, and in certain recipes it's useful. It can be handy. But it's definitely not anywhere near real cheese.
Mind you, I don't eat normal cheese cold, but...really, it doesn't bear any relationship. Might as well call it yoghurt slices or milk flats, it's about as accurate.
Pretty much my thoughts on the matter exactly.
GasBandit
Staff member
(sung to Dance of the Hours)
It's Velveeta (tm)
Versus Cheddar
Our Velveeta (tm)
Melts much better
Cheddar's lumpy
Cheddar's oily
It drips right off your plate onto your doily
Our Velveeta (tm)
Is so dreamy
It improves your
Tetrazzini
So when the cookbook
Calls for Cheddar
Make it with Velveeta (tm), it cooks better!
It's Velveeta (tm)
Versus Cheddar
Our Velveeta (tm)
Melts much better
Cheddar's lumpy
Cheddar's oily
It drips right off your plate onto your doily
Our Velveeta (tm)
Is so dreamy
It improves your
Tetrazzini
So when the cookbook
Calls for Cheddar
Make it with Velveeta (tm), it cooks better!
Do you warm it up, or just not refrigerate it?
Sadly, I remember that commercial. But I do not remember the taste of Velveeta. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever (knowingly) eaten Velveeta in my life.
How does Cheez whiz fit into this?
It's the same stuff, just slightly different composition and dispensing options.
Fuck yeah!
Personally, Kraft Singles are the only good way to make a decent grilled cheese sandwich. Good cheese doesn't melt as evenly. If it's pretty much anything else, I'd agree with you, but I'll always prefer Kraft Singles for my grilled cheese needs.
Well, I didn't mean it snobbishly, I meant it in the sense that I usually only eat cheese in hot dishes. I can eat Rocquefort soup or Cheddar sauce or whatever, I'm a big fan of cheese fondue, but I can't stomach even fairly mild cheeses at room temperature/refrigerated/un-slightly-melted. Makes me gag, dunno why.