It would probably get much less hate if it was just called “Burger Cheese”
I’m going to continue to die on this hill: American cheese slices typically have cheddar cheese as the very first ingredient. They are made of real cheese, dairy, and an emulsifier. Basically think of a cheese sauce with a higher melt temp but nobody seems to claim fondue is fake cheese.
Are they good though? That’s subjective, I think they go great on burgers and ramen. Are they plastic or use fake cheese? No. If you want to be accurate while high horsing about it you could call them watered down congealed cheese though
Clam_Cathedral@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
balance8873@lemmy.myserv.one 23 hours ago
Apparently the name was provided by British aristocrats. What do you think you, a nobody, are doing by sullying the name set by your betters?
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 hours ago
Kraft Singles literally aren’t cheese though. Go back and read the label. They’re not allowed to call it cheese.
It gives American cheese a bad name as there are some great deli cheeses here that are 10000x better than Kraft
Tattorack@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Then die lonely.
It’s not worth fighting someone over fake garbage. At least you’re on a hill, away from where I’m enjoying real cheese.
Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 1 day ago
but nobody seems to claim fondue is fake cheese.
Afaik you make fondue from cheese. You put the different kinds of cheese in and melt them with some wine. That’s way closer to just melted cheese than whatever american cheese is
RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
They are not, objectively good, but they are very useful as an emulsifier for cheese sauces. One kraft slice can emulsify a liter or more.
That said, there is something nostalgic about a grilled cheese using cheap American white bread and Kraft slices.
Dhs92@piefed.social 21 hours ago
They make a great emulsifier because they are cheese + emulsifier already. They use sodium citrate to emulsify cheddar and other cheeses into American.
You can buy sodium citrate and use that instead
RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
I have a jar of sodium citrate in my pantry and have only pulled it out once since I bought it. I need to be more proactive about my pantry!
tja@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
the individually wrapped ones are an ecological nightmare.
But you also have to buy according to your usage pattern. I very rarely use these cheese slices. And the only alternative to the individually wrapped ones here is a pack of ~12. They usually go bad in my fridge before I could use more than 3-4 slices. The individually wrapped ones hold up much longer.
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 20 hours ago
Cheese freezes pretty well, depending on how you intend to use it later (most cheese get a little dry/crumbly).
They must be defrosted gently, unless you intend it to be melted.
tja@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
That’s good to know. Since I buy this type of cheese for it’s melting properties, that won’t be an issue.
Thanks for that information
stray@pawb.social 1 day ago
Are they good though?
Really depends on the brand. Some of them really make a burger pop with a rich cheddar flavor and creamy texture.
That’s a good point about the plastic waste in your edit though. I don’t eat a lot of cheese because I try to limit animal products, but I feel like they’re usually separated with wax paper here. I’m told there are very high taxes on plastic packaging for the manufacturer.
Skunk@jlai.lu 1 day ago
Fondue is literally just shredded cheese. The typical Swiss fondue, la moitié-moitié (half half) is 50% Gruyère and 50% Vacherin + a little bit of cornflour if it’s an industrial one (otherwise it’s only cheese and you add cornflour if you want).
Other types are just different cheeses, from a single one up to a mixe of 3, varying from regional preferences.
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balance8873@lemmy.myserv.one 23 hours ago
You’re responding to someone whose pont is really clear but to quote an article on the history of American cheese:
Skunk@jlai.lu 21 hours ago
So the term “Swiss cheese” for those industrial blocks is legitimate, it’s our fault 😔
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 20 hours ago
American cheese is fine, don’t conflate the real cheese (which is just Swiss without aging or bacteria) with Kraft American Cheese Food product.
I’ve had American cheese that wasn’t the processed thing most people think of, just a cheese made from dairy, like any other cheese.
The problem is in labeling - since American cheese can be anything from real cheese to the processed stuff, people don’t know what they’re getting unless they know the producer.
balance8873@lemmy.myserv.one 19 hours ago
I am not
RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
And now I want fondue but the fondue restaurant here is usually booked months in advance.
Skunk@jlai.lu 21 hours ago
Sad panda noise 😔
But if you can find the cheese it is really easy to do and homemade one as there’s 2 ingredients; cheese and cheese. Just use a machine to shred it because doing it by hand is not fun.
Since I don’t drink and don’t want to go to another shop to buy shit white wine, I replaced it with cheap blond alcohol free beer, it’s perfect.
RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
A cheap blonde beer is a very good idea, thanks! We have premade mixes (and premade in a bag) here in NL, but I’ll be by myself tonight,. I will eat the entire pot of fondue myself. Which I think we all agree, is a bad idea.