All about American cheese

How else can you get that creamy meltiness in a grilled cheese sandwich, or the smooth, velvety texture of macaroni and cheese?  Not to mention cheeseburgers.  American cheese is so mild as to be almost tasteless, but it is all about texture and mouthfeel.  And hey, some people actually like their cheese to be unobtrusively in the background of the other flavours.  Many of us keep a supply of American cheese in our fridge.  The difficult part is deciding what to buy, and is it really even cheese?  If you read the labels you will find a dizzying selection of process cheese, process cheese food, process cheese product, process cheese spread, and even imitation cheese product.  Reading the ingredients doesn't always help.  I will tell you the rules for American cheese, and what manufacturers need to have in the different products in order to legally give them the names.

Process cheese is a mixture of two or more other cheeses, melted together with emulsifiers added to keep it from separating.  The process was first developed in Switzerland in 1911, and in 1916 James Kraft applied for an American patent.  This cheese was introduced commercially to the American public in the 1950's when convenience foods began to take off, and this is probably when the name American cheese became popular.  Kraft is still one of the biggest sellers of American cheese today.  Incidentally, in the United Kingdom processed cheese is known as cheese slice.

Food service companies love American cheese for the same reason many home cooks love it – it melts easily without separating into an oily layer.  It also has a longer shelf life than most other cheeses.  Because it is made up of scraps and unsellable pieces of other types of cheese that would be thrown away, it is a good way to reduce waste in the industry.  Just be careful what kind you buy, because some are 100% cheese, and some can have less than half their weight as actual cheese.

Pasteurized process cheese is mostly real cheese, with some other products allowed as emulsifiers and preservatives.  These products are acidifying agents, cream, water, salt, artificial colorings, spices and flavorings.  Pasteurized process cheese can not have more than 43% moisture content, and must have at least 47% milk fat.  It is often a mixture of cheddar and colby cheeses.

Pasteurized process cheese food only needs to have 51% of its weight in actual cheese. The rest can be made up of things like milk solids, whey and  water.  They can have up to 44% moisture content, and the milk fat only needs to be 23%.

Pasteurized process cheese spread is a spreadable variation of cheese food, which must meet the 51% cheese rule.  It can also contain sweeteners and stabilizers like xanthan gum or carageenan.  The moisture content can be as high as 60%, and milk fat must only be 20%.  Cheese spread has to be spreadable at 70º F. 

Pasteurized process cheese product does not need to have even 51% of its weight in actual cheese.  It also doesn't need to meet the requirements for milk fat and moisture.  You are going down hill fast with this product.  Sometimes water is the main ingredient in pasteurized process cheese product.

Imitation cheese, as the name implies, isn't even cheese at all.  It's made from vegetable oil and may be shaped like American cheese, but will have less flavour and not melt as well.   

If you are vegan or lactose intolerant, but still can't give up cheese, you can try soy cheese made from soy milk or tofu.  It has less calories and fat than traditional cheeses, and the calcium and protein are about the same.  Some brands melt better than others, and taste?  Well, it's not like eating real cheese, but if real cheese isn't an option, it's an acceptable substitute. 

What additives are used in American cheese?   It can include mold inhibitors like potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate or sorbic acid, sodium propionate or calcium propionate.  A variety of emulsifying agents can be used such as monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate,  trisodium phosphate, sodium metaphosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium tartrate and calcium citrate, among others.  Acidifying agents such as vinegar, lactic acid, acetic acid and phosphoric acid can be added.  Harmless artificial colorings can be added.  This is the FDA definition of harmless, which is very much up for debate.  Lecithin can be added to prevent the slices from sticking to each other.  Discussing all these additives needs an entire new post, but just look at the amount of sodium in them.  American cheese can be very high in sodium.  You should be aware that this is a highly processed food, read your labels, and definitely avoid brands that add food dyes, as these are unnecessary and can be harmful. 

To wrap it all up, there's no doubt American cheese is best for cooking macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese, but just be aware that it 's a highly processed food with many chemicals added.  Save it for those comfort foods, not as part of your everyday cooking.  Your best choice is pasteurized process cheese, as this has the highest amount of cheese, the lowest moisture content and the highest milk fat %.  If you are getting deli cheese, be sure to ask about it, as they do sell cheese food and cheese product there as well.  Next best would be pasteurized process cheese food.  It only has to have half the weight in actual cheese, but is better than the cheese product, which really doesn't need to follow any guidelines, and can have water as the main ingredient.

Finally, if you are confused you aren't alone.  Even the professionals in the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products, an international committee for deciding milk product standards, are grappling with American cheese. 

Chemical and Engineering News talks about all kinds of processed cheese.

FDA Definitions of Cheeses

American Dairy Products Institute