American cheese is just mild cheddar and colby jack, with an emulsifier added to help it blend together and melt smoothly. You can literally make bootleg American cheese by shredding the two together, adding an emulsifier (like sodium citrate) and heating until they melt.
That same emulsifier is what makes it so good for burgers. Aged cheddar tends to melt into clumps, and tends to get greasy as the milk fat separates out of the solids. The emulsifier helps the cheese solids and oils stay together, making it less clumpy and greasy.
Yup. Some brands may mix other cheeses in for taste, but it’s basically just those two cheeses and an emulsifier. A little bit of butter may help them melt more smoothly too, but it depends on how dry the cheddar is to begin with. Younger cheddars will melt easier, and may not need butter at all.
American cheese is just mild cheddar and colby jack, with an emulsifier added to help it blend together and melt smoothly. You can literally make bootleg American cheese by shredding the two together, adding an emulsifier (like sodium citrate) and heating until they melt.
That same emulsifier is what makes it so good for burgers. Aged cheddar tends to melt into clumps, and tends to get greasy as the milk fat separates out of the solids. The emulsifier helps the cheese solids and oils stay together, making it less clumpy and greasy.
I put Roquefort and St-Felicien on my burgers, doesn’t really melt but the taste is fantastic.
Or cut a little shallot onion, some cream and melt it all in a saucepan.
Really? Always thought the taste was so artificial. I’m going to try making it sometime and go from there
Make sure to get actual american cheese from the deli, don’t buy kraft singles or some fake “cheese product”
The power of suggestion and branding cuts both ways
Yup. Some brands may mix other cheeses in for taste, but it’s basically just those two cheeses and an emulsifier. A little bit of butter may help them melt more smoothly too, but it depends on how dry the cheddar is to begin with. Younger cheddars will melt easier, and may not need butter at all.
So its just a dried cheese sauce?
It also has the benefit of making other cheeses melt together, that emulsifier makes complex grilled cheese sandwiches easier to make
I mean, isn’t all cheese just dried cheese sauce?
No, most cheese is just clumped milk solids. Also, American cheese isn’t dried cheese sauce, it’s cooled off cheese sauce.