What Is American Cheese Really Made Of?

Processed American cheese is super cheap, consistent, shelf-stable, and orange. Jonathan explains how this science cheese is made.

Let’s say you want to make nacho dip. Everyone wants to make
nacho dip. But when you heat regular cheese, the fats can melt
away from the rest of the cheese solids, leaving you with a pool
of oil and a lumpy, stringy mess.

Enter processed cheese, of which American cheese is a particular type. This stuff is consistent by design, has a longer shelf-life, is usually cheaper than natural cheese, and melts like a dream.

But… how? What arcane science imbued natural cheese with such
unnatural properties?

Here in the U.S., the FDA has crafted an exhaustively specific legal definition of processed cheese. The short version is that it’s a type of food made by pulverizing, heating, and mixing actual cheese of one or more types with an emulsifier into a homogeneous plastic mass.

That’s “plastic” as in the physical definition, i.e. “a substance easily shaped or molded”. Processed cheese isn’t made of actual plastic.

But it can contain water, salt, artificial color, flavorings, and this
stuff:

Emulsifying agents: monosodium phosphate,disodium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium metaphosphate (sodium hexametaphosphate), sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium citrate, sodium tartrate, and sodium potassium tartrate;

Additional fat: cream, anhydrous milkfat, and dehydrated cream;

Acidifying agents: vinegar, lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, and phosphoric acid;

Mold inhibitors: sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, sodium propionate, and calcium propionate;

Anti-sticking agent: lecithin.

The key to processed cheese’s smoothness is the emulsifying agents. An emulsion is a mixture of two liquids that don’t usually mix. Like oil and water. No matter how hard you stir or shake them together, they’ll separate back out. But emulsifiers make the two play nice, chemically speaking.

That’s because they interact with both liquids, grabbing globules of one and suspending them evenly throughout the other. Cheese (and milk, for that matter) is made up of fats and oil-soluble substances plus a solution of water-soluble proteins and minerals. The added emulsifiers keep them blended together, even when they’re heated.

The other optional ingredients are texture and flavor enhancers, preservatives, and cheesemaking shortcuts designed to speed the manufacturing process along. But as long as the finished cheese has moisture, fat, and pH levels that closely resemble those of its actual cheese ingredients, the stuff can legally be called “pasteurized process cheese.”

And if it’s made from cheddar, washed curd, Colby, or granular cheese, it can be called “American cheese.”

But you may have noticed some extra words creeping in on labels, dubbing the stuff pasteurized process cheese food or spread or product.

Those designations indicate that other ingredients have been put in that reduce the amount of actual cheese in the finished food. All of these creations are required to consist of at least 51% cheese.

SOURCES:

[neeneko]

American Cheese is a fascinating example of long term marketing. Sell something to kids and a food product goes from 'you want me to eat what? we hated that in the trenches!' to 'american icon and memories of childhood' in only a few decades.

[Larry]

Its called Processed Cheese in the UK.

[TheMarshall]

I should be studying for finals right now

[nicknoga]

“It can legally be called cheese.”

Yeah, that sounds appetizing.

[Paelorian]

Nothing like good old 51% cheese cheese. I like my cheese 51% cheese, 49% "I have no idea what I'm eating". I'm glad the FDA hasn't muddied the waters of what cheese is by allowing mere 50% cheese to be labeled "cheese". The FDA's motto should be "If it's mostly cheese, it's cheese!"

[johnobrien]

Legally it cant be called cheese in Ireland and the UK because it has so little cheese in it

[contingenceBoston]

Holy shit, there's actually real cheese in there.

[henrikhyrup]

In Denmark, rules are quite simple: If the major part of the product is not made from milk, it's illegal to call it cheese.
Companies use all kinds of other names for it: Pizzatopping, gratinating products, cheese flavoured topping etc.
But in reality it's made from water, palm oil, starch, different emulsifiers (as mentioned in the video), flavours and colours - so no milk in it. :/

[yayicecream]

this comment section reeks of european elitists

[Threetails]

Fun fact: when processed cheese was first introduced, the dairy industry lobbied to have it labeled as "embalmed cheese."

[TheFlacker]

Processed cheese slices taste like plastic.

[yoshyoka]

That shit cannot even be sold under the name "cheese" in Europe.

[ChemoshKamos]

You can actually get the same exact easy melting effect of american cheese with cheddar cheese. just melt it, and mix it with saltwater. Stir it, and it will cool into a smooth, creamy, easy to melt mixture.

[yukisora]

Im one of the rare ppl who actually searched for this at 3 am

[ZaDowlan]

I do not consider American singles to be cheese. I don't like it. on the other hand nacho cheese isn't really cheese either and that stuff is delicious.

[karendobrowolski]

I don't care what it's made from, I like it!

[LeeRaldar]

With a little grey dye it is similar to the thermal paste Intel used on their CPUs.

[Umprella]

American cheese is fine. It has a purpose and it serves it well. It's not selling itself as a luxury product, so why do people act like they've been personally betrayed by a yellow rectangle? All this fear mongering about "processed foods" is worse than what you'll find on your local news channel. Eat healthy, to be sure, but don't shit on people who just want to have a good old-fashioned cheeseburger every once in a while.

[Frillik]

How to make cheese dip:
Materials needed:
Microwave
Cheese (ANY)
Cream cheese
Butter
Water
measuring glass thats able to go into the microwave
Add about 1/6 cup of water how ever much butter and cream cheese (Add a good amount of cream cheese adds a lot of flavor) now put that in the microwave 30-1:30 (Until butter and creamcheese melt) Mix together add chese microwave 30 seconds add more cheese till you are contect with how thick it is! TA DA you got good cheese dip!

[cravenjooooooooooooo]

Is it made of freedom?

I bet it is made of freedom.