Is imitation American cheese real cheese?
And is a double half-hitch actually one hitch?
sharehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCVc2D6Sghw
share
MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Is imitation American cheese real cheese...
Yes, in the same way that a weiner is real beef.
share"Is imitation American cheese real cheese?"
No, it's primarily water, oil, and whey. Real American cheese isn't real cheese either, but it's a lot closer to being cheese than imitation "American flavor" "cheese food," and in some cases it contains real cheese, such as cheddar. For example, compare the ingredients of Sandwich-Mate Imitation Cheese Food Singles...
WATER, INTERESTERIFIED SOYBEAN OIL, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, WHEY (FROM MILK), GELATIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CITRATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVE), COLOR ADDED, XANTHAN GUM, LOCUST BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sandwich-Mate-Imitation-Cheese-Food-16-ea/10293351
... to Kraft Singles:
CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), SKIM MILK, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, LACTIC ACID, MILK, ANNATTO AND PAPRIKA EXTRACT (COLOR), NATAMYCIN (A NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE, VITAMIN D3.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Singles-American-Slices-16-ct-Pack/11964619
I remember TV commercials for Kraft Singles when I was a kid in the '80s where they showed a glass of milk that goes into their cheese vs. water and oil that goes into "imitation cheese." It's probably on YouTube.
Edit: Here's one of them - https://youtu.be/QWMgO6NYo0g share
"INTERESTERIFIED SOYBEAN OIL"
wtf?
"GELATIN"
blech!
"NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR" "ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS" "COLOR ADDED"
It's Alive!!!!
Interesterfied? Somebody made up that word. š¤·š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø
shareIt's supposed to be a good thing.
I'm not going near it.
Me neither. I don't even know what it means, but it can't be good.
Oops. I finally found a definition: Interesterify: chemistry) To rearrange the attachments of fatty acids to glycerols within (a batch of fat molecules), resulting in a different distribution, within the batch, of types of fat.
Also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_interesterification
If it involves a chemical-like process...š¬ Apparently, they're trying to alleviate the problems that come with trans fats. I'll still pass on it. Better to stick to more natural foods and watch one's consumption of fats, etc.
Has Kraft themselves then established the definition of American Cheese or is that their take, one that allows them to brag that actual milk is involved?
shareThere are FDA "standards of identity" for labeling cheese:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=133
American cheese should fall into the category of pasteurized blended cheese, pasteurized process cheese, or pasteurized process cheese food. Notice that off-brand I linked to above doesn't even meet the standard for pasteurized process cheese food, so they labeled it as "imitation pasteurized process cheese food."
Apparently (and ironically), Kraft Singles, as of 2002, no longer meet the standard of identity for "pasteurized process cheese food," which is how they used to label it:
The FDA does not maintain a standard of identity for either "pasteurized prepared cheese product", a designation which particularly appears on many Kraft products, or "pasteurized process cheese product", a designation which appears particularly on many American store- and generic-branded singles. Products labeled as such may use milk protein concentrate (MPC) in the formulation, which is not listed in the permitted optional dairy ingredients. The desire to use inexpensive imported milk protein concentrate is noted as motivation for the introduction of these and similar terms, and for the relabeling of some products.[15][16] After an FDA Warning Letter protesting Kraft's use of MPC in late 2002,[17] some varieties of Kraft Singles formerly labeled "pasteurized process cheese food" became "pasteurized prepared cheese product"
Regardless of all that, Kraft Singles are still far closer to real cheese than the stuff labeled "imitation," since real cheese (cheddar) is the first ingredient. share
They put nice lipstick on their pig I'll grant you.
shareThe best all-around cheese I've ever had was "government cheese" in the 1980s. It would have been considered "American cheese" I guess, though I don't think it was labeled as such. There were two versions and these were the basic guidelines:
Process cheese version:
Milkfat% - Not less than 50% by weight of the solids
Moisture% - Not more than 40%
Salt% - Not more than 2.0%
pH Value - Range 5.3 ā 5.8
Blended cheese version:
Milkfat% - Range 13-17% by total weight
Moisture% - Not more than 51%
Salt% - Not more than 2.7%
pH Value - Range 5.4 ā 5.8
And among those two versions, there were many variations depending on which cheese company handled the government contract for your particular part of the country. The government didn't supply a specific recipe, just general guidelines, so each cheese company came up with their own recipe.
In any case, whichever version was supplied to Maine in the 1980s was spectacular; you won't find anything like it in any store. It was a lot sharper than typical American cheese, firmer too, and it had a unique flavor in general. It made the best macaroni & cheese and toasted cheese sandwiches. I used to gorge on it plain too. There was somewhat of a "gray market" for the stuff, selling for around $20 for a 5-pound brick (which was quite a bit of money in the '80s). We didn't get the stuff very often, but it was a big event for us kids when Mom and Dad managed to score some of it. share
I wouldn't eat anything labeled "imitation."
But...
Bongards American Cheese slices - ingredients: cultured milk and skim milk, cream, sodium citrate, salt, aps-carotenal (color), enzymes, sorbic acid (preservative), sunflower lecithin (anti-sticking agent). Qualifies and carries the REALĀ® Seal.
Kraft American Cheese Slices - ingredients: Milk, Whey, Milkfat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid as a Preservative, Apo carotenal (Color), Annatto (Color), Enzymes, Vitamin D3, Cheese Culture. No REALĀ® Seal.
The REALĀ® Seal is a voluntary program for brands, restaurants, retailers and food manufacturers. To get approved, they must meet each of our strict requirements.
First, their dairy products must be made with milk from cows raised on U.S. dairy farms and processed in the U.S. We donāt accept products manufactured or processed outside of the U.S. or those that contain milk imported from another country. We also reject anything with vegetable proteins, vegetable oils and commonly imported additives like casein, caseinates and milk protein concentrate (MPC).
"The REALĀ® Seal" is a general dairy product thing. When applied to cheese it doesn't mean it's real cheese. American cheese is inherently not real cheese; it's, by definition, a process cheese:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cheese
When it's said that process cheese isn't "real" cheese, it means it isn't traditional cheese. Traditional cheese is milk, salt, and enzymes.
Its a genuine imitation.
shareI Can't Believe Its Not Cheese. Lol. :)
shareGood article about American cheese.
"Technically, American cheese is not ārealā cheese. From a legal perspective, the FDA requires any cheese made from a blend of two or more ārealā cheeses to be labeled as āprocess cheeseā or a ācheese product.ā Most American cheese is made by blending cheddar and colby cheeses with other ingredients, like extra whey, milk proteins, vitamins, coloring, and emulsifying agents that both hold everything together and create that wonderfully gooey pull when melted. Only brands that meet these requirements (such as the most popular brand on the market, Kraft Singles) may label themselves as American cheese.
Adding to the confusion, not all cheese slices out there are legitimate American cheese. Only slices that contain more than 51 percent real cheese can be legally classified as American cheese. Anything containing less than 51 percent, like Velveeta, must be labeled as āprocess cheese food.ā One common impostor found on supermarket shelves: āAmerican slices,ā or āsandwich slices.ā This product is made by blending milk proteins, vegetable oil, and other ingredients into a substance that looks and melts like American cheese but is not, in fact, American cheese.
The FDA has very strict labeling requirements to help consumers differentiate the two, but because they look so similar, itās easy to get them mixed up when grocery shopping. When in doubt, check the ingredients. If the first ingredient is ācheese,ā youāve got real American cheese in your shopping cart. If the first ingredient is water, milk, or oil, you donāt. "
https://www.rd.com/article/what-is-american-cheese/
It's so gross
share