Awesome! I love cheese and this looks easy enough to do! If you ever find farmers cheese near you, It is so good on a burger. It melts just as well as American. I'm lucky to live near the boarder to Wisconsin and have access to loads of great cheeses!
The fact that sodium citrate makes great nacho cheese is INCREDIBLY suspicious given its chemical formula: Na₃C₆H₅O₇ No, I am not kidding. That is real.
I'm an American, living in the EU and there have been times I miss this cheese so badly - I need a real grilled cheese sandwich!! I was thrilled seeing this video a few weeks ago. I immediately ordered sodium citrate. It got here yesterday. I grabbed the cheese from the market this morning, and not 5 minutes ago finished up making this recipe. OMG! I am seriously giddy! Thank you so very much. It is very simple to make and sets up quickly. My grilled cheese is on the menu for this evening ;)
We have these cheese slices in europe too lol (though I have never had them in a grilled cheese sandwich, British/Irish cheddar stretches good enough for me and the strength of flavour is fantastic)
I've found a similar product in Dutch supermarkets, but it's just not quite as good as good ol' Kraft Singles. I am honestly able to get those too, from an American market on a military base I can go to, but it's a 3-hour drive and not particularly worth it just for Kraft. Definitely gonna be making this at home in the next couple of days!
Oh, Laura, I'd love to chat with you about "organic food." I bet you'd have some serious and intelligent insight. I'm all for getting the healthiest and lowest "processed" food (Glen's cheese video has been a wonderful education about processed foods, loved it) but I'm guessing you'd have some solid science behind it all, explaining what's "real" and true. Eye rolling included ;-)...
@@wemblyfez Well the irony is most organic foods are just organic in that they use "organic" fertilizers and "organic" pesticides which the only regulation to claim something organic is to have a natural base.... Well many fertilizers and pesticides we use now days fit that. The base of them might have started natural but were chemically altered. So your organic food likely uses the same stuff to fertilize and keep bugs off them as the non-organic foods.
The Dental Floss that's likely sitting unused in most people's medicine cabinets work wonderfully for cutting processed cheeses. ( the nervous smile look of horror on Jules' face was priceless!!}
Just be aware that many brands of floss contain PFAS and bisphenols/pthalates which get direct access to the bloodstream through the mouth. Biodegradable, unflavored floss without PFAS might be better.
I like your little bit on all foods are chemicals. Some people are scared of stuff like (say, MSG), because it has a scary chemical name, when in reality something like baking powder is really "sodium hydrogencarbonate", but with a friendly name.
I'm thrilled you did this video. Ive always wondered about american cheese because people mock me for eating it saying it's one molecule away from plastic. Keep bringing us these types of videos that help solve a mystery and settle an argument! Thanks
To be fair, I can't really see a point in using this for Mac and cheese. Just shred the cheese you want in the mac, and add the sodium citrate before adding the cheese. This is really just for grilled cheese and burgers in my eyes.
wright96d yup. Absolutely zero benefit of making this stuff for use in queso dip and Mac and cheese. It’s just extra work. I sprinkle some in with the shredded cheese while making Mac and cheese and ive never had any issues.
I love it when Glen tries something that he really likes and seeing it hard for him to contain the joy as he's smiling while talking. The cheese looked really good!
True story. We were camping in Quebec back in the early 70’s and needed some provisions so we stop at a grocery store on the way to Mt Tremblant. Looking around the store we couldn’t find “American Cheese” so we asked a manager who looked at us like we were crazy when we said we couldn’t find it- he laughed at us and said they call it Canadian Cheese!
American cheese was never invented by a Canadian. American cheese is simply a term used since colonial times to distinguish between the Cheddar made in England VS that made in America. Tax and import controls in Great Britain necessitated the distinction.
whats more American then moving to America to build an empire based on taking stuff no one else was willing to sell, processing the hell out of it using Science and Chemicals, rebranding it, and then selling it to the masses?
I've made this before with 2 year old Black Diamond Cheddar. It was amazing. You do lose the crystals, but I've seen people try to melt aged cheddar and just end up with an oil slick. This lets you get that amazing sharp flavor and melty texture that you actually want. So should you break your bank with your cheese choice? Probably not, but choose a great tasting cheese.
I finally made this! The habanero block cheese I used to buy was discontinued a few years ago. This year I grew some ultra hot peppers. I combined a block of aged cheddar and 1/2 block of pepper jack cheese with 1/2 a pepper - now I have the hottest cheese I've ever had and I'm loving it.
Im definitely making this. I love Velveta, so being able to make a homemade version is going be nice. I like actual cheese but this stuff brings back childhood memories.
@@AmphetamineReptile originally it was made (and can still be made obviously) by mixing different amounts of cheeses and an emulsifier, now it’s usually made with pasteurized milk, whey (the protein rich liquid that’s left after making cheese), an emulsifier, and salt. Now it’s better to make it in the second process because instead of melting fully usable cheese, you use a cheese byproduct and milk, reducing waste and no need to use your precious cheese.
That big sigh before you had to explain refined chemicals :) love it. I totally want to experiment making a pepper jack version of american cheese now!
Glen always sighs before going into a rant or delving into a "controversial" topic that he knows will get lost of comments refuting whatever his view is.
This is a classic video in the making. Love seeing your joy when tasting the cheese, and the explanation about how it's not too different from "normal" cheeses - the method to make it is just slightly different.
If you replace the yellow cheddar with equal parts white cheddar, provolone, and swiss, and add liquid smoke, you will have a regional type of processed cheese from St. Louis called Provel. We love to put it on our pizza here, where we pair it with an unleavened crust and a sweet sauce. It's actually really good!
My aunt just straight uses that stuff in place of anything that you would use shredded cheese for. Mac and cheese, grilled cheese, pasta for some reason...
I LOVE how excited Glen is about this. American cheese is kind of underrated in a weird way? It’s my favorite on eggs and burgers and Mac n cheese I love how easily it melts and it reminds me of when I was a kid. Like you said, nothing is as good for a grilled cheese with American cheese and butter and nothing else.
So it's really a variation of a béchamel sauce, with sodium citrate doing double duty for salt and a binding agent for the cheese and milk, and sodium hexametaphosphate acting as the flour to thicken things up. Pretty ingenious.
Unexpected video topic but great! Thanks Glen! American here, long time subscriber and raised on the stuff. It's got a place in my heart and arteries. Stay safe my favorite Canadians
lol..what!?! I guess it's good to know the how and why of processed cheese food. I always assumed it was way more processed then it really is, like some sort of alchemy of ingredients that resulted in something like cheese. Turns out it is only modified cheese. If I had not been watching G&F I may have never known.
Yeah, I think in the US, this is pasteurized process American Cheese, not cheese food. Cheese food also has added vegetable oil and stuff. Also, the naming process has changed as to what is allowed on packages. Sargento takes down cheese food here: www.sargento.com/real-life/natural-cheese-vs-processed
There are actually several regulatory classifications for processed cheese in the US. Some have more additives and filler than others. The original processed cheese made by Kraft and also used to make the first Cheese Whiz was actually modified later on to cut costs and by all accounts doesn't taste anymore like the original.
when i was a young single mother i recieved the food from the government we called it 'commodities'. the brick 'american' cheese they gave out was SO freaking delicious. it was way harder than any other american wed ever had. i couldnt eat american cheese for decades after having too much of the kraft type stuff. that commodity cheese was just way better. anyone else remember the commodity food?
Thanks for this recipe Glen! I was quite disappointed with my first try on this. After cooling the cooked mixture it just didn't solidify like it did for you in the video. Upon examination of the recipe I realized that instead of 300ml of milk I used 500ml. However, not wanting to waste what I had already made, I found that the addition of some chopped jalepeno pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder turned what should have been a failure into a super silky nacho cheese sauce. Win.
Processed cheese is in a lot of restaurants, any fast food or most burger places, any ballpark nachos. So if you eat out on a consistent basis it would be hard to avoid it.
@@rydaler Over here in the Netherlands it's extremely rare to see processed cheese. In a general supermarket you would typically find atleast 20 different types of cheese. These generally range from what in the USA would be called Gouda (although we don't call it Gouda here, Gouda is just a brand but not a type here, it's typically referred to how long it has aged), and stuff ranging from parmigiano-reggiano to fresh mozzarella (the one that comes in a ball that's inside a pouch of water, you'd be hard pressed to find grated mozzarella here). A lot of stores don't carry processed cheese, especially dedicated cheese stores. As for general supermarkets they useally only carry 1 processed cheese and if you go to a smaller location they probably won't have any at all.
As someone on a low carb diet, I'll give this a shot. Might be a great way to make wraps for lunch and other meals by 'casting' sheets of cheese. Also as a burger slice, I'm guessing we could add things like smoke flavor or herb/spice mixes... what could go wrong :)
Some proccessed cheese may contain modified food starch which will actually add carbs to cheese that it would not normally contain. The best low carb cheese is natural cheese which is nearly 0% carbs.
Thank you! I just paid $5.50 for Kraft at the store for grilled cheese, but I have been making other cheeses lately. So your recipe will be my first with non-dairy items. Thank you!
Glen, Julie, I love you guys. You're one of only two cooking channels I religiously follow. Also, thanks, Glen, for this. I'm not afraid of chemicals in food. It is what it is. But cooking with things with more than four syllables has always freaked me out. I lacked the courage to explore that realm of ingredients, I didn't even trust myself with baking. Thanks to you, that's changing. I really, sincerely, am going to play with this recipe because I have two guiltier pleasures than American cheese: Velveeta. Easy Cheese. These are all related, obviously. I like Velveeta for casseroles. Easy cheese, however is something I hide when guests come over. My dad ate it all the time. I remember summer nights listening to baseball games on the radio and watching him with that can of cheese, a box of Ritz and a jar of whatever pickled vegetables he could get his hands on. I then took canned cheese to college, but was teased for acting like a "guy." Apparently, only men eat Easy Cheese. Who knew? Anyhow, it's getting harder and harder to find. I can't even find its jarred cousin, Cheeze Whiz, anywhere!! So, yeah, I need to make it myself. All that to say, don't listen to Julie in this case. :) You've got friends on this one, Glen. Thanks again.
Almost all of your less than four syllable ingredients can be called by their chemical names, baking soda -> sodium bicarbonate, water -> dihydrogen oxide, we just don't have "normal" names for things that are not that common on kitchens anymore, so they are called by their chemical names, there are also those that could mean different things on different places, the chemical name makes sure you get what you asked for.
Eggs Benedict, made traditionally with Canadian bacon and an egg, except with this American cheese instead of the Hollandaise sauce as a time issue thingy or an egg McMuffin essentially, I love'em.
This is the OG American cheese that all american cheese wishes it was. i am totally making this with left over cheese cast off and trim I accumulate in my freezer! Really appreciate this episode in every way. From the revulsion to "processed cheese food"; to the history of why it came about, to the monologue about "Chemicals". Love it! This is food science amalgamated into a uniform block for every day practical consumption. Useful and delicious! ;-)
My local supermarket deli counter has an Italian blend American cheese. It's parmesan, Romano, Asiago and provolone. It's made by the brand land O lakes. It still slices and melts like processed American cheese and has a great flavor that really cuts through the busyness of a burger. I'd really like to see you make that work for a home cooking setup with all of those hard, aged, "crumbly" cheeses.
If you don't have a cheese wire you can use dental floss. Also there's really nothing objectionable about this; calling it "processed cheese" makes it sound really unappealing, but it's just cheese with added milk and butter. It's basically solid cheese sauce.
"Processed cheese" may sound unappealing, but the cheese industry tried lobbying Congress to pass legislation forcing processed cheese to be labelled "embalmed cheese"
Nice, our version of processed cheese in Czech Republic has more emulsifying salts to make it onto a spread when cold that we put on rye bread, its pretty good. Edit: most common emulsifying salts in them are E452, E331, E450, E339
E542 Edible bone phosphate. E450 Potassium and sodium di-phosphates. E339 Sodium phosphates. Sodium phosphate is such a broad category though, it's most likely Trisodium phosphate
Kraft used to make a Bacon jar cheese that in my long-vanished youth contained real bacon. The smokiness was subtle, and the mouthfeel of the scattered bits of lean ground bacon and little bursts of salty meatiness fascinated me as a kid. The recipe changed over time, of course, but I think I will have a go at making it at home with some bacon ends for that 'real' reclaimed food experience. Many thanks for the memory and inspiration!
Me too! Only mine was the green olive/pimento cheese spread. Old English or something like that. It's been 3 years, but did you ever make the bacon cheese spread?
I’m a native Michigander. I grew up eating tons of Kraft American grilled cheese sandwiches and Kraft macaroni and cheese from the box with the powder packet. Loved them. Even ate slices straight. The first time I ate mac and cheese from scratch I didn’t care for it. I rarely eat Kraft now but prefer it on a burger and sometimes make Kraft Mac and cheese to eat for comfort food. Takes me back.
As usual, you two are the start of a great day! I've noticed those pre-made cheese slices are getting thinner and thinner, so I'm happy to try this. How do you suggest storing it for longer periods of time, please and thank you!
Had one lady that always went on and on about all the chemicals in food and always got her "organic non-GMO, super food (blah, blah, blah)" drink and cookie... SO one day I broke the entire drink and cookie down to it's chemical nature and started off as normal with "So just your normal...." and instead of the name of the drink and cookie I rattled off the entire string of chemical names for everything that made them up. I nearly cracked up midway through because her eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger. Of course I had to end it with "Oh sorry I mean your drink and cookie." She just sputtered a few times and look absolutely disgusted with them, put them down with a mutter of "Oh god" and left.
Theres actually a really interesting video on youtube where a guy loves the taste of redbull so much that he wanted to drink it at night so spent a few days trying to take the caffeine out of it (His own version of redbull pretty much) Theres like a whole science behind redbull with all the flavorings, additives and whatever things they use so it might not be _'as easy'_ or _'simple'_ as Glen's KFC videos where he went through and taste tested so many different recipes. The channel is called 'NileRed' and the video is called 'Taking the caffeine out of RedBull so I can drink it at night' Really really interesting video
I've always thought its funny how people sing the praises of milk chocolate which is just chocolate filled out with milk oil and sugar. But when they fill out cheddar cheese with oil and milk people call it the worst food stuff ever created.
His method is a much better "real" version than what we get in the stores. Look to the post by Scott Jenkins in the comments about his experience working on the commercial product.
This kind of content is why I try to never miss a video. You're not afraid of experimentation and to go against the grain of "normal" food-related content on the web.
Ha! I've been making this for years. It works great for any kind of cheese dip and Mac n Cheese, besides melting burger cheese. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. it also works with my homemade cheddar and farmers cheese, to make them a melting cheese.
I made a pile of it that day for future recipe videos - I decided the 'round' looked better n camera for just slicing. The squares will show up in future videos.
@@GlenAndFriendsCooking Figures. Makes more sense to do a lot more than you show us on camera, given the work involved in a batch of pretty much anything you do!
My dad would always say "If they have to say it's food on the package, you shouldn't be eating it." Sorry Pop, but nothing tastes better in a grilled cheese or on a smashburger. Any other time, you're right.
ok first yes grew up eating that type of cheese . second thank you so much i had no clue that's how American cheese was made . It was very cool to watch the prosses .
Love it! Could you put your own add ins as well? Chili peppers, spices, etc? Also do you have further instructions on making the sodium citrate? Best use for this has got to be a really nice grilled cheese on homemade bread.
I just made a batched with fresh jalapenos in. I'll let you know how it comes out. I'm already regretting not blanching the jalapeno first, but we'll see!
Its a misunderstood food, and foreigners are quite ignorant about it. It was designed for a specific purpose. It's not a replacement for other sorts of cheese.
It sounds like it exists only because it’s incredibly profitable lol. Reminds me of ketchup, low grade tomatoes mixed with some cheap ingredients to make a sauce which isn’t bad but isn’t great.
This cheese is exactly like adding non buttermilk pancake mix to eggs like restaurants do (in my mind). It stretches a little decent cheese out to a lot more less decent cheese. Also the bit about chemicals is spot on. Plus if someone is THAT scared of chemicals maybe they shouldn't be looking for process/processed cheese to begin with. It's not highly regarded for its health benefits. You get what you sign up for and in this case it's great grilled cheese or Spam cheese toast like my family does!
Huh, I never realized it was this easy to make American Cheese, nor that the primary ingredient was actual cheese. I will have to try this, thanks Glen!
EasyCheeze I think is the name, I've never had cheese imitation product (as is its legal name in EU). It seems to be a strictly English speaking country thing.
Wow, that optional ingredient is Calgon! Which isn’t an ingredient in anything branded as Calgon any more. When I was a boy I was visiting Canada with my Dad and one of the Kraft Cheese brands was a spread in a small chub, sold as American cheese in the US but as Canadian cheese there...
Thanks for the story behind what is "American cheese".... all this time I've been thinking it's just hydrogenated vegetable oil or something not even close to actual cheese. Glad to know that's not true.
@@Mutiny960 Totally. My engineering friend had to correct me when we were younger. I had said something like "This tastes like chemicals" and he was like "Everything is chemicals"
Well you know, the fact people always said it isnt cheese...is also now bunk, because its made from real cheese....its just pasteurized and mixed so it melts better... the reason it tastes funny when you eat cold and solid, is because its really meant for making cheese sauces and such.
Yes but Kraft was willing to relocate to America to build an empire based on taking stuff no one else was willing to sell, processing the hell out of it using Science and Chemicals, rebranding it, and then selling it to the masses and what's more American then that?
One other benefit: no sugar or corn syrup. Last time I checked the pre-sliced processed cheese food had some form of sweetener and I can taste it (probably to make up for the lack of flavour).
I clicked on this video for one reason.....to get the answer to WHY? Why, in this day and age, when you can purchase a thousand different, beautiful, tasty cheeses, would you want to eat "processed cheese food"? I'm going straight to my fridge to tell my Gorgonzola, Havarti and Jarlsberg how much I love them.
Like anything else, American Cheese has a purpose. It melts extremely well. I love a block of aged cheddar but it has no place on a burger. The same with American cheese which has no place on a cracker.
If you love your Jarlsberg, you won't make it suffer the indignity of being melted onto cheap ground hamburger for some kid's birthday party where nobody will even notice it's not bargain brand Swiss. American cheese does not suffer. It is already dead. Do with it as you wish.
always heard/been told that "american cheese" wasn't actually cheese, but if it's made with a portion of actual cheese, then i guess that's not true lol
Thanks for watching Everyone! *Let us know in the comments: What do you use 'American Cheese' for??* Full recipe in the description box.
Awesome! I love cheese and this looks easy enough to do! If you ever find farmers cheese near you, It is so good on a burger. It melts just as well as American. I'm lucky to live near the boarder to Wisconsin and have access to loads of great cheeses!
If you don't have a wire cheese cutter use dental floss(unscented).
Basic grilled cheeses and hamburgers. That's pretty much it.
I love all cheese. Even this stuff. It has its place and excels at it: cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, queso dip, etc.
Wow! When I requested Canadian food you really took it seriously! Thanks!
And now to make CheezWiz from my favourite gorgonzola!
The fact that sodium citrate makes great nacho cheese is INCREDIBLY suspicious given its chemical formula: Na₃C₆H₅O₇
No, I am not kidding. That is real.
👁⭕️👁
Reddit moment
Cue X-files intro
Wow. Sooooo... that just makes me wonder... Is that actually how they came up with the name Nacho Cheese?
Johnjohntv 👁👄👁
I'm an American, living in the EU and there have been times I miss this cheese so badly - I need a real grilled cheese sandwich!! I was thrilled seeing this video a few weeks ago. I immediately ordered sodium citrate. It got here yesterday. I grabbed the cheese from the market this morning, and not 5 minutes ago finished up making this recipe. OMG! I am seriously giddy! Thank you so very much. It is very simple to make and sets up quickly. My grilled cheese is on the menu for this evening ;)
We have these cheese slices in europe too lol (though I have never had them in a grilled cheese sandwich, British/Irish cheddar stretches good enough for me and the strength of flavour is fantastic)
I've found a similar product in Dutch supermarkets, but it's just not quite as good as good ol' Kraft Singles. I am honestly able to get those too, from an American market on a military base I can go to, but it's a 3-hour drive and not particularly worth it just for Kraft. Definitely gonna be making this at home in the next couple of days!
@@augustzeidman4443 Hey, I live in NL now too, have you found any other places to get kraft deli slices?
@@Max-ss2gh AH has some similar products, namely Country Cow cheese slices
You can find those in all grocery stores in Sweden
I love you, Glen. From a chemist who has spent years rolling her eyes at the term "organic food"
Oh, Laura, I'd love to chat with you about "organic food." I bet you'd have some serious and intelligent insight. I'm all for getting the healthiest and lowest "processed" food (Glen's cheese video has been a wonderful education about processed foods, loved it) but I'm guessing you'd have some solid science behind it all, explaining what's "real" and true. Eye rolling included ;-)...
@@wemblyfez Well the irony is most organic foods are just organic in that they use "organic" fertilizers and "organic" pesticides which the only regulation to claim something organic is to have a natural base.... Well many fertilizers and pesticides we use now days fit that. The base of them might have started natural but were chemically altered. So your organic food likely uses the same stuff to fertilize and keep bugs off them as the non-organic foods.
Couldn't agree more. I've always know organic is essentially a marketing ploy.
@@TheVGMajor It's just a stupid term. Your food is always organic in the sense that it is made up primarily of molecules that are carbon based.
My favorite one I’ve seen in the store was “Organic Salt.” 🤦🏼♂️
The Dental Floss that's likely sitting unused in most people's medicine cabinets work wonderfully for cutting processed cheeses. ( the nervous smile look of horror on Jules' face was priceless!!}
Just don't use the mint flavored one...ew
J Woods note to self.. don’t use the mint coated floss 😬
I ain’t wasting my Glide floss. That shit is expensive
Just be aware that many brands of floss contain PFAS and bisphenols/pthalates which get direct access to the bloodstream through the mouth. Biodegradable, unflavored floss without PFAS might be better.
Fishing line works fine!
I like your little bit on all foods are chemicals. Some people are scared of stuff like (say, MSG), because it has a scary chemical name, when in reality something like baking powder is really "sodium hydrogencarbonate", but with a friendly name.
Not to mention dihydrogen monoxide. That stuff is terrifying!
Rehevkor Shoot! That was exactly what I was going to say!
@@BigMacIIx That's not a real thing, though. I think you mean dihydrogen monoxide.
MSG is like a superhero of seasoning, and anyone who's scared of it is only hurting themselves.
@@waaahl My bad, they are all quarks and lepton to me...
I'm thrilled you did this video. Ive always wondered about american cheese because people mock me for eating it saying it's one molecule away from plastic. Keep bringing us these types of videos that help solve a mystery and settle an argument! Thanks
This made my day. Jules' reaction just lit me up. Thanks for the smile.
“So, we’ll shred this cheese”
*proceeds to descend the cheese into the deepest guts of hell at a speed neither light or sound itself cannot ever beat*
I was surprised by that aswell
I read this comment right as he shredded the cheese and I lost it
hahahahah
He was definitely flexing on us plebs
Basically this is a cheese that needs a vehicle. I agree, grilled cheese and mac-n-cheese are the best with this type of cheese! Nacho dip too!
A spoon is a vehicle, my fingers are also a vehicle... :-P
@@mikebMN the plate you put it on is a vehicle
To be fair, I can't really see a point in using this for Mac and cheese. Just shred the cheese you want in the mac, and add the sodium citrate before adding the cheese. This is really just for grilled cheese and burgers in my eyes.
wright96d yup. Absolutely zero benefit of making this stuff for use in queso dip and Mac and cheese. It’s just extra work. I sprinkle some in with the shredded cheese while making Mac and cheese and ive never had any issues.
I love it when Glen tries something that he really likes and seeing it hard for him to contain the joy as he's smiling while talking. The cheese looked really good!
Jules has the best job ever.
"Everything you eat is a chemical" Glen, I love you truly.
@@cbirdman its found in almonds and apple seeds.
True story. We were camping in Quebec back in the early 70’s and needed some provisions so we stop at a grocery store on the way to Mt Tremblant. Looking around the store we couldn’t find “American Cheese” so we asked a manager who looked at us like we were crazy when we said we couldn’t find it- he laughed at us and said they call it Canadian Cheese!
Very few people here do, at least nowadays. To be fair, it was (as Glen explained in this video) that it was invented by a Canadian living in the US.
I love a good cheese story😬
❤🧀❤🧀❤🧀❤🧀❤🧀❤
The fact that American cheese was invented by a Canadian, while surprising, is like, the most American thing.
I mean, Canada is also America.... Mexico is as well. Lol.
Still American cheese
The Obnoxious Gamer uhhh no, as a Canadian, I am NOT an American
American cheese was never invented by a Canadian. American cheese is simply a term used since colonial times to distinguish between the Cheddar made in England VS that made in America. Tax and import controls in Great Britain necessitated the distinction.
whats more American then moving to America to build an empire based on taking stuff no one else was willing to sell, processing the hell out of it using Science and Chemicals, rebranding it, and then selling it to the masses?
I've made this before with 2 year old Black Diamond Cheddar. It was amazing. You do lose the crystals, but I've seen people try to melt aged cheddar and just end up with an oil slick. This lets you get that amazing sharp flavor and melty texture that you actually want. So should you break your bank with your cheese choice? Probably not, but choose a great tasting cheese.
I finally made this! The habanero block cheese I used to buy was discontinued a few years ago. This year I grew some ultra hot peppers. I combined a block of aged cheddar and 1/2 block of pepper jack cheese with 1/2 a pepper - now I have the hottest cheese I've ever had and I'm loving it.
Im definitely making this. I love Velveta, so being able to make a homemade version is going be nice. I like actual cheese but this stuff brings back childhood memories.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Velveeta is American cheese. Both melt excellently, but are two entirely different things taste wise.
@@AmphetamineReptile originally it was made (and can still be made obviously) by mixing different amounts of cheeses and an emulsifier, now it’s usually made with pasteurized milk, whey (the protein rich liquid that’s left after making cheese), an emulsifier, and salt.
Now it’s better to make it in the second process because instead of melting fully usable cheese, you use a cheese byproduct and milk, reducing waste and no need to use your precious cheese.
That big sigh before you had to explain refined chemicals :) love it. I totally want to experiment making a pepper jack version of american cheese now!
Glen always sighs before going into a rant or delving into a "controversial" topic that he knows will get lost of comments refuting whatever his view is.
Yes, I want to try a pepper-jack grilled cheese sandwich. What else would you suggest putting on it? Some type of mustard, maybe?
Cooper makes a black pepper variation of their American cheese that's really good.
Ikr! Me too. lol
@@SharonH11100 Bacon 🥓
This is a classic video in the making. Love seeing your joy when tasting the cheese, and the explanation about how it's not too different from "normal" cheeses - the method to make it is just slightly different.
If you replace the yellow cheddar with equal parts white cheddar, provolone, and swiss, and add liquid smoke, you will have a regional type of processed cheese from St. Louis called Provel. We love to put it on our pizza here, where we pair it with an unleavened crust and a sweet sauce. It's actually really good!
My aunt just straight uses that stuff in place of anything that you would use shredded cheese for. Mac and cheese, grilled cheese, pasta for some reason...
Oh daaaamn
Interesting
Is that why Wisconsin is fat?
@@MercurialIris In general, in the midwest we eat like shit. Lots of carbs, dairy, and red meat.
I LOVE how excited Glen is about this. American cheese is kind of underrated in a weird way? It’s my favorite on eggs and burgers and Mac n cheese I love how easily it melts and it reminds me of when I was a kid. Like you said, nothing is as good for a grilled cheese with American cheese and butter and nothing else.
Like he said it's good for what it's used for. It is good.
Swiss cheese melts well and is used for fondue. A buttered, toasted Swiss fondue sandwich beats a processed grilled cheese sandwich every time.
Try "buttering" your grilled cheese with mayonnaise some time...
Cheese omelettes are best with American Cheese, I'm saying it
@@riproar11you realize all cheese is "processed" right? Smug bellend...
So it's really a variation of a béchamel sauce, with sodium citrate doing double duty for salt and a binding agent for the cheese and milk, and sodium hexametaphosphate acting as the flour to thicken things up. Pretty ingenious.
its so awful
Wait, I can just freeze a cheese sauce?
Unexpected video topic but great! Thanks Glen! American here, long time subscriber and raised on the stuff. It's got a place in my heart and arteries. Stay safe my favorite Canadians
I would consider infusing the milk. Peppercorns, herbs, garlic.
Martin Nilsson and maybe browning a little the butter to add a nutty flavour
also you can mix cheeses, cheddar and jack and colby
Love this! My grandfather was a microbiologist who loved all things dairy and love American canned cheese.
lol..what!?! I guess it's good to know the how and why of processed cheese food. I always assumed it was way more processed then it really is, like some sort of alchemy of ingredients that resulted in something like cheese. Turns out it is only modified cheese. If I had not been watching G&F I may have never known.
yep easy like mozzarella. had no clue.
welll. this isn't made in a factory, plastic cheese is still cheese product and not classified as cheese
The stuff you get in the store is a bit more processed but I too thought that.
Yeah, I think in the US, this is pasteurized process American Cheese, not cheese food. Cheese food also has added vegetable oil and stuff. Also, the naming process has changed as to what is allowed on packages. Sargento takes down cheese food here: www.sargento.com/real-life/natural-cheese-vs-processed
There are actually several regulatory classifications for processed cheese in the US. Some have more additives and filler than others. The original processed cheese made by Kraft and also used to make the first Cheese Whiz was actually modified later on to cut costs and by all accounts doesn't taste anymore like the original.
when i was a young single mother i recieved the food from the government we called it 'commodities'. the brick 'american' cheese they gave out was SO freaking delicious. it was way harder than any other american wed ever had. i couldnt eat american cheese for decades after having too much of the kraft type stuff. that commodity cheese was just way better. anyone else remember the commodity food?
Thanks for this recipe Glen! I was quite disappointed with my first try on this. After cooling the cooked mixture it just didn't solidify like it did for you in the video. Upon examination of the recipe I realized that instead of 300ml of milk I used 500ml. However, not wanting to waste what I had already made, I found that the addition of some chopped jalepeno pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder turned what should have been a failure into a super silky nacho cheese sauce. Win.
I love the chemistry here! Super interesting and helps us understand what is really going on in our food. Thank you!
I haven’t eaten processed cheese in decades. But this I would make.
Processed cheese is in a lot of restaurants, any fast food or most burger places, any ballpark nachos. So if you eat out on a consistent basis it would be hard to avoid it.
@@rydaler Over here in the Netherlands it's extremely rare to see processed cheese. In a general supermarket you would typically find atleast 20 different types of cheese. These generally range from what in the USA would be called Gouda (although we don't call it Gouda here, Gouda is just a brand but not a type here, it's typically referred to how long it has aged), and stuff ranging from parmigiano-reggiano to fresh mozzarella (the one that comes in a ball that's inside a pouch of water, you'd be hard pressed to find grated mozzarella here). A lot of stores don't carry processed cheese, especially dedicated cheese stores. As for general supermarkets they useally only carry 1 processed cheese and if you go to a smaller location they probably won't have any at all.
UNBELIEVEABLE, and thank you. I will no longer beat myself up for eating American cheese.
As someone on a low carb diet, I'll give this a shot. Might be a great way to make wraps for lunch and other meals by 'casting' sheets of cheese. Also as a burger slice, I'm guessing we could add things like smoke flavor or herb/spice mixes... what could go wrong :)
You eat so much of it that you manage to gain weight eating it? *G* I've been on that type of diet. All the best to you!
Tried it, got an epic constipation. Just a small warning ;)
Some proccessed cheese may contain modified food starch which will actually add carbs to cheese that it would not normally contain. The best low carb cheese is natural cheese which is nearly 0% carbs.
If you get the "fancier" Kraft slices they are like 1 gram instead of 2 grams for the regular slices they sell.
Although I would never make it, I am facinated by it and look forward to you using it. I love the history lesson as well!
Glen looks so happy with this haha I love it.
Thank you! I just paid $5.50 for Kraft at the store for grilled cheese, but I have been making other cheeses lately. So your recipe will be my first with non-dairy items. Thank you!
Glen, Julie, I love you guys. You're one of only two cooking channels I religiously follow.
Also, thanks, Glen, for this. I'm not afraid of chemicals in food. It is what it is. But cooking with things with more than four syllables has always freaked me out. I lacked the courage to explore that realm of ingredients, I didn't even trust myself with baking.
Thanks to you, that's changing.
I really, sincerely, am going to play with this recipe because I have two guiltier pleasures than American cheese:
Velveeta.
Easy Cheese.
These are all related, obviously. I like Velveeta for casseroles. Easy cheese, however is something I hide when guests come over. My dad ate it all the time. I remember summer nights listening to baseball games on the radio and watching him with that can of cheese, a box of Ritz and a jar of whatever pickled vegetables he could get his hands on.
I then took canned cheese to college, but was teased for acting like a "guy." Apparently, only men eat Easy Cheese. Who knew?
Anyhow, it's getting harder and harder to find. I can't even find its jarred cousin, Cheeze Whiz, anywhere!! So, yeah, I need to make it myself.
All that to say, don't listen to Julie in this case. :) You've got friends on this one, Glen. Thanks again.
Almost all of your less than four syllable ingredients can be called by their chemical names, baking soda -> sodium bicarbonate, water -> dihydrogen oxide, we just don't have "normal" names for things that are not that common on kitchens anymore, so they are called by their chemical names, there are also those that could mean different things on different places, the chemical name makes sure you get what you asked for.
Made using 'lactose free' cheese so my OH can enjoy this on burgers and in mac 'n' cheese. Thanks Glen & Friends.
Eggs Benedict, made traditionally with Canadian bacon and an egg, except with this American cheese instead of the Hollandaise sauce as a time issue thingy or an egg McMuffin essentially, I love'em.
So glad I found this channel again. I used to watch your episodes all the time!❤
The look on Jules’ face as you’re trying to sell her on the processed cheese is the look of true love.
This is the OG American cheese that all american cheese wishes it was.
i am totally making this with left over cheese cast off and trim I accumulate in my freezer!
Really appreciate this episode in every way. From the revulsion to "processed cheese food"; to the history of why it came about, to the monologue about "Chemicals". Love it!
This is food science amalgamated into a uniform block for every day practical consumption. Useful and delicious! ;-)
My local supermarket deli counter has an Italian blend American cheese. It's parmesan, Romano, Asiago and provolone. It's made by the brand land O lakes. It still slices and melts like processed American cheese and has a great flavor that really cuts through the busyness of a burger. I'd really like to see you make that work for a home cooking setup with all of those hard, aged, "crumbly" cheeses.
My dad would always get the deli style American cheese. Its good stuff.
I ate cheese slices like that as a kid. Loved it.
If you don't have a cheese wire you can use dental floss.
Also there's really nothing objectionable about this; calling it "processed cheese" makes it sound really unappealing, but it's just cheese with added milk and butter. It's basically solid cheese sauce.
Cheese after all is just processed milk.
The salts ate way more important than butter and milk. You didnt pay attention
@@ertonyrn the salt is only there to hold the rest of the ingredients together. That's like saying mortar is the most important part of a brick wall.
@@j5300 Well, mortar is the difference between a wall and a pile!
"Processed cheese" may sound unappealing, but the cheese industry tried lobbying Congress to pass legislation forcing processed cheese to be labelled "embalmed cheese"
you are a rock star for providing the metric measurements. thank you!
Nice, our version of processed cheese in Czech Republic has more emulsifying salts to make it onto a spread when cold that we put on rye bread, its pretty good.
Edit: most common emulsifying salts in them are E452, E331, E450, E339
331 is sodium citrate, not sure about the rest but they're easy enough to look up
E542 Edible bone phosphate.
E450 Potassium and sodium di-phosphates.
E339 Sodium phosphates.
Sodium phosphate is such a broad category though, it's most likely Trisodium phosphate
Kraft and other brands do make a spreadable version of this. They used to sell it in jars. Spray cheese is likely a very loose version as well.
Kraft used to make a Bacon jar cheese that in my long-vanished youth contained real bacon. The smokiness was subtle, and the mouthfeel of the scattered bits of lean ground bacon and little bursts of salty meatiness fascinated me as a kid. The recipe changed over time, of course, but I think I will have a go at making it at home with some bacon ends for that 'real' reclaimed food experience. Many thanks for the memory and inspiration!
Me too! Only mine was the green olive/pimento cheese spread. Old English or something like that. It's been 3 years, but did you ever make the bacon cheese spread?
"Everything you eat is a chemical"
THANK YOU.
I’m a native Michigander. I grew up eating tons of Kraft American grilled cheese sandwiches and Kraft macaroni and cheese from the box with the powder packet. Loved them. Even ate slices straight. The first time I ate mac and cheese from scratch I didn’t care for it. I rarely eat Kraft now but prefer it on a burger and sometimes make Kraft Mac and cheese to eat for comfort food. Takes me back.
As usual, you two are the start of a great day! I've noticed those pre-made cheese slices are getting thinner and thinner, so I'm happy to try this. How do you suggest storing it for longer periods of time, please and thank you!
Yes! They are, it's as if they are painted on the plastic wrapper!
@Scott Halloween the old saying "he pinches a nickel so hard he makes the buffalo fart" comes to mind here. 😂
This is really cool. I didn't really know what the process for making American cheese was, and now I do. Fun video.
Glen: "everything is a chemical"
Yes!
Had one lady that always went on and on about all the chemicals in food and always got her "organic non-GMO, super food (blah, blah, blah)" drink and cookie... SO one day I broke the entire drink and cookie down to it's chemical nature and started off as normal with "So just your normal...." and instead of the name of the drink and cookie I rattled off the entire string of chemical names for everything that made them up.
I nearly cracked up midway through because her eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger. Of course I had to end it with "Oh sorry I mean your drink and cookie."
She just sputtered a few times and look absolutely disgusted with them, put them down with a mutter of "Oh god" and left.
@@SilvaDreams uhh you must be very smart
Quick mac & cheese, cheeseburgers, korean street toast, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe. I will be making this next year.
Waiting for Red bull energy drink clone
or monster, i know it's bad, but dear lord i love the taste of it.
Theres actually a really interesting video on youtube where a guy loves the taste of redbull so much that he wanted to drink it at night so spent a few days trying to take the caffeine out of it (His own version of redbull pretty much) Theres like a whole science behind redbull with all the flavorings, additives and whatever things they use so it might not be _'as easy'_ or _'simple'_ as Glen's KFC videos where he went through and taste tested so many different recipes.
The channel is called 'NileRed' and the video is called 'Taking the caffeine out of RedBull so I can drink it at night' Really really interesting video
Or the new BANG'S. 300 mg of caffeine. God the flavors and no carbs. 3$ a pop gets expensive real fast.
This is SO easy! I’m amazed. I need to get all the ingredients but wow!
I've always thought its funny how people sing the praises of milk chocolate which is just chocolate filled out with milk oil and sugar. But when they fill out cheddar cheese with oil and milk people call it the worst food stuff ever created.
omg. absolutely. or thinning out coffee with milk/cream, sugar, & oils (artificial creamers)
@@Mutiny960 you laugh but what do you think instant is??
Jules enthusiasm at trying this made my day!
Kraft: *has capitalised on cheese for generations*. Glen: I’m boutta end this mans whole career
ranger1986ka you don’t have much else better to do with your time than to be an insufferable fuck to strangers? that’s really sad
ranger1986ka ok Kraft
ranger1986ka here comes the kraft slices fucker
ranger1986ka “I highly doubt that.” R/wooooooooooosh
I got a new griddle and plan to make this for the cheese for my sliders. Thanks for the great presentation.
I actually had no idea how processed cheese was made. I have a lot more respect for it now
His method is a much better "real" version than what we get in the stores. Look to the post by Scott Jenkins in the comments about his experience working on the commercial product.
Processed cheese in the grocery store is gonna have a lot more preservatives and fillers and stuff than homemade stuff, if that matters to you
Really informative and enjoyable watching.thank you .
Perfect cheese for banana and sushi pizza.
Noted, meme lord. Cheers.
😵🙅
Please! Some of us haven't eaten yet today
Wot in tarnation
Gotem!
This kind of content is why I try to never miss a video. You're not afraid of experimentation and to go against the grain of "normal" food-related content on the web.
Excited to watch! Maybe you can use that cheese in some New Zealand Cheese Rolls though :)
Ha! I've been making this for years. It works great for any kind of cheese dip and Mac n Cheese, besides melting burger cheese. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. it also works with my homemade cheddar and farmers cheese, to make them a melting cheese.
I'm curious what happened to your original molds. Noticed a totally different shape in the final products! 😂
I made a pile of it that day for future recipe videos - I decided the 'round' looked better n camera for just slicing. The squares will show up in future videos.
@@GlenAndFriendsCooking Figures. Makes more sense to do a lot more than you show us on camera, given the work involved in a batch of pretty much anything you do!
Loved the evaluation and Jules' comments.
My dad would always say "If they have to say it's food on the package, you shouldn't be eating it."
Sorry Pop, but nothing tastes better in a grilled cheese or on a smashburger. Any other time, you're right.
ok first yes grew up eating that type of cheese . second thank you so much i had no clue that's how American cheese was made . It was very cool to watch the prosses .
Love it! Could you put your own add ins as well? Chili peppers, spices, etc?
Also do you have further instructions on making the sodium citrate?
Best use for this has got to be a really nice grilled cheese on homemade bread.
Spices and roasted chiles would be nice. Why not? You are the Bee's Knees of your own Processed Cheese. -- Chef John 2020
I just made a batched with fresh jalapenos in. I'll let you know how it comes out. I'm already regretting not blanching the jalapeno first, but we'll see!
It was fun to see Glen light up over his cheese.
So basically, 'processed cheese' came about as a food preservation technique (albeit for profit). Interesting stuff.
For me it’s the best cheese for burgers by far and the cheaper the better. I’m gonna have a go at this, thanks for sharing
me and my family call it plastic cheese :) but it's always beautiful on a burger
Amigos muy entretenido vídeo, la explicación hizo que el tiempo pasara muy rápido, excelente
It's called American Cheese because we were the only ones that would claim it as a cheese.
Its a misunderstood food, and foreigners are quite ignorant about it. It was designed for a specific purpose. It's not a replacement for other sorts of cheese.
And yet, invented by a Canadian.
It sounds like it exists only because it’s incredibly profitable lol. Reminds me of ketchup, low grade tomatoes mixed with some cheap ingredients to make a sauce which isn’t bad but isn’t great.
@@porscheaircooled Ketchup is tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. And it was invented to eat meat that isn't that fresh
@Toxic Potato okay. Worst cheese, Still.
Glen was really excited about this one. No wonder. American cheese is still by far my favourite cheese for burgers and toasties.
This cheese is exactly like adding non buttermilk pancake mix to eggs like restaurants do (in my mind). It stretches a little decent cheese out to a lot more less decent cheese.
Also the bit about chemicals is spot on. Plus if someone is THAT scared of chemicals maybe they shouldn't be looking for process/processed cheese to begin with. It's not highly regarded for its health benefits. You get what you sign up for and in this case it's great grilled cheese or Spam cheese toast like my family does!
I love kraft singles for grilled cheese! grew up with it, always a staple in our house
4:37 That’s why my homemade shredded cheese sticks together and the store bought doesn’t!? Chemicals man. Chemicals.
Lidia Bastianich sprinkles some grated parm into her shredded cheese so it doesn't clump.
Actually, most of the time, it's just starch.
Scott Halloween 😮
Yeah they use corn or potato starch usually
Huh, I never realized it was this easy to make American Cheese, nor that the primary ingredient was actual cheese. I will have to try this, thanks Glen!
Cheese, milk, salts lol
I mean, "natural cheese" is made through a chemical process as well. Cheddar doesn't just occur in nature as a whole food.
so what's the fruit that comes off my cheddar tree?
@@jaqssmith1666 that would be the cow utter tree
I'm in. I have to try this. Thanks Glenn.
This might make me a hick, but I sort of like the "can" cheese where you bend the tip & it squirts out, usually on a Ritz cracker
EasyCheeze I think is the name, I've never had cheese imitation product (as is its legal name in EU).
It seems to be a strictly English speaking country thing.
@@JackPorter We don't have canned cheese here in Australia either.
Try it on graham crackers.
According to my husband and his dad, Pennsylvania natives, Philly cheese steaks are only legit if made with cheese whiz. I don't think you're a hick.
That's a mouth applicator.
You stick it in your mouth and give the can a crank.
Mr & Mrs Mad Food Scientist.
I love you guys!
Wow, that optional ingredient is Calgon! Which isn’t an ingredient in anything branded as Calgon any more.
When I was a boy I was visiting Canada with my Dad and one of the Kraft Cheese brands was a spread in a small chub, sold as American cheese in the US but as Canadian cheese there...
"Ancient Chinese secret, huh?"
Pretty cool. I'm going to try this. Thanks
Thanks for the story behind what is "American cheese".... all this time I've been thinking it's just hydrogenated vegetable oil or something not even close to actual cheese. Glad to know that's not true.
Glen's referring to the historical ingredients. The modern day Kraft stuff is axle grease.
I've done this with a lager beer as the liquid. It's amazing, especially over burgers or served hot with pretzels.
Actually at certain fast food restaurants in the US, you can get a burger made topped with American cheese and served on a hot pretzel bun... yay!
"I don't want chemical in my food."
Well that means they not finished highschool or they not learning a thing in highschool.
@@Mutiny960 Totally. My engineering friend had to correct me when we were younger. I had said something like "This tastes like chemicals" and he was like "Everything is chemicals"
Thank You for making this Video. I have always loved American Cheese but always wondered if I was eating something terrible. Now I feel much better.
I repent all my knee-jerk anti-American comments about this culinary monstrosity. Who knew a Canadian was responsible-- Jim from Nova Scotia.
Smart Canadian that took advantage of Americans terrible taste in food
Well you know, the fact people always said it isnt cheese...is also now bunk, because its made from real cheese....its just pasteurized and mixed so it melts better...
the reason it tastes funny when you eat cold and solid, is because its really meant for making cheese sauces and such.
Yes but Kraft was willing to relocate to America to build an empire based on taking stuff no one else was willing to sell, processing the hell out of it using Science and Chemicals, rebranding it, and then selling it to the masses and what's more American then that?
@@REALMWS American cheeseburgers are all over Canada and the world now, American food is delicious.
Jim Gerri- Gotcha!
Really loved this one. Thanks. Love good cheese, but embarrassed that I love cheese "food". And the dip will be fantastic.
One other benefit: no sugar or corn syrup. Last time I checked the pre-sliced processed cheese food had some form of sweetener and I can taste it (probably to make up for the lack of flavour).
That was easy! Who knew! Awesome!
I clicked on this video for one reason.....to get the answer to WHY?
Why, in this day and age, when you can purchase a thousand different, beautiful, tasty cheeses, would you want to eat "processed cheese food"?
I'm going straight to my fridge to tell my Gorgonzola, Havarti and Jarlsberg how much I love them.
.. and then, turn them "American"?
Like anything else, American Cheese has a purpose. It melts extremely well. I love a block of aged cheddar but it has no place on a burger. The same with American cheese which has no place on a cracker.
@Larry Roux
Great comment. All cheese is great, in their own way. Like You'd never use blue cheese in a Mac & cheese dish. Unless you're a weirdo.
If you love your Jarlsberg, you won't make it suffer the indignity of being melted onto cheap ground hamburger for some kid's birthday party where nobody will even notice it's not bargain brand Swiss.
American cheese does not suffer. It is already dead. Do with it as you wish.
Homemade Velveeta. You’re amazing! 🌸
always heard/been told that "american cheese" wasn't actually cheese, but if it's made with a portion of actual cheese, then i guess that's not true lol
It's officially a "cheese food product" 😂
In modern marketing speak, they would probably same something like "made from the goodness of real cheese"
Keeping it real; I like it!👍✨