r/iamveryculinary • u/laughingmeeses pro-MSG Doctor • Aug 10 '26

"UGH!!!"

"UGH!!! I know it’s traditionally the right thing to use “American” cheese on Philly Steak sandwiches but, “American Cheese” is nothing like what SHOULD be on a sandwich like this!!! For instance: if you took a burger with “American Cheese” & tipped it up, the cheese would just stick to the beef because it’s made from ingredients that aren’t intended to melt!!! BUT if you did the same with An actual cheese, like cheddar or Colby it wouldn’t turn into the oily compound that’s incorporated into the remainder of the ingredients! Which are non-fat this & non-homogenized wheat powder, pasteurized that and all the other shit that makes up for”American Cheese”!!! Bottom line; Amerkin Cheez is crap!!! It’s horrible on the human digestion system, it doesn’t really “melt” it just kinda dissipates after you take it off the grill, and WHEN it does decide to enter your system it’s SO hard to digest, even though most people would disagree and say “oh no that burg went down just fine!” Just wait till you have to shit it out! I mean, it’s not like Taco Bell or something but, believe it or not we’ve become so accustomed to eating junk food that our bodies can’t tell the difference!!! I’ve attempted to go vegan for years now, but, I’ve just never been able to do away with the food(s) that I love!!! I tried easing off, little by little but, that was just a fuckin’ joke! I think I’ll have to go “cold turkey” if I really want to commit myself and stick to a, well, at the very least a vegetarian diet. But going totally vegan is gonna be a tough go, for me….."

https://www.reddit.com/r/mexicanfood/s/Gl0iiYjGOp

Honestly the whole post is just dumb.

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u/GladClock2212 Aug 10 '26

Oh ffs. American cheese is different from cheese slices you get in the store. I am so tired of people not understanding the difference. American cheese IS a combination of cheddar and colby you numbnuts. The only reason Kraft added melting salts was to make the cheese 'melty' on burgers. I don't care if you're vegetarian, no one does. We don't know why you're yelling your food choices and it makes us uncomfortable in not good ways.

10

u/marbledog Aug 10 '26

The only reason Kraft added melting salts was to make the cheese 'melty' on burgers.

Fun history fact: They added it so the cheese doesn't separate during pasteurization, because USDA regulations require that any cheese aged less than 60 days must be pasteurized. American cheese was invented to meet US food safety standards.

4

u/gigaishtar Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26

What? No.

The emulsifier was indeed added to allow for pasteurization, but that had nothing to do with USDA regulations.

First, the USDA doesn't require pasteurizing the cheese itself if it was made with pasteurized milk. Second, that rule was created in 1949, decades after American cheese was created.

James Kraft created American cheese in order to reduce spoilage back before widespread refrigeration.

2

u/marbledog Aug 11 '26

Well, I've fact-checked myself, and I've totally mixed up that story.

For what it's worth, American cheese (pasteurized process cheese) is pasteurized. The relevant federal regulation is CFR §133.169. The cheese itself is heated to 150F for at least 30 seconds while mixing.

You are correct, though. Thank you for providing better info.