Why American Cheese is a Pro Chef’s Secret Weapon

I love American cheese

and I think it is very misunderstood

and I think everybody needs to know that it's just cheese

with slightly different properties.

Everybody needs to understand

that this is a miraculous invention

and we should talk about it.

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Here's what to me is mind blowing about American cheese,

American cheese has the unique ability to melt

and then stay completely creamy

and fluid without breaking out of its emulsion.

This is a quality that's very particular to American cheese

and it's irreplaceable.

The ingredient that makes American cheese super unique

is an emulsifying salt

and the most frequently used one is sodium citrate.

An emulsifier is any ingredient

that can hold two disparate ingredients together

like fat and water.

An emulsifier will hold those two things together

so they stay in the case of American cheese,

smooth and creamy without splitting.

American cheese is essentially cheddar,

other cheeses such as Swiss cheese or Colby Jack

and sodium citrate with the addition of some kind of liquid

and it's made into this cheese that we know.

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The common misconception about American cheese

is that it can feel plastic or fake,

but good American cheese is real cheese,

real American cheese, which is made from milk

and milk fat is amazing.

When I go looking for American cheese at the store,

the words I'm looking for on the package

are pasteurized, processed American cheese.

That's the one that is closest to actual like cheddar cheese

or Swiss cheese or Colby Jack,

with the addition of a little bit of liquid

and emulsifying salt.

I would avoid products

that have the words, cheese food, imitation cheese,

cheese spread or cheese product.

To me, these are indicators

that the cheese isn't fully made from milk fat

and contains some amount of oil.

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The great thing about American cheese

is because it melts so well,

it almost forms its own sauce because it is so creamy.

So for instance, in this crunch wrap that I developed,

I add a layer of American cheese at the top and bottom,

and after it cooks and you cut into it,

it forms its own sort of sauce

that works well with all the other layers.

And for these slices, I'm using the Kraft Deli Deluxe,

which is usually my go-to for any situation

where I need sliced cheese.

Just layer, with this recipe, I knew right away

that I wanted American cheese

and I knew it was going to be the only cheese

that would, you know, melt

with that sort of creamy, saucy texture

without compromising any of the other ingredients.

And then I'm going to follow it again

with a layer of American cheese.

And the reason I use the American cheese first

before I add the tortilla chips on top is again,

I wanted to form a barrier between the rest of the filling

and the chips, so the chips have a chance to stay crunchy

and then lay a piece of foil on top.

[foil crinkling]

Weigh this all down.

Okay, so here's my crunch wrap just out of the oven.

It is golden brown on top and crispy.

I've let it rest as well for like about 10 minutes

so that it's not too hot

and holds its shape before I flip it out.

Yay, perfect.

Okay, I'm very excited to cut this

and to see how everything is held up

and how gooey the American cheese inside will be.

Here's the moment we've been waiting for,

oh my god, crazy.

As you can see, the American cheese melts and holds creamy.

This was one of the more crazy recipes I've developed.

The ability of the American cheese

to stay creamy once it's melted

really makes this crunch wrap I think.

So not only does American cheese

help emulsify cheese sauces,

but also keeps them creamy for a very long time.

I discovered this when I was developing the cheese sauce

for my seven layer skillet dip, and I tried

I think six or seven times to make a cheese sauce

without American cheese.

And every single time it was the same result.

It tasted delicious, but it was grainy, broken, separated.

So on the eighth attempt,

I trusted my instincts and added American cheese,

and of course it was the best cheese sauce ever.

So to make my seven layer dip,

I have my re-fried bean mixture.

I have everything that I need to make my cheese sauce,

so I add my water first.

If I added just the American cheese to the pot,

it would melt, but it would also be quite thick,

and I want it to be fluid

and saucy to meld well with the rest of the dip,

to which I add a little bit of salt,

ground cumin, Adobo sauce from a can of Chipotle.

This is American cheese that I got from the deli section

of the supermarket and I shredded it myself.

A lot of people don't know this,

but you could walk up to the deli counter

where you get your, you know, sliced cheese

and you can ask them to cut you a block

of American cheese and they happily will.

It has a very low melting point, American cheese,

so it melts pretty rapidly.

So I'm going to turn this heat off

and the residue heat should be enough

to melt the Pepper Jack cheese.

If I were to have made the cheese sauce

with just Pepper Jack cheese, it would have broken

and it would separate and turn very clumpy,

and it is a little bit thinner than one would think.

That's just because it's very hot.

And as it sits for a few minutes, it'll thicken up

and be perfectly creamy and spoonable.

I'm going to top it with all of my other ingredients,

for a little bit of spice,

and then I'll finish it off with a bit of cilantro.

As this begins to cool down,

the American cheese sauce will thicken

just a little bit, but it will stay creamy.

And when you dip it with a tortilla chip,

it won't break your chip, like it wouldn't have congealed.

So it's very easy to scoop.

And this is the American cheese

and the sodium citrate keeping the emulsion together

and keeping it smooth and creamy for a long time.

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Another great quality about American cheese

is its ability to remain fluid after it's melted.

And this is because of the sodium citrate again,

because it denatures the proteins in the cheese,

even upon cooling,

they never quite bond the same ever again.

So the cheese remains fluid for a long time,

and I think mac and cheese is a great example

to illustrate that property of American cheese.

So I have some noodles cooking here in milk.

I like to add the American cheese first

because it's like an entrance almost.

It melts first and stabilizes the sauce

so that when I add the other cheese, it won't break.

I use a combination of cheeses,

and this is something that I think

is a valuable lesson when using American cheese

because American cheese, the properties

of its melt ability are commendable,

but sometimes the flavor can be one dimensional.

So using it in a combination

with another cheese which is much stronger,

something like an aged cheddar,

really helps to balance the best of both worlds.

The American cheese essentially keeps things fluid

and creamy, and the cheddar cheese will bring flavor.

And to finish it off, I'm going to add

a little bit of mustard just for flavor

and a little bit of paprika for color.

This is ready for me to plate up.

You know, as I'm spooning this in, I can see

that the cheese sauce is coating the noodles very evenly.

I know because of the American cheese,

that it is not going to form up and coagulate,

so it'll stay creamy for a while.

Who doesn't like a creamy mac and cheese?

The great thing about using American cheese

for mac and cheese is it gets you

in this perfect in-between spot

between the convenience of box mac and cheese

and the flavor of a more complicated homemade version.

And the other bonus of using American cheese

is the sauce stays extremely silky

and fluid for a very long time.

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Why is American cheese the perfect cheese

for a grilled cheese sandwich?

Is because its melting point is so low,

and when you toast bread on a skillet,

it doesn't need a long time.

So by using a low melting point cheese such as American,

the cheese melts by the time the bread is toasted.

For a grilled cheese, I think you know,

it makes sense to use sliced American cheese.

And this one is the Kraft Deli Deluxe.

You certainly can add a slice

of a sharper, more flavorful cheese, such as a cheddar,

in addition to the American cheese.

I would caution against using just like a cheddar cheese.

I don't think it will melt as well.

The result will be a little bit stringy

and broken, perhaps even oily and greasy.

I would always use another cheese

in combination with American cheese.

Okay, I'm looking for the bread to be golden brown

and toasty, and the cheese to begin melting

and sort of coming out the sides.

And here's a grilled cheese made with American cheese.

Oh my god, you can really see how gooey

and even the melt is, an exceptional specimen

of a grilled cheese sandwich.

You can see how the cheese has melted evenly.

There are no pools of oil or grease,

and it's just a creamy melt from edge to edge.

Once American cheese is melted, it also sort of holds

all of the ingredients together.

So in the case of this make ahead breakfast sandwiches,

for instance, I am going to lay a slice

of American cheese on top.

And so I have my egg, the bacon, cheese,

and I've closed the top of the English muffin.

And now I am going to wrap them up

and hold them in the freezer until I'm ready to eat them.

And when it's time to reheat them,

the cheese will melt and sort of trickle down

and hold the bacon and the egg together.

These breakfast sandwiches have been in the oven

for about 10 to 15 minutes just for them to warm through.

So I'm excited to open one and see how it looks inside.

You can see here that the cheese is effectively holding down

the bacon, so when you go to bite it,

the bacon won't just like slide out of your sandwich.

The American cheese here is essentially creating

like a sticky network that binds the bacon to the bread.

In conclusion, American cheese deserves your respect.

As a big believer of American cheese,

I implore you to go

and find a good quality American cheese,

make the right choices when you're at the store

and you will be surprised at just how good, useful

and miraculous American cheese is.

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