American Cheese Published July 1, 2006. From Cook's Illustrated. We found a distinct difference between gooey goodness and just plain slimy.
products tested (listed alphabetically) Borden American Cheese Kraft Deli Deluxe White Slices Kraft Singles Land O' Lakes American White Land O' Lakes American Yellow Sara Lee American Slices See Product Comparison Chart We admit it. Many of us in the test kitchen top our burgers with-gasp-American cheese. Defined as a "process" cheese product with a minimum requirement of 51 percent actual cheese (the rest is mostly emulsifiers and stabilizers), American cheese can range dramatically in color, flavor, and texture. Coming to terms with our guilty pleasure, we decided to taste four widely available brands (in the guise of grilled cheese sandwiches) to find out which one we liked best, including both yellow and white varieties where available. Three brands had candidates that rated well for cheesy flavor. Not coincidentally, cheese culture (live bacteria added to milk to spur the formation of cheese curds) was higher on their ingredient lists than on those for the two contestants that didn't taste anything like cheese. And while across the board the textures were slightly rubbery, we found that there was a distinct difference between gooey goodness (the first group) and just plain slimy (the second group). As for color, it came down to a matter of personal preference. See the Results Winner Sara Lee American Slices In a grilled cheese sandwich, Sara Lee not only has cheesy flavor but also avoids the slimy texture other candidates have. Product Tested Price* Recommended Sara Lee American Slices This cheese received high ratings for its cheesy flavor, but tasters agreed its texture was slightly rubbery. Recommended Land O' Lakes American Yellow This cheese's slightly rubbery texture was redeemed by its prominent cheesy flavor. $6.29 for 1 pound Recommended Land O' Lakes American White Testers enjoyed the cheesy flavor, but not the slightly rubbery texture. $6.29 for 1 pound Recommended Kraft Deli Deluxe White Slices According to testers, the cheesy flavor outweighed the slightly rubbery texture. $5.29 for 16 ounces Not Recommended Borden American Cheese Testers agreed the "slimy" product didn't taste anything like cheese. $3.99 for 12 ounces Not Recommended Kraft Singles Testers found these slices "slimy," and agreed it didn't taste anything like cheese. $3.29 for 12 ounces *Prices subject to change. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
