You might want to reconsider the first part. While you don’t want parm to be the primary cheese, a little parm added to homemade Mac and cheese really steps it up.
Have you tried sartori or belgioioso Parmesan? They aren’t parmegiano Reggianio, but they definitely scratch a similar itch. If you’re talking about “American cheese” itself then, yeah, you either know that that’s not cheese or are living in ignorant bliss not knowing what cheese actually is
Meijer has an better cheese section with a few international cheeses and cheaper American counterparts, the American counterparts absolutely suck.
The main “cheese” area is just blocks of cheeses like those, and grated cheeses with extra cellulose.
American Cheddar sucks compared to UK Cheddar, don’t even taste like the same cheese. And Colby jack is OK.
There’s also the issue that American cheese culture didn’t got a chance to mature before corporations took over and started making a handful of mass produced cheap products.
The main “cheese” area is just blocks of cheeses like those, and grated cheeses with extra cellulose.
Nah, I stand with the other guy, I think you just suck at shopping. This doesn’t describe literally any non-budget grocery store that I’ve been to in the past decade.
That’s the fucking point, in Europe you will have to go out of your way to find shitty blocks of cheese. While in the US you have to go out of your way to find decent cheese.
And if you love outside of a city? Practically impossible unless you drive a couple hours.
There’s a lot more than one “American Cheddar”, it’s a big damn country with several distinct dairy regions. (Wisconsin, California, New York, and Vermont being significant but not exhaustive) And the cheese culture is just a fork of the various European colonizers/immigrants that brought cattle over, combining old techniques with new resources.
Cream cheese, Humboldt Fog, and Cougar Gold are some highlights of American-developed-and-produced cheeses.
If this is the only cheeese you’re finding, are your unsure you’re not looking at a convenience store? We’ve never lacked for choice of cheeses, even if the biggest quantities are the plainest choices
yhea “white” American food is shite. because White culture, fundamentally does not exist (white as a culture was a way to erase the historical heritage of immigrants to create a blank slate group that was superior to natives/slaves). and once modernised its all corporate franchise slop.
and it shows. however, other subgroups have a rich culinary history. look at soul food for example, or when the immigrant heritage is allowed to shine Italian influence with NY pizza… or that bizarre mix of when a Chicago Italian hired a black cook from the South mixing southern slave recipes with Italian, to create Chicago pizza…
Oh fuck right off with that bullshit.
The US is a big fucking country. Full of a diverse range of cultures. If you go to some American supermarket and buy some lump of mass-produced pseudo-cheese, and sure, It’s gonna suck. But that’s true of most anywhere in the world.
But you go to a local market or a co-op or a mom & pop shop or a neighborhood bodega or a farmers market or any place with a cheese selection that isn’t dropped off by a truck from some faceless corporation, and you’re going to find some great cheeses. Are you in a rural area? Look for an Amish community. They can make some incredible cheeses.
I’m sick of you fuckers going to McDonald’s and then exclaiming “American food sucks.” -while ignoring all of the hardworking humble family owned restaurants who put out great food.
These broad generalized statements about Americans fucking cheese me off. Probably bought some cheese made by a Unilever subsidiary (a British company, btw) and then decided all American cheese sucks.
Yhea, you have boo idea how much you just admitted that US cheese sucks.
In Europe you will have to seriously go out of your way to get a kg worth of white cheese, while in the states that’s the norm.
In Europe every supermarket has a much better variety and at much higher quality than the states. There might be a handful of cheese shops in the states, but they are rare and the vast majority of Americans can’t get there. Meanwhile in Europe, even the smallest towns have markets and cheese shops.
And given that the US is so big, it’s disappointing that it has such tiny variety that results from everything being basically 2 or 3 corporations.
That’s fucking stupid. I live in a major American city and can easily ride my bike to a shop to get some great locally made cheese. But keep shitting on all of America. It gets the upvotes.
In Europe everyone has access to those kind of shops, not only those who live in a city. The only reasonable shop where they have an ok cheese selection is an hour drive away for me.
I live in suburbia and I can get cheese with like three ingredients from ShopRite. Legit, good quality cheese according to the likes of Serious Eats and their Food Lab, and their recipes are fantastic and I trust them with my food life.
Oddly enough, I can go to that same ShopRite and get individually wrapped yellow squares of whatever. A dozen different kinds. Or I can get real cheese sourced from all over.
So there’s an issue with cheeses in America, and I’m sure abroad as well, that I first was apprised of in Food Lab’s No-Boil Baked Ziti, real nice recipe. A note below the recipe talks about the ricotta cheese they recommend, and it says:
Look for a ricotta cheese that contains nothing but milk, salt, and starter culture or acid.
America, I’m sure you’ll agree, love to sneak shit into food, so I’m always extra careful, when making Italian style dishes, to keep an eye out. For some reason, I don’t think my grandma had this problem 50 years ago when she’d feed me the raw spiced meat before she’d roll em into balls and pop them in the oven.
I have no idea what you’re talking about with “white cheese” do you mean mozzarella? Ricotta? Cottage cheese? Feta? Munster? Swiss? Provolone? Cream cheese?
I can go to the local supermarket and pick up any of the above, plus goat cheese, which is also white.
But the most common cheese that Americans eat is probably cheddar. My local supermarket carries three different types of cheddar.
Speaking of yellow cheeses, I have in my refrigerator, some Gouda, some Colby, and some Monterey Jack.
I also have some American cheese, which is simply cheddar that’s been melted with sodium citrate to make a softer melting cheese. American only comes in prepackaged slices. But then again, the same can be said for the Munster and Provolone, well, deli slices.
I’ve lived in food deserts, I’ve lived in food oasis. Right now I’m closer to the desert side of things and even so, the cheese selection is fairly broad.
And again, I’m in a bit of a food desert. If I felt like driving for an hour or so, I could actually get every cheese from that sketch, except Casu Marzu.
Interesting how your example of a European cheese shop, had no cheese at all.
I believe there are some that are. Just not the cheapest stuff. Adding sodium citrate to cheese doesn’t automatically make it low quality. Starting with low quality cheese is what makes it low quality.
I’m European, living here now, would leave if I could.
i cannot put American “cheese” on my pasta.
even as an american, american cheese is disgusting.
I can taste the emulsifier they add to it so it “melts” nicer.
I will disagree with pasta and cheddar, though. Mac and Cheese is wonderful. (well. from scratch mac and cheese. blue boxes need not apply)
Kraft Singles aren’t American Cheese (like literally, they’re legally not allowed to call it that). I wish people would stop associating the two.
Actual good American cheeses exist. A favorite of mine is Cooper Sharp American.
mac and cheese is something else, you wouldn’t put parm on that. but practically every other sauce needs some real parm on top.
You might want to reconsider the first part. While you don’t want parm to be the primary cheese, a little parm added to homemade Mac and cheese really steps it up.
I was with them till you hit me “you don’t like grandma Emma’s mac n cheese?”.
Have you tried sartori or belgioioso Parmesan? They aren’t parmegiano Reggianio, but they definitely scratch a similar itch. If you’re talking about “American cheese” itself then, yeah, you either know that that’s not cheese or are living in ignorant bliss not knowing what cheese actually is
tried. not even close.
Fair enough. But when the real stuff is $15 for a sliver that lasts the afternoon… we take what we can get I suppose
$15 lasts me about 4 family meals. not sure where do you get your cheese or how much you’re using
it isn’t a cheap ingredient, but it is definitely not a luxury one either.
we aren’t taking abour real balsamic vinegar or caviar here
You’re supposed to put it on a burger/sandwich, not pasta.
I an referring to American cheese, as in cheese made in America, not kraft singles.
Well then you are just revealing your own ignorance to the world.
Enjoy your large blocks of cheap Cheddar and Colby jack, I do miss real cheese though.
There’s a reason for less cheese variety/quality in the us, milk must be pasteurized for cheese, which limits the cheeses available.
Non pasteurized cheeses are safe (unlike non pasteurized milk consumption)
If you can only find Cheddar and Colby Jack (which are real cheeses) then you’re doing a very bad job shopping for groceries.
Meijer has an better cheese section with a few international cheeses and cheaper American counterparts, the American counterparts absolutely suck.
The main “cheese” area is just blocks of cheeses like those, and grated cheeses with extra cellulose.
American Cheddar sucks compared to UK Cheddar, don’t even taste like the same cheese. And Colby jack is OK.
There’s also the issue that American cheese culture didn’t got a chance to mature before corporations took over and started making a handful of mass produced cheap products.
Nah, I stand with the other guy, I think you just suck at shopping. This doesn’t describe literally any non-budget grocery store that I’ve been to in the past decade.
That’s the fucking point, in Europe you will have to go out of your way to find shitty blocks of cheese. While in the US you have to go out of your way to find decent cheese.
And if you love outside of a city? Practically impossible unless you drive a couple hours.
There’s a lot more than one “American Cheddar”, it’s a big damn country with several distinct dairy regions. (Wisconsin, California, New York, and Vermont being significant but not exhaustive) And the cheese culture is just a fork of the various European colonizers/immigrants that brought cattle over, combining old techniques with new resources.
Cream cheese, Humboldt Fog, and Cougar Gold are some highlights of American-developed-and-produced cheeses.
Question, I lived in various European countries and the US, that’s why I making said comparison.
Did you spent significant time outside of the States?
Because listing some highly specific cheeses that aren’t available in any of my local distributors doesn’t count.
In Europe, in any town, from large cities to tiny villages, there’s a shit ton of cheeses, from national cheeses to imported cheeses.
If this is the only cheeese you’re finding, are your unsure you’re not looking at a convenience store? We’ve never lacked for choice of cheeses, even if the biggest quantities are the plainest choices
There’s no such thing as American gastronomy.
hard disagree.
yhea “white” American food is shite. because White culture, fundamentally does not exist (white as a culture was a way to erase the historical heritage of immigrants to create a blank slate group that was superior to natives/slaves). and once modernised its all corporate franchise slop.
and it shows. however, other subgroups have a rich culinary history. look at soul food for example, or when the immigrant heritage is allowed to shine Italian influence with NY pizza… or that bizarre mix of when a Chicago Italian hired a black cook from the South mixing southern slave recipes with Italian, to create Chicago pizza…
Oh fuck right off with that bullshit.
The US is a big fucking country. Full of a diverse range of cultures. If you go to some American supermarket and buy some lump of mass-produced pseudo-cheese, and sure, It’s gonna suck. But that’s true of most anywhere in the world.
But you go to a local market or a co-op or a mom & pop shop or a neighborhood bodega or a farmers market or any place with a cheese selection that isn’t dropped off by a truck from some faceless corporation, and you’re going to find some great cheeses. Are you in a rural area? Look for an Amish community. They can make some incredible cheeses.
I’m sick of you fuckers going to McDonald’s and then exclaiming “American food sucks.” -while ignoring all of the hardworking humble family owned restaurants who put out great food.
These broad generalized statements about Americans fucking cheese me off. Probably bought some cheese made by a Unilever subsidiary (a British company, btw) and then decided all American cheese sucks.
Yhea, you have boo idea how much you just admitted that US cheese sucks.
In Europe you will have to seriously go out of your way to get a kg worth of white cheese, while in the states that’s the norm.
In Europe every supermarket has a much better variety and at much higher quality than the states. There might be a handful of cheese shops in the states, but they are rare and the vast majority of Americans can’t get there. Meanwhile in Europe, even the smallest towns have markets and cheese shops.
And given that the US is so big, it’s disappointing that it has such tiny variety that results from everything being basically 2 or 3 corporations.
That’s fucking stupid. I live in a major American city and can easily ride my bike to a shop to get some great locally made cheese. But keep shitting on all of America. It gets the upvotes.
Food deserts are a thing,
In Europe everyone has access to those kind of shops, not only those who live in a city. The only reasonable shop where they have an ok cheese selection is an hour drive away for me.
I live in suburbia and I can get cheese with like three ingredients from ShopRite. Legit, good quality cheese according to the likes of Serious Eats and their Food Lab, and their recipes are fantastic and I trust them with my food life.
Oddly enough, I can go to that same ShopRite and get individually wrapped yellow squares of whatever. A dozen different kinds. Or I can get real cheese sourced from all over.
What do you mean cheese with three ingredients
So there’s an issue with cheeses in America, and I’m sure abroad as well, that I first was apprised of in Food Lab’s No-Boil Baked Ziti, real nice recipe. A note below the recipe talks about the ricotta cheese they recommend, and it says:
America, I’m sure you’ll agree, love to sneak shit into food, so I’m always extra careful, when making Italian style dishes, to keep an eye out. For some reason, I don’t think my grandma had this problem 50 years ago when she’d feed me the raw spiced meat before she’d roll em into balls and pop them in the oven.
There’s a reason lots of American foods cannot be exported to the EU, they are considered unsafe
I have no idea what you’re talking about with “white cheese” do you mean mozzarella? Ricotta? Cottage cheese? Feta? Munster? Swiss? Provolone? Cream cheese?
I can go to the local supermarket and pick up any of the above, plus goat cheese, which is also white.
But the most common cheese that Americans eat is probably cheddar. My local supermarket carries three different types of cheddar.
Speaking of yellow cheeses, I have in my refrigerator, some Gouda, some Colby, and some Monterey Jack.
I also have some American cheese, which is simply cheddar that’s been melted with sodium citrate to make a softer melting cheese. American only comes in prepackaged slices. But then again, the same can be said for the Munster and Provolone, well, deli slices.
I’ve lived in food deserts, I’ve lived in food oasis. Right now I’m closer to the desert side of things and even so, the cheese selection is fairly broad.
Wow three brands of cheddar!!! That’s so much.
Look at the Monty python sketch for what would be expected a normal cheese shop on Europe, a normal supermarket might have half that variety.
Not brands, types. Mild, sharp, and extra sharp.
If we’re talking brands, there are half a dozen.
And again, I’m in a bit of a food desert. If I felt like driving for an hour or so, I could actually get every cheese from that sketch, except Casu Marzu.
Interesting how your example of a European cheese shop, had no cheese at all.
That’s the joke. But that variety in a store isn’t that rare
And I could drive for an hour and get much the same variety.
But even in a food desert, I have dozens of options, from soft cheeses to hard.
I can visit the in store deli for even more options. Because cheese ships incredibly well with modern refrigeration.
You’re stuck in a loop, I witnessed a handful of European countries, and US, both big cities and Midwest.
You’re defending as if I said “there’s no chesse in the US”. But what I said is “US has a poor cheese culture compared to Europe”.
If you can’t tell the difference between those statements, then there’s no point in talking.
Because if you did, you wouldn’t be arguing
American cheeses are the best in the world.
Show me someone who prefers Parmigiano Reggiano over Kraft and I’ll show you an elitist liar.
I’m assuming you’re joking.
many American cheeses aren’t even allowed to be labelled as cheese in the US.
I believe there are some that are. Just not the cheapest stuff. Adding sodium citrate to cheese doesn’t automatically make it low quality. Starting with low quality cheese is what makes it low quality.
Call me a liar then. We have a chunk of parmigiano reggiano in the fridge. No other kinds of “parmesean” cheese to be found.
Dude, normally you seem a sane person, but on this you’re flat out wrong.
Pretty confident they are trolling.
Italians don’t ever sell their cheeses pre-shredded and that’s some lazy bullshit.
Nah, if you shred cheese you have to add cellulose to prevent sticking and cellulose prevents the cheese from properly melting in your dishes.
Cellulose is a perfectly natural part of aging.
Okay. These are getting better and better.
Cellulose in aging?
Cellulose is a plant material, no way to make any milk product develop cellulose. Biologically impossible.
it has to be an additive.
Granted, perfectly edible, and counts as dietary fiber, but definitely not a natural part of cheese ageing
nevermind, that’s just a shit post