American cheese

American cheese is a type of processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses, in conjunction with sodium citrate, which permits the cheese to be pasteurized without its components separating. It is mild with a creamy and salty flavor, has a medium-firm consistency, and has a low melting point. It is typically yellow or white in color; yellow American cheese is seasoned and colored with annatto.

Processed American cheese was invented in the 1910s by James L. Kraft, the founder of Kraft Foods Inc., who obtained a patent for his manufacturing process in 1916.

History
British colonists made cheddar cheese soon after their arrival in North America. By 1790, American-made cheddars were being exported back to England. According to Robert Carlton Brown, author of The Complete Book of Cheese, what was known in America as yellow cheese or store cheese was known as American cheddar or Yankee cheddar back in England. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the first known usage of "American cheese" as occurring in the Frankfort, Kentucky, newspaper The Guardian of Freedom in 1804.

After patenting a new method for manufacturing processed cheese in 1916, James L. Kraft began marketing it in the late 1910s, and the term "American cheese" rapidly began to refer to the processed variety instead of the traditional but more expensive cheddars also made and sold in the U.S.

Production
Traditional cheese is ground, combined with emulsifying agents and other ingredients, mixed and heated until it forms a melted homogeneous mixture. Sodium citrate is an important additive at this time, as it prevents the cheese fats from separating. The cheese mixture is then heated to a temperature of at least 150 F for a minimum of 30 seconds during pasteurization.

Composition requirements of processed American cheese control the percentage of milkfat, moisture, salt and pH value in the final product, along with specifications for flavor, body and texture, color, and meltability.

Processed American cheese is packaged in individually wrapped slices, as unwrapped slices sold in stacks, or in unsliced blocks. Individually wrapped slices, sold as 'singles', are typically the least like traditional cheese. Blocks of American cheese are more similar to traditional cheese, and are sliced to order at deli counters.

Uses
American cheese is a common choice for sandwiches due to its versatile nature, pairing with a variety of meats and other ingredients. American cheese is also recognized for its smooth and meltable texture, which is what makes it a reliable cooking ingredient for many dishes.

American cheese is famously known for being used in the typical American cheeseburger, contributing both flavor and acting as an adhesive layer to maintain the form of the burger.

The Philly cheesesteak was originally developed in Philadelphia by combining thinly sliced beef, onions, and cheese on a long roll. The cheese used originally was provolone, but white American cheese slices are a common ingredient in a Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich;, the Philadelphia/South Jersey market was responsible for 50% of Kraft Foods' white American cheese sales.

In a standard grilled cheese sandwich, American cheese is most commonly used due to its easy meltability. Since Kraft's American cheese was used for "filled cheese sandwiches" during World War II, American cheese has been known to have the best consistency for such a sandwich.

In breakfast foods, American cheese is commonly used when making meals such as omelets, scrambled eggs, and breakfast sandwiches that involve eggs, bacon, and bread.

American cheese is also common in macaroni and cheese.

Regulation
According to the Standards of Identity for Dairy Products, part of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), to be labeled "American cheese" a processed cheese is required to be manufactured from cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, washed curd cheese, or granular cheese or any mixture of two or more of these. The CFR also includes regulations for the manufacturing of processed American cheese.

Because its manufacturing process differs from traditional cheeses, federal laws mandate that it be labeled as "pasteurized process American cheese" if made from more than one cheese. A "pasteurized process American cheese" must be entirely cheese with the exception of an emulsifying agent, salt, coloring, acidifying agents, and optional dairy fat sources (but at no more than 5% of the total weight). A "pasteurized process American cheese food" label is used if it is at least 51% cheese but other specific dairy ingredients such as cream, milk, skim milk, buttermilk, cheese whey, or albumin from cheese whey are added. Products with other added ingredients, such as Kraft Singles that contain milk protein concentrate, use legally unregulated terms such as "pasteurized prepared cheese product".