DIY: American Cheese
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I love Gruyere, Brie and all of those fancy cheeses just as much as the next person, but there will always be a special little place in my taste buds for American cheese. As most kids do around these parts, I grew up on grilled cheese sandwiches that were made with smooth, creamy, and super-melty American cheese. By and large, any lunchmeat-and-cheese sandwich I ate included American cheese. To this day, I adore a bologna and American cheese sandwich with mayonnaise and sliced tomato on fresh Italian bread. Some flavors just can’t be replaced, and American cheese is one of them for me.
American cheese is a “processed cheese”, which means that it’s a cheese that started as another already-made cheese and is then further modified to make it creamier and more melt-y (for lack of a better word). What I didn’t realize, however, is that this is how American cheese was traditionally made, usually starting with Colby or Cheddar; however, now it typically doesn’t even start with real cheese. What?! The ingredient list is compiled of things like milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate and salt. A little less appetizing, right? I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I saw American Cheese in the list of recipes in the new DIY Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen (the same book that produced the homemade torrone) – I immediately bookmarked it and planned to make it after the holidays. Thus, here we are!
I was seriously stunned when I realized how incredibly easy it was to create my own American cheese, right there in my kitchen, in less than 15 minutes! The process begins with Colby cheese, then some dry milk powder, whole milk and gelatin are added to the mix (be sure to see the note below on dry milk powder). The combination gives the cheese that super creamy texture, as well as the properties it needs to melt exceptionally well.
The ability to melt supremely well is very important when it comes to such things as grilled cheese sandwiches. Very important. This cheese passed the test with flying colors. I’ll definitely be keeping a block of it in the refrigerator at all times!
One year ago: Fig Cookie Bars
Two years ago: Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream
Five years ago: Perfection Pound Cake
Homemade American Cheese
Yield: 1 pound American cheese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
An easy recipe for making your own American Cheese at home!
Ingredients:
1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
12 ounces Colby cheese, shredded fine (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon whole dry milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole milkDirections:
1. Line a 5x4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, using enough so that excess hangs over the sides.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small cup and let sit until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pulse together the shredded cheese, dry milk powder and cream of tartar in a food processor until combined, about 3 pulses.
4. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the softened gelatin until it is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
5. Turn the food processor on so it is running, then slowly add the hot milk mixture to the cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed.
6. Immediately transfer the cheese to the prepared pan. Working quickly, pack the cheese firmly into the loaf pan to eliminate most air pockets, then smooth the top. Fold the overhanging plastic tightly against the surface of the cheese and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The cheese can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month.
Note: Be sure to use whole dry milk powder, not nonfat dry milk powder, as it will make a difference. I purchased my whole dry milk powder from King Arthur Flour.
(Recipe from The America's Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook)
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I could almost hear Christopher Kimball’s voice in this post. I’ve heard him talk fondly about American Cheese on the shows and then when I saw it was adapted from the Test Kitchen cookbook, I wasn’t surprised…and you make it look so easy!
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Yay! I love my American cheese grilled cheese sandwiches, but I’ve given them up the last year or so. To me the cheese that I normally used had an oily – like petroleum oily – taste to it.
This looks so easy when you do it, but we’ll have to see what kind of mess I make.
Thank you!
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Amazing! I never would have thought of making my own American cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
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Hi.
I love to eat a grilled cheese sandwich once in a while, but where i live i can only find white processed cheese and it just isn’t the same thing. I never would have thought it could be done at home. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Is there a substitute for the cream of tartar because i could never find it, or could i just leave it out?
Thank you for all the DIY recipes! I love them!
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Becca from It's Yummilicious on January 22nd, 2013 at 9:37 am
You should be able to find cream of tartar in the spice aisle or the baking aisle of most grocery stores. You’ll need it to give the cheese stability
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:24 am
Hi Teresa, As Becca mentioned, it is found in the spice/baking aisle in most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, I think it would be okay to omit it, as the recipe states that it gives the cheese a little bit of a tangy flavor.
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Teresa on January 22nd, 2013 at 5:50 pm
Thank you both for answering. I live in Spain and I already looked for it at the grocery store for other recipes and never found it, so I always leave it out. But I did some research today and I found out I can buy it at the pharmacy (??)
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I’m an American living in Holland. While we have access to some of the world’s most amazing cheese here, I missed Velveeta for some recipes like mac &cheese. I stumbled across this recipe too a while back & can vouch for how delicious it is. I ususlly make a double batch & freeze it in portioned blocks. Works great! Now I just need to figure out how to make cheese curd. We had some in Wisconsin on vacations last year. That was so good!
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Leah Ochoa on January 22nd, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Caroline, I attended a class at The Mozarella Company in Dallas, TX a few years ago, and we made cheese curd as a precursor to making Mozarella. I think it was whole milk and lemon juice simmered and strained through cheesecloth; however, it has been quite a while and I don’t have the recipe. You might contact Paula Lambert at the Mozarella Company for the recipe. She teaches classes, but you’re a bit far away for that to be convenient. Good luck!
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Caroline on January 24th, 2013 at 9:25 am
Thx Leah! That’s a good tip. I’ll look onto it!
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Now this is useful! Thank you .
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I can’t believe it’s possible to make your own american cheese! So cool!
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Hooray! I can not WAIT to make this! My fiance is obsessed with American ONLY for grilled cheeses (despite my attempts to get him on to gruyere + “fancy” bread). I’m going to whip this up asap!
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Thanks for sharing….I have to try this….just curious….if you used nonfat dry milk would it make a lowfat cheese or it wouldn’t set up right?
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:26 am
Hi Lori, According to the write-up that was included in the cookbook with the recipe, the nonfat dry milk powder gives the cheese an off-taste.
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I had no idea you could make your own American cheese! I eat it every morning on my DIY Egg McMuffin, so I MUST try this! Thank you!
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Kenji Lopez from Serious Eats used to work at America’s Test Kitchen, he wrote a really cool article on how to make any cheese melt like American.
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/09/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-super-melty-cheese-slices-like-american.html
I think even the biggest cheese snob should be able to appreciate a Kraft Single, but this might prove some middle ground.
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:26 am
Thanks so much for sharing!
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I just purchased the whole milk powder from KAF to make this! I bet KAF saw a huge increase in the sales of this item after this book came out!
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Looks nice. Unfortunately we don´t have anything called Swedish cheese here
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You have just changed my children’s lives! I’ve banned processed cheese from our house, but you’re right… there is NOTHING like it. I will be making this just as soon as the milk powder arrives!
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There is nothing quite as perfectly melty as American cheese, however I’ve been avoiding it lately because it seems like it’s always very processed and artificial – I can’t be sure what’s in it. I had NO idea it could be made from scratch! I’ll definitely try this out soon (pinning it now).
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I have to admit, as much as I share your love for American cheese, I never once so much as thought about how it was made! Can’t wait to try this!
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Any idea what the shelf life of this cheese is? If I make a log of it, how long will it keep in the fridge?
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 9:48 am
Hi Stef, I have that at the end of the last step of the recipe, it’s 1 month in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
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I had no idea that this was something I could make at home. I’ll have to try it out sometime!
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“The ingredient list is compiled of things like milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate and salt. A little less appetizing, right?”
No less appetizing than cream of tartar and gelatin… I’d probably take the former over the later, to be honest… At least everything you listed from the commercial product is derived from, you know, *milk.*
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Kris on January 22nd, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Oh man, this made me laugh. Well written and I totally agree.
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Virginia Cusick on May 15th, 2013 at 10:26 pm
I would much rather eat those ingredients than what is REALLY in fake cheese. If you eat meat or fish you have already eaten worse since a lot of fancy cuts contain something called “meat glue.”
Cream of tartar is a byproduct of the winemaking process as the powder forms inside wine barrels during fermentation. It comes from tartaric acid, a naturally occurring substance in grapes and some other tart fruits that in the principle acid in winemaking.
Gelatin (or gelatine, from Latin: gelatus = stiff, frozen) is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), flavorless solid substance, derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolysed form of collagen, and is classified as a foodstuff. It is found in most gummy candies as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some ice cream, dip and yogurt.
Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients[1] such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States,[2] it may not be legally sold as “cheese”, and must be labeled as “processed cheese”, “cheese product”, or similar—e.g., “cheese food”. At times even the word “cheese” is missing in the name on the label, e.g. “American slices” or “American singles”. Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey.
Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients[1] such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States,[2] it may not be legally sold as “cheese”, and must be labeled as “processed cheese”, “cheese product”, or similar—e.g., “cheese food”. At times even the word “cheese” is missing in the name on the label, e.g. “American slices” or “American singles”. Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey.
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Great recipe! How fun to make your own cheese!!
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Fun idea, Michelle! I can get some pretty amazing cheese here in Wisconsin, but it sure would fun to try and make my own one day!
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Amazing!!!! America’s Test Kitchen has never failed me. I’ve been meaning to try some homemade versions of my favorite things (did peanut butter!) so it looks like cheese will be next on the list. So cool!
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I would love to try this. Will this work with anything other than colby? I usually purchase cheddar from a local dairy.
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Ashley on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:27 am
I was planning on trying it with cheddar! Maybe even some fancy white cheddar, like a habenero cheddar or horseradish cheddar!
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:28 am
Hi Jenny, I think you could substitute a mild cheddar for the colby, but I would not use a sharp cheddar.
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Jenny on January 22nd, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Great! Thank you.
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Oh my gosh, you just made my day. I was just thinking yesterday that one of the foods I miss most as I try to eliminate processed foods, is American cheese. I used to love it in my scrabled eggs (weird?). Thank you so much!
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Very cool! I just tried my hand at making some goat cheese last week… think I will need to add this to the list!
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This. Is. Awesome. I’m always wary of buying the stuff at the store (because who knows what’s in there) but I love that you can make it at home! Commencing a whole month of grilled cheese sandwiches for me
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Never even heard of making your own! When we switched to whole foods a few years ago American Cheese got the boot. I’m beyond excited about this. My cheeseburgers may never be the same again!
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Certainly looks like a fun project my kids would LOVE to help with! Great idea to make American Cheese.
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What the what?? You can make American Cheese? Whoa. Have to try this to go with my copycat Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Thanks for sharing!
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Sunny Nestler on January 28th, 2013 at 9:37 pm
Oooh, I would LOVE your copycat Campbell’s Tomato Soup recipe!!! If you wouldn’t mind sharing??? You can email me, or send it to my rughooking blog URL. There is NOTHING like Campbell’s tomato soup with grilled cheese when I’m sick!
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Wow! This is crazy amazing! Who knew making American cheese at home can be so easy! Need to try this!
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brilliant!!
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I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen Feed a while ago and was so intrigued. It seemed almost too good to be true, but I am so glad to hear it turned out well! The melty cheese in that grilled cheese picture is killing me, I need to have it
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This is just awesome!! I so can’t wait to try this, I love love love Velveeta, I can’t belive you can make it at home!
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I made this too a month or so back for a soup that called for the brick o’ stuff. I made it with cheddar and it turned out perfect for the soup. Didn’t even seem to be too strong straight up to me, as he mentioned in the article. I used whole goat milk powder because you can sometimes find it in regular stores and almost always at places like Whole Foods. Worked great.
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ok, this is really intriguing! But is this cheese closer to Velveeta or deli/Kraft American?
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Believe it or not, I never actually had Velveeta as sliced cheese (only melted into a dip or something like that), and we never had Kraft singles either. Growing up, my grandma would buy a 5-pound block of Land o’ Lakes American cheese from the Italian store, and then slice off what we needed (my grandparents had a commercial-grade deli slicer in their basement).
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Wow, homemade American Cheese! A must try!
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I’m so glad my friend showed me this.
My biggest pet peeve is to see food prices rise, especially cheese prices.
And most all prepared foods have food fillers like whey protein.
It’s so irritating you can’t buy pure foods now unless you make it from scratch.
Thanks for this great recipe. and for the cheese hurd idea. I plan to make cheese as soon as possible. Happy cheese making.
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Judy on January 22nd, 2013 at 1:25 pm
I meant cheese kurd. I could not edit it.
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I like American Cheese, but it always seemed full of ingredients that are not very appealing. This, however, looks great. I see many many grilled cheese in my future.
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Too cool. I too have a soft spot and LOVE how simple this is to do yourself. Such a great idea – thanks for sharing!
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Holy yum! I’m making this this weekend after my visit to KAF.
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Michelle on January 22nd, 2013 at 6:16 pm
So jealous that you live close enough to KAF to visit!
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Beth on January 23rd, 2013 at 12:57 pm
It’s an hour and a half drive from me, so we’re packing up the family to visit the store and have lunch at the cafe (weather permitting, keep your fingers crossed). I can’t wait. I have a long shopping list!
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MIND = BLOWN
ps. this website is my go to for EVERYTHING. keep the awesome recipes coming!
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Wow, can’t wait to try this! Seems simple enough, too.
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This is so cool. I’ll admit I’ve never been a huge fan of American cheese, but the fact that the storebought kind isn’t actually made of cheese may have something to do with it ;P What a fun thing to make at home!
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This sounds great, how about adding olives, red peppers, etc. brings it to the next level!
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Wow, I never knew you could make homemade American cheese until now! It sounds super cool- I will have to try it. I bet it would be great on top of a burger.
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If only I had access to colby or cheddar cheese….the only negative of living in Italy
…
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You have confirmed what I already suspected, that American Cheese had somehow changed since I was a kid. Thanks for this great alternative!
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Facinating and kinda gross because of the gelatin. I wish there was an easy to find non-animal derived subsitution for gelatin.
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Sunny Nestler on January 28th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
I think agar-agar might fit the bill. My “Mom’s Organic Market” and other local organic market carry these, made by Eden, in with the seaweeds section, like Nori and Dulse. Here’s a link: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/dairyfreeglossary/g/AgarAgar.htm
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Does it have to be a disposable loaf pan…can it be glass?
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Your recipe is featured on ATK!
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/test-kitchen-community/2013/01/blogger-spotlight-brown-eyed-baker-tackles-american-cheese/
Great job!
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Great job! Your site is so fun! I saw the post on America’s Test Kitchen!
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Will this solid-er version melt as well as Velveeta? I want to make a mac and cheese with some of this. And of course the rest for grilled cheeses!!! Now we need recipes for the ubiquitous Campbell’s Tomato and Cream of Mushroom soups that go into so many of our recipes! Love, love, LOVE your site and plan on making every single recipe here!! Thank you so much for making easy recipes for those of us who don’t have the energy or stamina needed for more complicated recipes.
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Michelle on January 28th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Hi Sunny, I have never made mac and cheese with Velveeta, but it definitely melts just as well as store-bought American cheese. Nice and gooey!
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When is the salt added? Is it possible to decrease the amount?
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Michelle on February 2nd, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Hi Vanessa, The salt is added to the food processor with the shredded cheese, dry milk powder and cream of tartar.
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Making “cheese” from cheese seems like cheating.
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I made this tonight with 8 oz colby and 4 oz cheddar. It is a little too salty, probably because of the cheddar so next time I’ll try half. This recipe is amazing!
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I love this idea and your blog, but I am a vegetarian. Any suggestions for what I could use to sub for gelatin?
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Michelle on March 11th, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Hi Emiliy, I’m honestly not sure, as the gelatin helps to give the cheese its consistency and keep it firm.
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emiliy on March 12th, 2013 at 9:08 am
Thank you, Michelle. I will do a little research and if I find something I’ll let you know as well. Nothing like a grilled cheese sandwich with melty American cheese!
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I have been making this for awhile. I never used whole milk powdered milk I do not see any difference it is great either way.
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I missed the part about only using whole dry milk until after I made it. I have it the refrigerator now firming up, what happens when you use non fat dry milk?
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Pam on April 15th, 2013 at 4:19 pm
It turned out wonderful, I don’t see a reason to spend the extra money on purchasing whole dried milk.
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Michelle on April 21st, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Hi Pam, According to the write-up that was included in the cookbook with the recipe, the nonfat dry milk powder gives the cheese an off-taste.
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