mkWhen I told my hubby I was going to make this-um, let’s just say he disapproved. Not that we don’t use/eat American cheese- we do on occasion for grilled cheeses, and cheeseburgers, mainly…but it’s not one of those things we would eat unmelted. He disapproved because he had no clue how I was going to make it and feared coming home to a “not so fresh” house. “Honey, I’m home. Are you making cheese?” is not something he wanted to say. Me either, I would much rather hear “Honey, I’m home. It smells great in here and I won the lottery!”
So…cheese. Now- this is not “junk” cheese. It’s real. And it melts really well. It’s real because you begin with real cheese add some magic ingredients and poof-a 2lb brick of edible gold.
There will be a printable at the end of this post. I am so happy to finally have that for y’all. Now, I will be going back and editing all my previous posts (there are 246 of them) so you can print those, too. See how much I like you guys!? note: the print function works best with Mozilla Firefox, it did not work for my old-a** Internet Explorer. I am working on that. If you use IE and it works, let me know, please! Thanks.
I know what you’re thinking: how does it slice? Let me show you:
look at that! Like butta!
To make this- you need a blender. A food processor may work, I didn’t try it. The cookbook I got the recipe from was from 1978…I’m not sure if food processors were found in a lot of kitchens then. I was only 3.
First you whip up some hot water, gelatin and milk powder:
then add some shredded mild cheddar cheese:
Liquefy:
and place into a plastic wrapped lined pan:
groovy.
But, let’s keep it real.
Wanna see my mess?
Thought so.
It won’t be so messy next time…ha. Who am I kidding?
See the back splash-(the white part?) Yes- I am still waiting on my cabinets so I can paint. Ugh. 3 years in November….oh well.
[print_this]
How to make the world’s best American cheese:
From Make Your Own Convenience Foods by Don and Joan German
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs grated mild cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c HOT water
1/2 c plus 1 tbs instant nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
Method:
Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.
In a blender, place: [from your ingredients above]
1/2 c hot water
3 tbs milk powder
1/2 tsp gelatin
whirl until frothy.
Add 1/2 lb of the cheese, whirl until liquefied and pout into prepared pan.
Repeat process 2 more times until all ingredients are used.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (not you, the cheese. Okay, you can chill, too)
A note: In my blender, I did the 1st batch then just one more batch with all the ingredients- it was fine. I guess it depends on how big/powerful your blender is.
[/print_this]I am going to try this with different shredded cheeses, also and some seasonings…its great this way, but this stuff will be fun to play with! Yum- imagine jalapeno and bacon bits in there? Me too.
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Hi there! This recipe intrigued me, as I am a huge fan of American cheese. I grew up with different versions of it (usually not the major brands, as those cost more). It is unparalleled in texture for certain things (i.e grilled cheese, burgers, breakfast sandwiches and eggs). Having the particulars and natural tendencies that I do about food now (as an adult), anytime I buy it, I look for a version with basic ingredients. Luckily, I tend to find something unoffensive, though homemade = obviously better.
So, all that said, do you think this would work subbing buttermilk powder for the dry milk and pectin for the gelatin? I have so many niche kitchen ingredients from trying recipes that ideally, I’d rather use what I already have on hand.
Thank you !