I have made my own yogurt, and I’ve made my own butter….but I have never attempted to make my own cheese. It’s been on “my list” of things I want to eventually try, but fairly far down because I figured it was pretty complicated. That was until I ran across a recipe for American Cheese that sounded quite easy! Besides, I was really craving a good grilled cheese sandwich…so I decided to go for it.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of “American Cheese” I think of something like Kraft Singles. But Kraft Singles aren’t really “cheese”…they are a “pasteurized prepared cheese product” and contain a highly processed mixture of ingredients such as water, milk, milkfat, milk protein, whey, food coloring, flavorings, and emulsifiers.
Doesn’t sound very appetizing does it? So how come they are so dang delicious in a grilled sandwich or melted over a cheeseburger? I’ll tell you why…because American cheese has great MELTABILITY! (completely made up word there.)
Luckily there is a way to make your own “processed cheese” with just a few pantry items and some “real” cheese thrown in that is every bit as gooey delicious as its Kraft counterpart but much better for you.
Homemade American Cheese
Adapted from a recipe at America’s Test Kitchen
Makes 1 pound
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 12 ounces Colby cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
Line 5 x 4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over sides. (I only had a bread loaf pan available, so I ended up doubling the recipe and using that.)
Mix water and gelatin in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
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Combine cheese, milk powder, salt, and cream of tartar in a food processor and pulse a couple of times until combined. Cream of tartar is a great stabilizer that holds all ingredients together but I just wanted to let you know that it is also a natural alternative for bleach! Cream of tartar has a lot of uses in the household so make sure you have it available at all times.
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from heat, then stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved.
With the food processor running, slowly add hot milk mixture to cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Immediately transfer cheese mixture to prepared pan. Wrap tightly and chill at least 3 hours.
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Then when you unwrap it a few hours later…….
…….get ready for the best grilled cheese sandwich of your life!
By the way….the cheese can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month.
I can’t wait to make it again and add some coarse ground black pepper….or maybe some jalapenos! :-)
Homemade “American” Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 12 ounces Colby cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Line 5 x 4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over sides.
- Mix water and gelatin in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Combine cheese, milk powder, salt, and cream of tartar in a food processor and pulse a couple of times until combined.
- Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from heat, then stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved.
- With the food processor running, slowly add hot milk mixture to cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 - 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Immediately transfer cheese mixture to prepared pan. Wrap tightly and chill at least 3 hours.
This was so easy to make. I will cut back on the salt the next time I make it but WILL be making it again and again. YUMmmmmm!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You say you’re going to give instructions for making cheese? Then don’t tell me to go out and buy cheese. How lame!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry to disappointment you Di, this recipe is sort of like making yogurt, you have to start with yogurt to make yogurt ;)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looks delish! So glad I found your blog!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Definitely want to give this a try. Wonder how long it lasts after you make it (before it molds or goes bad).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.she said it lasts about a month in the fridge at the end of the post
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh! I have been trying different recipes for Cheese Zombies but they call for nasty “fake” cheese and I just can’t feed that to my family (besides it tastes like chemicals to me). It needs some meltability though so I’ve been in a bind. Yes it’s cheese from cheese but a healthyier option than Kraft singles folks! Thanks Jillie!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The only thing I´m missing is color. I would try annato seed for yellow coloring. Annato is a seed used in many latin american countries to add color to food. I would add a few seeds to the milk since the high temperature would help release the color. Be sure you strain the milk before adding it to the rest of the recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would try guar gum (also comes from a seed) if you want vegan substitute to gelatin (I´ve never tried ti though).
I found a wonderful recipe for Mexican Cheese Dip, like what you get in restaurants. Smooth, creamy and delicious! It uses American Cheese. I am really hoping this recipe for homemade American cheese will work in that recipe. I like knowing what’s in my food! Here’s the link. I think you will LOVE it! http://www.seededatthetable.com/2011/11/30/queso-blanco-dip-the-second-and-final-attempt/
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Did you make the queso with this cheese yet?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.has anyone tried this with almond milk? was there a response to the gelatin question?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Chill over powder from Mary Jane’s Farm.
http://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/store/p/65-ChillOver-174-Powder.aspx
Please log in or create a free account to comment.THANK YOU MDOE37!!! I am so happy to see a gelatin substitute! I am going to make this ASAP and surprise my vegetarian daughter. She will be TOO happy to have this :) I checked out the website immediately as I never even thought to look for vegetarian gelatin even as I am constantly still exploring ideas after 8 years!
Almond milk is interesting- I am thinking of coconut milk or cream, the thick part or even coconut flour. First I will try this as posted.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always thought cheese was way above my abilities in the kitchen but this looks very doable. I’m going to try it. It looks wonderful!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillie, This cheese recipe looks amazing! Your blog and creativity never ceases to amaze me! Truly!! Have a great day! ~ Jamie
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So funny–my DIL and I were just talking about making cheese. I was going to make mozzarella, but after seeing this maybe I’ll start here. DH loves the “singles” maybe he can be converted to a healthier cheese. I never really thought of “embellishing” one cheese to mimic another.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for lighting a fire under me.
I think this is a great idea.. Thanks for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Question….I recently bought some cheddar cheese powder…..it’s dehydrated cheese. It’s okay for cheese sauces, etc., but we don’t eat that very often. How do you think I might use it in this recipe?
It won’t make up the bulk of the shredded cheese.
Thanks,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Joey
Maybe you could use it as a flavoring? I haven’t tried though so I can’t say for sure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.try using it on your popcorn! It would not work in the recipe
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Glad some one mentioned the fact that this is indeed making–cheese–from–cheese! Just as long as you have already got the “other” cheese needed—
I have made real cheese–from real milk from animals I milked myself–lots of times. And nope–it does not (unless it;s mozzarella) have that meltability.
The reason it does not is milk proteins as I understand it. For melting cheese–like raclette and others–these have to be different than the ones in cheddar etc.
The “faux” cheese in the individual wrapped plastic is –whether from Kraft or a no-brand name—made mostly from OIL. Yep. Not “cheese” at ALL. And the reason they need to wrap it? If they did NOT it would smoosh back into a brick like Velveeta. This is one of the differences between say Land O Lakes REAL American Cheese sliced at the deli–and Velveeta or “Kraft Slices”. I am not exactly sure HOW these are made but it involves some form of small cheese “off cuts”–I was told at a cheese making plant I visited that if their batches FAIL they get SOLD to Kraft FOR these “Slices”!!!!—-and oil mixed with some form of binders–which could be milk powder, gelatin etc. Very little actual CHEESE in there tho.
For the Land O Lakes type I gather that the recipe involves mozzarella type cheese and some cheddar and actual CHEESE mixed and molded. I will have to ask to see the outer wrapper on one of the slicer bricks one of these days!
Remember the days of “Government Cheese”? That was some sort of velveeta wanna be in huge bricks that were warehoused. I heard then that these were not really meant to be given to the public but were the basis cheeses for the “Slices” and somehow these deals were brokered to get them out of the Govt warehouses. Dunno if this is entirely true. Like that gasoline the Govt is said to be hoarding–who knows! But makes you wonder where some of this stuff COMES from–and how LONG this stuff can keep!
There are home made recipes out there where you start from milk and comne up with nice cheese–for those interested in going beyond making cheese from–cheese!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve read that this recipe does not make good mac and cheese or queso. Have you tried either of these?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I haven’t tried those yet! But it melted just fine on my sandwich so I’m not sure why it wouldn’t work for mac and cheese or queso.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can still get real American cheese at the store. It’s just super expensive compared to the fake stuff. (almost $6 a pound) As long as it says “pasturiezed process cheese” instead of cheese food or cheese product, it’s real. I think Land o Lakes sells it unsliced.
Good idea if you can’t get the real thing in your area though!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I learned from my cheesemonger :o) to rewrap the cheese in a new piece of plastic wrap each time you take a slice from the block. Helps prevent the cheese from being introduced to bacteria/oxygen.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you!!!! Velveeta for the healthy eater. LOVE IT!!! I smell nachos in my future.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found this recipe a couple months ago, and OMG, this cheese is delicious. I made grilled cheese and my 8 yr old had 2 sandwiches….sooooooo good!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is there some reason I am not getting my daily email?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I switched over to a new email server and we’re still working through some kinks. You can try resigning up (in the upper right hand corner of my blog). If that doesn’t work you might just have to wait until we get everything working correctly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Above and beyond once again, Jillee!! Since switching to a real food diet, I have been missing out on the fake pasteurized cheese — american and velveeta… woohoo, I can’t wait to try. I don’t have a food processor so I am going to figure a way to make it work, I am usually able to… :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.looks great – but I surprised the recipe contains the colby cheese – so we would really be making cheese from already existing cheese?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yup! It’s sort of like how you have to start with yogurt to make yogurt.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.mmm…cheese jello? I think I’ll skip this one. Thanks for a new idea though!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Haha Jen! I promise it doesn’t taste like jello ;)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top of ingredients list shows recipe makes 1 lb.
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