The Power of (Good) Cheese

What constitutes "good" cheese can vary greatly from one person to the next. Some are cheddar fans; others pepper jack. Some will only consume the highest quality imports, yet others could care less and prefer melted American cheese on their burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. Frankly, the only reason people call American cheese a cheese is because it contains cultures and milk proteins. In reality, it's more of a "pasteurized cheese product" rather than all-out cheese. And if you look closely, you'll see that most brands of American singles will have the wording "pasteurized prepared cheese product" on the packaging.

With this blog entry, I will show real cheese versus preservative infused crap. Feel free to take notes.

Exhibit A: Great Value American Singles

I feel dirty just having this on my blog. Still, we have to understand the practicality of American singles. They are designed to be "cheesy" while remaining creamy and melting nicely onto hot foods. They have some value in that they help augment homemade macaroni and cheese recipes for some families. But, let's examine what is actually in this "cheese."

This is from the Walmart store brand of American singles:
Ingredients: Cultured milk, water, cream, whey, sodium citrate, milk protein concentrate (huh?), modified food starch, why protein concentrate (huh?), calcium phosphate, salt, sorbic acid as a preservative, sodium phosphate, citric acid, APO Carotenal and beta carotene for color, lactic acid, enzymes and vitamin D3.
Allergy warning: Contains milk.

God, I hope it contains milk if that's one of the reasons I'm buying it. From this we learn it has a ton of preservatives in it and a bunch of "concentrates." In contrast, I examined two commonly available offerings by the people at Tillamook.

Exhibit B: Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar

For those who don't know, Tillamook is a dairy cooperative in Tillamook, Oregon. For those in the Midwest and East Coast, they're similar to Cabot. And, like Cabot, Tillamook produces a vast line of food goods from non-altered milk. The cheese does not contain artificial preservatives, and it comes from cows that have not been treated with growth hormones. Granted, the company notes on each package the FDA has found no links between growth hormone in cattle and anomalies in human health, but the fact remains people are looking for purity and wholesomeness in their food. The cross section of a piece of Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar shows the complexity of the milk solids or curds. While some major production cheeses may show much finer texture, that is a product of over manipulation and the use of rennet to quicken the cheese ripening process. As a result, a sharp cheddar by Kraft or one of its competitors will end up tasting like one of Tillamook's medium flavors. To avoid this, the company may actually add artificial flavoring to bring it up to par and at the cost of misleading the unassuming supermarket buyer.

And, unlike big time commercial producers, Tillamook's Special Reserve contains only: Cultured milk, salt, enzymes and annatto for color. It contains no animal rennet. Rennet is a substance added to milk to make cheese artificially. While this cheese is good shredded and added to an omelet or placed on vegetables or a baked potato, its best offering is simply in thinly slicing it and admiring its beauty. Here is a second photo. Stare in awe. Try to control your inner animal urges; someone may be watching...

You can see in the think slice that the various curds, even after ripening and forming this ideal medium-hard cheddar still retain some of their original form as they actually peal away from each other on their own. Uniformity is something that cheapens good art.

Exhibit C: Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar

The Vintage White Cheddar is a medium flavored cheddar that I consider to have a buttery undertone. The cheddar flavor is far less subtle than its Special Reserve big brother. And it is also more creamy with less distinction in the curds. The distinction is there, but it is far less pronounced. As such, the individual slice holds to together better and is less crumbly. A less sharp flavor and creamier texture, make this more suited for melting on a burger. Tillamook's medium show here is aged for 100 days. The ingredients include: Cultured milk, salt and enzymes.

Being a white and a medium is sometimes troublesome, because a majority of people will be used to seeing Cabot's Vermont white and typical Irish or English white Cheddars, which both could be considered sharp cheeses as a standard. This one is different, and would be better suited as a "mild" classification when compared to the sharp or extra sharp. This one is good on crackers, and with its more creamy texture broadens its melting application over the Special Reserve. Consider substituting this or a regular medium for American singles.

Of course, Tillamook also produces regular sharp, medium, regular mild, Monterrey Jack, pepper jack and other varieties. Make no mistake, Tillamook is not as sophisticated or sophisticated as some import cheeses, but as an American original, this company stands out among the rest, and can give any imported cheddar a run for its money. American singles be damned! Note that the thinner this cheese is sliced the better when applying for melting on burgers on the grill. If the burger is well done and you wait to put a slice of this on, it could carry the burger into the burnt stage before you get sufficient results, especially if you use the harder Special Reserve. 

Although there is a sacrifice in sharpness, that's why the Vintage White is better for melting. The standard Tillamook medium is also ideal if you want creaminess, but something more robust than this white medium. To differentiate, the regular medium comes in orange labeling and is artificially colored orange. The reason why true cheese takes longer to melt than American singles is because the bonding agents used to congeal the whey and milk proteins are weaker and have a lower melting point than the more established and robust natural solids in the Tillamook cheese.

On a side note, the company's sour cream and butter are of equally high quality. They recently ventured into a line of yogurts that I look forward to trying if I can ever get closer to the coast. For more information on Tillamook, go here: Tillamook Creamery