American Cheese

[studiot]

I wasn't aware that there is currently an EU tariff of up to £60 per kilogramme on US cheese.

I really would like to taste some of the good stuff-  any recommendations?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48915578

[Phi for All]

When I want the good stuff, I go for a double Gloucester with chives and onion from England, or some triple creme brie from France. America has some excellent cheddars (the sharper the better), as well as some great jacks and colbys, and we do some wonderful things with goats, but as your article says, stay away from anything called American cheese. It's usually heavily processed orange plastic squares individually wrapped in plastic. I've never been sure if American cheese is sliced from a bigger brick before putting it in plastic, or if it's just squirted directly into the cellophane and allowed to set up.

[Bufofrog]

2 hours ago, Phi for All said:

called American cheese.

Ah yes that material I refer to as a 'simulated cheese food product', yum!

[Curious layman]

What's all this about "American cheese" being terrible, I love it. There are some better ones now as well. Can you think of a better cheese for burgers? Mc Donald's wouldn't be same, 

Mmmmmmm.......

Would be nice to get some of the better cheeses from America though, hopefully with the new trade deal they'll drop the tariffs.

We'll make you a deal America, you drink our wine, and we'll eat your cheese.

[iNow]

4 minutes ago, Curious layman said:

Can you think of a better cheese for burgers?

Yes

[Curious layman]

4 minutes ago, iNow said:

Yes

Not me, maybe I'm just used to processed cheese, but I find proper cheese too rich, too fatty for burgers. "American cheese" slices are a must.

[iNow]

4 minutes ago, Curious layman said:

Not me, maybe I'm just used to processed cheese, but I find proper cheese too rich, too fatty for burgers. "American cheese" slices are a must.

Depends on how the meat is flavored and what you’re eating with it. Sharp white cheddar is great, Swiss on some days, or if it’s really good meat like a steak, blue cheese. I also enjoy sometimes stuffing the middle with goat cheese so it oozes and melts into every bite. I’ve even been known to throw feta on some with crispy onions. 

[MigL]

I would think the tariff is to stop the US from flooding the markets with cheap cheese.
A lot of European countries ( Canada too ) protect some of their 'proprietary' cheeses.

A few years back, some people ( one of them a Police Officer ) were busted for illegal smuggling across the American/Canadian border in a nearby town called Fort Erie. They weren't smuggling drugs; they were smuggling cheese to the tune of $250000 Can. every 6 months.
Who would have thought...

[arc]

8 hours ago, studiot said:

I wasn't aware that there is currently an EU tariff of up to £60 per kilogramme on US cheese.

I really would like to taste some of the good stuff-  any recommendations?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48915578

These folks in Thorp, Wisconsin are getting a great deal of attention but I haven't had a chance to try some of it.

https://www.mariekegouda.com/

And this is an interesting profile about these transplanted Dutch family cheese makers and how they began their award winning enterprise. 

https://www.viroquafood.coop/viroqua-food-coop-blog/bid/207372/p6-profile-holland-s-family-cheese-maker-of-marieke-s-gouda

There is also a growing interest in my home state of Oregon regarding artisan cheese making that is similar to the craft brewing phenomena that has its roots here in Oregon and Washington states also, and then spread across the U.S. in these last 3 decades.

And just because this is a science site here is a research paper on the subject; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030214002963

And this is a few of those Oregon Artisan makers; https://oregoncheeseguild.org/cheesemakers/

I'm not an expert in any way but I am partial to the Tillamook sharp cheddar, I'm sure I've consumed my own weight several times of that one.  https://www.tillamook.com/creamery.html#general ; They say on their site "submit a request and we’ll get to work on coming to you."

 

[John Cuthber]

12 hours ago, MigL said:

I would think the tariff is to stop the US from flooding the markets with cheap cheese.

No, it's largely in retaliation for the US imposing stupid tariffs on cheese from the rest of the world to protect the dairy lobby there and this sort of thing

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/4272657/US-punishes-France-with-roquefort-tariff.html

 

It's remarkable how the Capitalist proponents of "free trade" are so happy to slap tariffs on stuff.
It's as if they don't believe in market forces.

[CharonY]

On 8/31/2019 at 2:32 PM, studiot said:

I wasn't aware that there is currently an EU tariff of up to £60 per kilogramme on US cheese.

I really would like to taste some of the good stuff-  any recommendations?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48915578

I think it is actually quite difficult to find good cheeses in regular stores in the US, as compared to in Europe. Those of the alright ones tend to be cheddars, but then you have at least equally good European counterparts, which will cost you much less. You can find them in big cities and in specialty stores, but frankly, the selection is massively inferior on average (and more expensive). An American (or Canadian) Gouda for example has significiantly less taste than one from the Netherlands. I suspect it is down to either the bacterial content or their activity (e.g. length of incubation). Or compare American "Swiss" cheese with, say Emmentaler or Gruyere. That being said, there are American and Canadian specialty cheese makers, who are very competitive in international competitions. But their production volume seems to be small enough that you do not find them easily, even in North America. A part of it is likely because Americans have gotten used to rather heavily processed cheese-like substances, and regular, if bland cheese is still alright in comparison. So really good ones are still a bit of a niche, though it may change in the near future. 

On 8/31/2019 at 6:37 PM, Curious layman said:

Not me, maybe I'm just used to processed cheese, but I find proper cheese too rich, too fatty for burgers.

I think you are mistaken there. Most "American" cheese products are 30% fat or higher. Emmentaler or similar cheeses are usually slightly below 30. I.e. in the end it is almost the same fat content. However, in actual cheese you get the aroma and umami on top of everything, which, in my mind, is the only reason to add cheese to the perfectly fine beef in the first place (and not to mention the potential issues with highly processed foods).

 

On 8/31/2019 at 6:45 PM, iNow said:

Depends on how the meat is flavored and what you’re eating with it. Sharp white cheddar is great, Swiss on some days, or if it’s really good meat like a steak, blue cheese. I also enjoy sometimes stuffing the middle with goat cheese so it oozes and melts into every bite. I’ve even been known to throw feta on some with crispy onions. 

Ever tried one with pecorino, especially with sauteed mushrooms?

[studiot]

Thanks everbody for your responses.

I quite like the high protein (37%), low fat (3%) cheddar.

Don't know if the Americans have anything like that?

[CharonY]

10 minutes ago, studiot said:

Thanks everbody for your responses.

I quite like the high protein (37%), low fat (3%) cheddar.

Don't know if the Americans have anything like that?

There is cheddar in America, though I have not found anything spectacular. Smoked cheddar is perhaps the most interesting variant I got so far. However, I doubt that cheddar anywhere close to only 3% fat. That just does not seem feasible, considering that full milks starts with 3.25% and there i subsequent liquid loss.  If memory serves most Cheddars hover a bit above 30% which actually put them  a bit above average. On the lowest end is probably cottage cheese with about 4% (I am discounting all fat free formulations, which are a different thing entirely), but that is probably not what you are asking for.

[studiot]

11 minutes ago, CharonY said:

However, I doubt that cheddar anywhere close to only 3% fat. That just does not seem feasible, considering that full milks starts with 3.25% and there i subsequent liquid loss. 

When I first found this stuff it used to say Cheddar, though it is not made in Somerset.

I see they now have a 'smoked' version.

Have a nice day

[iNow]

1 hour ago, CharonY said:

Ever tried one with pecorino, especially with sauteed mushrooms?

I think I had one like that at a conference in Vegas once. Was nice 

14 minutes ago, CharonY said:

There is cheddar in America, though I have not found anything spectacular. S

Spectacular is a stretch, but we like Cabot and Dubliner, even Tillamook (which someone mentioned above)

[CharonY]

37 minutes ago, studiot said:

When I first found this stuff it used to say Cheddar, though it is not made in Somerset.

I see they now have a 'smoked' version.

Have a nice day

Uh, OK. I think this is based on a fat skimming process. I never had that one, but the ones I tried were kind of tasteless and had a (for me) unpleasent texture. I have read that folks were working on improved techniques and there is the assumption that most of the taste is in the water soluble fraction. But then I have not have experienced a good example quite yet. But then I am partial (probably more ideological than anything) to "traditional" processing. But I suspect that most American cheeses would be something you might find enjoyment in, but again, I do not think that the same cheese variants you find in the US are going to be superior to what you can get cheaper in Europe (maybe unless you compare the high-end specialty producers in the US with some of the mass producers in Europe). 

Hmm, perhaps you could try a Monterey Jack. There are good variants our there, though overall they tend to be less intense in flavour. But considering it is an American cheese in fullest sense it might be worthwhile to look into.

36 minutes ago, iNow said:

Spectacular is a stretch, but we like Cabot and Dubliner, even Tillamook (which someone mentioned above)

I think I had Tillamook cheddar, which is fine (IIRC) . I did not know that there is an American Dubliner (which adds to the confusion as the original Dubliner is not produced in Dublin, either).

[iNow]

23 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I did not know that there is an American Dubliner (which adds to the confusion as the original Dubliner is not produced in Dublin, either).

Now that you mention it, I sort of forgot what the thread topic was. We're surely referring to the same Dubliner, and it's most decidedly not american.  

 

Cabot, however, very much is: https://www.cabotcheese.coop/cheese-by-type

[CharonY]

7 minutes ago, iNow said:

Now that you mention it, I sort of forgot what the thread topic was. We're surely referring to the same Dubliner, and it's most decidedly not american.  

 

Cabot, however, very much is: https://www.cabotcheese.coop/cheese-by-type

Ah, that makes sense.

Now that I look at the logo it I think I had a Cabot branded cheese and not a Tillamook. Gosh, I remember when I was in a specialty Cheese shop in France, and tasted my way through delicious things (and a few, which probably are biohazards).  I doubt I can pronounce half of them but I still kind of fondly remember that afternoon.

[iNow]

It really depends on how good your local supermarket is. We’ve been lucky and had great local shops with amazing cheese counters, but I’ve been in plenty of places that have crap and only crap. 

It’s similar with craft beer. What you have access to depends largely on where you live and who at the store is doing the ordering. Same with artisanal cheese. 

[CharonY]

10 minutes ago, iNow said:

It really depends on how good your local supermarket is. We’ve been lucky and had great local shops with amazing cheese counters, but I’ve been in plenty of places that have crap and only crap. 

It’s similar with craft beer. What you have access to depends largely on where you live and who at the store is doing the ordering. Same with artisanal cheese. 

I agree entirely. However, in Germany I was able to  go into a random discounter and get at least a range of  really good cheeses. Granted not a dizzying selection as elsewhere, but pretty much for half the price as across the pond. An advantage of the EU and the relatively short distances, I figure. 

[iNow]

41 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I agree entirely. However, in Germany I was able to  go into a random discounter and get at least a range of  really good cheeses. Granted not a dizzying selection as elsewhere, but pretty much for half the price as across the pond. An advantage of the EU and the relatively short distances, I figure. 

Well, yeah. In Germany, you can get a kickass cheese at a random train station, along with a warm pretzel and currywurst. Lol

[CharonY]

7 minutes ago, iNow said:

Well, yeah. In Germany, you can get a kickass cheese at a random train station, along with a warm pretzel and currywurst. Lol

... Fair enough. I should not complain. My fault that I did not fully checked out the cheese situation before committing to the appointment. On that note i was rather confused when I was offered pretzels, since I was not aware that the "Bretzel" you get in Germany is actually called a soft pretzel.

[iNow]

You could always check out some sort of cheese of the month club where they send it to you by mail: https://www.cheesemonthclub.com/about-us

[CharonY]

A bit pricey yet intriguing. Hmm and there is one for coffee too. God, I am going to die fat and with heart palpitations. But then  I have rather bad experience with mail (managed to lose clinical samples long enough for them to thaw....).

 

Also, why am I hungry?

[Curious layman]

6 hours ago, CharonY said:

Also, why am I hungry?

Your not the only one, I'm having cheese on toast for breakfast because of this thread. Sirloin steak and cheese (Stilton), Pecorino and mushroom burger, Goats cheese pizza, cottage cheese with jacket potatoes, my god, I'll be eating cheese all week now. 

 

6 hours ago, CharonY said:

God, I am going to die fat and with heart palpitations.

Me too, but it's better than dying of nothing

Edited September 4, 2019 by Curious layman