Fun Fact: American Cheese
American Cheese is actually watered down cheese.
It's made via a sodium citrate dihydrate USP and sodium hexametaphosphate USP chemical bath that binds the cheese to water that is then sold as a higher price than the bulk of the cheese.
And you can easily make it yourself at home with a double boiler and cooking scale at only a fraction of the price of buying the equivalent amount of craft singles.
Really puts the America in American Cheese.
It's made via a sodium citrate dihydrate USP and sodium hexametaphosphate USP chemical bath that binds the cheese to water that is then sold as a higher price than the bulk of the cheese.
And you can easily make it yourself at home with a double boiler and cooking scale at only a fraction of the price of buying the equivalent amount of craft singles.
Really puts the America in American Cheese.
Here's a transcript recipe using milk and additional butter instead of water for a richer flavor based on NileBlue's video below.
[media=https://youtu.be/0aGNAxN5Z-o]
1) Prep Cheese:
Shred 1lb cheese.
2) Make a chemical bath:
24g sodium citrate dihydrate.
1.2g sodium hexametaphosphate.
1½ cup milk.
4tb butter.
Bring pot of chemical bath to 122-150°F, 50-60°C, whisk thoroughly to allow the sodium to melt into the liquid.
3) Make cheese mixture:
Add cheese to chemical bath, whisk as it melts into a thick cheese sauce.
4) Finish:
Pour onto pre-heated pan at 167°F 75°c
Refrigerate tray of cheese, cut once cooled.
Note: Can probably pour into a glass mold for a large block of processed cheese.
Sodium Hexametaphosphate:
https://www.amazon.com/Hexametaphosphate-Molecular-Gastronomy-Non-GMO-Certified/dp/B00PJOEUDA/
Sodium Citrate:
https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Premium-Sodium-Citrate-Emulsifier/dp/B07T927Z6R/
