this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2026
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Nothing too serious, i want to hear your petty, your eccentric, your off beat takes.

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[–] cosmicrose@lemmy.blahaj.zone 44 points 1 week ago (4 children)

American cheese is “real” cheese, and it’s called a “process cheese,” not “processed cheese,” because process cheese is a culinary term for a cheese made from a mixture of cheeses. Also it melts so good because of a perfectly safe food additive called sodium citrate which just prevents the fat from separating.

[–] ignirtoq@feddit.online 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Well specifically it melts at a lower temperature because it's mixed with milk. The cheese part doesn't separate from the milk due to the additive, which is called an emulsifier. That also might sound artificial, but it's just the name for things that keep fats from separating from water and water-soluable foods. For example egg white is another emulsifier, and it's used in making mayonnaise.

Also 100% agree with American cheese being real cheese. It's not the best in every place you would want cheese, but that's true of any cheese. I don't want blue cheese on my nachos, and I don't want American cheese in my salads. But it's great on meat, and it's a good complement to a lot of warm foods.

Idk about it being the milk. When I make nachos or queso I add a pinch of sour salt and it stays stable and smooth at a much cooler temperature

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's one of two objectively correct cheeses for a cheeseburger, the other being provolone if you're going for kind of a philly thing.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Doesn't melt as well as American.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think that's preferable, I don't want the cheese falling off the burger, I want it to stick to the burger

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Doesn't really help that during the cooking process, and cheddar re-coagulates and gets kinda hard as the burger cools.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I've always kinda liked that, but can understand that some people don't. Course, eating the burger immediately after it's been dressed, while the cheese is still melty, is definitely the best time to enjoy it. God do I hate soggy lettuce or wilted greens on a burger 🤢

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

American cheese is “real” cheese

And box-wine is wine, Temu is a vendor, the lottery is a retirement plan, and a kleptocracy is a government. Just, none of those are good examples of their group.

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I like to make smash burgers. The first time my wife and I had people over for burgers, very early in our marriage, she wanted to buy cheddar and swiss and gouda to give people options. Which is fine and all, but I begged her, “Please, trust me on this. I have the cheese covered.”

Deli-style American is the greatest burger cheese. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of other cheeses are good on burgers, but if you want just a staple burger, I recommend a good American cheese. None of that Kraft Singles shit, get the good stuff.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

She was right about buying all that cheese tho. Maybe not for the burgers, but just for snacking

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago

Oh most definitely. We generally have a pretty good collection of cheeses for snacking.

My personal favorite lately is a Carolina Reaper pepper jack. It’s phenomenal. When we first started getting it it was so hot it gave me hiccups, though I’ve gotten used to it since.

[–] vinceman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

Swiss is great on a burger! Especially when combined with grilled onions or mushrooms.

I eat too much sodium citrate probably. I sprinkle some on my fruit popsicles and turn them into sour popsicles. It is probably not great for my teeth