topic Re: Velveeta in Kitchen

Velveeta

Jessa9 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 19:45:25 GMT

I went to the store today and saw velveeta cheese for $6.99. It was $5.99 last week. Is it even cheese? I use it when I make pierogie but I think I might just start using cheddar cheese.

Re: Velveeta

FunkyHulaGirl — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:03:28 GMT

YUM!

Velveeta is not cheese

Velveeta is not cheese. Velveeta is a cheese-like substance.

In industry language, Velveeta is packaged as a ‘pasteurized prepared cheese product’. That basically mean it’s processed.

Processing extends shelf life and allows manufacturers to make a uniform, consistent product. It’s also cheaper because you’re mixing inexpensive inputs together rather than relying on milk and enzymes alone.

Ingredients in Velveeta cheese:

Milk, water, milkfat, whey, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, milk protein concentrate, alginate, sodium citrate, apocarotenal (color), annatto (calor), enzymes, cheese culture.

You might read that list and think, ‘Well that doesn’t sound so bad’. And honestly, it doesn’t. Compared to most processed foods, Velveeta is relatively simple.

There is, however, one item I’ve never heard of: Alginate.

Some quick research reveals alginate as a flavorless emulsifier, similar to xanthan gum. It’s used in dye printing and in gel-like foods. If you have some sort of slurry you’d like to solidify, alginate is a substance you’d consider using.

Thankfully, alginate is a natural-leaning additive. It’s derived from brown seaweed.

Given the other ingredients, then, alginate is giving Velveeta its final, cheese-like structure. Without it, Velveeta would probably resemble thick, frothy orange water.

Re: Velveeta

HonnyBrown — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:14:34 GMT

Velveeta is very processed and as far opposite from cheese as cheese can get.

Macaroni and cheese does not taste the same without Velveeta. I've tried to make it without (very expensive cheeses, bacon grease, etc.), but it was never, ever as good as it was with Velveeta.

It may be going up because of the milk products. Someone in the butter thread gave an explanation.

Re: Velveeta

spud188 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:22:16 GMT

You use velveeta in your pierogi anything else with it?? That is a new one on me,I am not knockng it. Velveeta is the bomb in our house for mac and cheese and grilled cheese's.

Re: Velveeta

chickenbutt — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:23:48 GMT

Yeah, it's not cheese. (yuck)

I remember when I was a kid, a big ol' box of that was 99 cents. Yikes! How old am I!

Re: Velveeta

paShar — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:44:21 GMT

It's delicious if you cut it up in cubes and add a can of the Rotel diced tomatoes with peppers and then microwave until the Velveeta melts.

Makes a great dip for crackers or tortilla chips!

Re: Velveeta

Tinkrbl44 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:49:25 GMT

It's not real cheese ..... do people still actually eat that stuff?

Re: Velveeta

Jessa9 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:53:06 GMT

On 9/29/2014 spud188 said: You use velveeta in your pierogi anything else with it?? That is a new one on me,I am not knockng it. Velveeta is the bomb in our house for mac and cheese and grilled cheese's.

I mix it in with the mashed potatoes and I use it because it melts easily. I am thinking I better go with American or the cheddar.

Re: Velveeta

millieshops — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:54:05 GMT

On 9/29/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:
It's not real cheese ..... do people still actually eat that stuff?

I think they must and I also think it's been at least 50 years since I've bought any. This thread may have forced me to change. Or maybe to go to the cheese shop and splurge instead.

Re: Velveeta

Jessa9 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:54:18 GMT

On 9/29/2014 chickenbutt said:
Yeah, it's not cheese. (yuck)

I remember when I was a kid, a big ol' box of that was 99 cents. Yikes! How old am I!

Chickenbutt I remember when I first got married, it was 99cents ha ha....I've been married 42 years.

Re: Velveeta

Anglophilly — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:56:44 GMT

My grandson swears by it as fishing bait for freshwater fish. Maybe it's the hyper- orange color.....

There are cheese substitutes, but there is NO substitute for Velveeta. You just have to pay the price sometimes.

Re: Velveeta

Mominohio — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:02:23 GMT

On 9/29/2014 chickenbutt said:
Yeah, it's not cheese. (yuck)

I remember when I was a kid, a big ol' box of that was 99 cents. Yikes! How old am I!

Not to worry chickenbutt, at the rate grocery prices have been rising, I'm sure it was 99 cents just two or three years ago, which would make you only about 21 years old today, right!

Re: Velveeta

chickenbutt — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:06:47 GMT

On 9/29/2014 mominohio said:
On 9/29/2014 chickenbutt said:
Yeah, it's not cheese. (yuck)

I remember when I was a kid, a big ol' box of that was 99 cents. Yikes! How old am I!

Not to worry chickenbutt, at the rate grocery prices have been rising, I'm sure it was 99 cents just two or three years ago, which would make you only about 21 years old today, right!

Ohhhh, you're right! Thanks for straightening me out on that. I feel better now.

Re: Velveeta

HonnyBrown — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:13:15 GMT

On 9/29/2014 Anglophilly said:
My grandson swears by it as fishing bait for freshwater fish. Maybe it's the hyper- orange color.....

There are cheese substitutes, but there is NO substitute for Velveeta. You just have to pay the price sometimes.

Very true!!!!!!

Re: Velveeta

natureluvr — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:17:31 GMT

To each their own but even as a kid I have never liked the stuff. My mother never bought it, thanks mom! I remember it from friends homes. YUK

Re: Velveeta

HonnyBrown — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:45:51 GMT

On 9/29/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:
It's not real cheese ..... do people still actually eat that stuff?

I buy it for macaroni and cheese. I use 1/3 of an 8 ounce block.

DH and DSs eat the rest. The Big Boy swears by Velveeta Grilled Cheese.

Re: Velveeta

chickenbutt — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:54:11 GMT

One thing that works well for macaroni and cheese is the Kraft sliced 'cheese'. I buy the one called 'sharp' and use it for grilled cheese.

But I put like one or two of them (one for one serving, two if I'm making two-four servings) in with my real cheese when making macaroni and cheese, and it gives that melty consistency to the sauce. So, it's mostly real cheese, for the flavor, and just a little bit of the fakey cheese is all it takes to give the consistency.

Re: Velveeta

Clover29 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:16:36 GMT

I had no idea anyone made mac and cheese with Velveeta I use real cheese. It's not that I'm a cheese snob or anything, I just wouldn't think of using fake "cheese" for mac and cheese. I made my mac and cheese last week for DH, and he poked it suspiciously. "But it's not orange," he said. There was eye-rolling from the kitchen.

Re: Velveeta

blueroses47 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:27:32 GMT

On 9/29/2014 HonnyBrown said:
Velveeta is very processed and as far opposite from cheese as cheese can get.

Macaroni and cheese does not taste the same without Velveeta. I've tried to make it without (very expensive cheeses, bacon grease, etc.), but it was never, ever as good as it was with Velveeta.

It may be going up because of the milk products. Someone in the butter thread gave an explanation.

I laughed when I read this, because I guess I feel the same.

My mom, who was a really good cook, cooked elaborate meals from scratch and cooked unusual ethic foods back in the fifties when a lot of mothers didn't, always used Velveeta in her mac and cheese. It had big chunks of ham in it, and buttered breadcrumbs on top, and I remember it was delicious. I don't think she used Velveeta for anything else, but it was good in mac and cheese. I've tried a few more gourmet versions with real cheddar and other cheeses and they are just not the same, maybe it's just nostalgia.

Her other strangely un-gourmet dish was a baked bean dish with dried limas and onions and bacon, but the strange thing was she just used ketchup as the main sauce ingredient. Nothing else, no brown sugar, no fancy mustards, just KETCHUP! Who knows where she got that recipe, but I make it every fourth of July and it's so good and people seem to love it. Over the years I would try different baked bean recipes, with lots of ingredients, but I didn't like them as well. And this time, I don't think nostalgia is a factor, because those beans are just wonderful.

I don't buy Velveeta as a rule, but I always think of her macaroni and cheese when I see the old yellow box.

Re: Velveeta

Sooner — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:44:32 GMT

Mother bought some once for some recipe she had gotten--back in the 60s. We all thought it looked and tasted like plastic! LOL!!!! I have maybe bought it once or twice in my many years, but it isn't something I've had much experience with.