Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Why Processed Cheese Doesn’t Need To Be A Guilty Pleasure

Taylor Tobin
By

As a professional food writer who’s also an unapologetic fan of “lowbrow” eats, I’m here to tell you that food-related pleasures shouldn’t ever be a reason for guilt. If a meal or snack brings you joy, then there’s nothing wrong with embracing that feeling of satisfaction, whether you get it from a pricey cut of Wagyu beef or from a well-placed stream of processed cheese.

Processed cheese products get a lot of hate from gourmands, but I’m willing to go on record with the following statement: In the right context, processed cheese is a powerful force…and, in my opinion, a powerful force for good. 

There’s a reason why processed cheese slices are so often used to make grilled cheese.

A successful grilled cheese relies on the quality of the melt, which can make hard cheeses a tough move for this sandwich. If you cut your slices of cheddar or Gouda too thick, then you may end up with a grilled cheese that’s nearly burnt on the outside but hardly softened on the inside. But if you swap in a Kraft Single, then you’ll avoid the threat of inconsistency and will get a flawlessly melted grilled cheese interior every single time. Processed cheese slices don’t have the complexity of flavor of their true cheese equivalents, but that even melt can’t be beat.

Many versions of “Texas queso” rely on Velveeta. 

The Lone Star State takes enormous pride in its signature chip dip: A warm, creamy, spicy, cheese-packed concoction appropriately known as “queso.” Plenty of queso makers use “real” cheese as their dip base…but, as you can see from this recipe modeled after the famous queso served at Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos, this process requires a great deal of time, attention, and energy. That’s why many Texans make use of a classic queso shortcut with only two ingredients: Rotel canned tomatoes & green chiles and Velveeta.

A bright yellow block of processed cheese product, Velveeta’s mid-century popularity came entirely from its smooth, clump-free molten state, and that characteristic allows it to continue its homemade-queso dominance. Velveeta-Rotel queso is a staple of game-day snack platters in Texas because it’s consistent, it’s easy, and it hits the spot every time.

Philly cheesesteaks and Cheez-Whiz go hand in hand. 

Discussions of Philadelphia cheesesteaks can become contentious when the topic of cheese arises. Some cheesesteak aficionados insist that real cheese (specifically provolone) is the only appropriate dairy accoutrement for this sandwich … but an equal number will tell you that Cheez Whiz (a processed cheese spread already in semi-liquid form and sold as a dip or a sauce) is a natural match for chopped steak and onions in a hoagie roll. 

I love provolone as much as the next cheese fiend … but I’ve also eaten enough cheesesteaks outdoors in brisk weather to know that melted provolone has a tendency to seize up and solidify in cooler temperatures, compromising the desirable melty texture of the cheesesteak filling. Cheez Whiz helps you avoid that grievous fate; it remains soft and pleasantly gooey for far longer than its real-cheese competitor, and it offers the cheesesteak a salty boost that ties all of the sandwich elements together. TL;DR: When it comes to cheesesteaks, I”m Team Cheez Whiz all the way.

Provel cheese is a staple ingredient in St. Louis-style pizza.

While not quite as well-known as New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish pizza, St. Louis pizza holds a special position in the pantheon of regional American pizza varieties, and its standout ingredient is Provel cheese, a processed-cheese product that melts easily and tastes like a combination of Cheddar, provolone, and Swiss. St. Louis pies use Provel in lieu of the classic mozzarella, and this locally made product makes an ideal complement to St. Louis pizza’s thin, cracker-like crust and herbaceous sauce. 

These four reasons (in addition to my own nostalgic fondness for processed cheese) comprise my argument in favor of these dairy-adjacent products … but if you’re dead set against buying Velveeta or Cheez-Whiz but still want that easy meltability and smooth texture, then try this “processed cheese” recipe by Dorothy Lane Market culinary director Carrie Walters, who tells us that her cheese sauce is “very versatile, better for you than the store-bought versions, and it tastes amazing.  This type of ‘processed cheese’ makes ooey-gooey mac and cheeses and other casseroles extra special. It is perfect on a Philly cheesesteak or a hamburger. It has a smooth consistency and is lusciously creamy. Making it yourself takes the ‘junk food’ factor out of the equation, and it’s also gluten free.”

Carrie Walters’ Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp cornstarch 
  • .5 tsp kosher salt
  • .5 tsp garlic powder
  • .5 tsp onion powder
  • .5 tsp mustard powder
  • .5 tsp turmeric
  • .5 tsp sugar 
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 oz cream cheese, sliced
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup provolone, shredded

Method:

  1. Whisk the cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, turmeric, and sugar together in a small bowl. 
  2. Add the milk and cream cheese to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until the cream cheese has dissolved into the milk. 
  3. Whisk the spice blend into the simmering liquid and continue to cook for a minute more until it thickens. 
  4. Turn off the heat and gently stir in the shredded cheese, folding it into the liquid until completely melted.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Why you should sous vide your baby back ribs this summer
Once you make your baby back ribs this way, you'll never go back
why you should sous vide baby back ribs

Summertime is coming, and that means ribs. Sweet and spicy, fall-off-the-bone, savory, meaty, delicious ribs. And while you may already have your grilled or baked ribs mastered, we bet you haven't yet tried sous vide ribs.
Before you roll your eyes at the idea of something as primitive and macho as ribs being prepared in something as modern and geeky as a sous vide machine (how dare you), hear us out. You're going to want to try this the next time you get that delivery from .

Sous vide ribs are more tender (and customizable)
We're sure your grilled or baked ribs are tender. But not like this. Really.

Read more
How to make the perfect shepherd’s pie, according to a cookbook author
Cookbook author Licia Kassim Householder shares her delicious recipe, guaranteed to be a hit
shepherds pie recipe untitled 14

Although Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone, it doesn't mean that we want to stop eating delicious Irish-American dishes. Hence, the reason you sought out a shepherd's pie recipe. We don't want to burst your bubble, but shepherd's pie isn't a traditional Irish dish. But, for that matter, neither is corned beef. However, this colcannon version of shepherd's pie really ups the level of the dish's Irishness.

Shepherd's pie has its roots in English cuisine. Dishes like corned beef and shepherd's pie have found their way into Irish-themed menus thanks to Irish-American celebrations, with emphasis on the American part. However, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious shepherd's pie on St. Patrick's Day or any day. It's a hearty and filling comfort food for the chilly winter and spring months.

Read more
Need to reduce your daily sugar intake? Eliminate these 10 surprising foods
Sugar is sneaky, hiding itself in many surprising places (like these foods)
bacon peregrino Ibrico de bellota

It's no surprise that we as a society are eating far too much sugar. On average, American adults consume around 77 grams of sugar per day. That's more than three times the recommended amount by the USDA.
Sure, it's easy to point our fingers at the conveniently located candy bars in the checkout lane, or the super-sized sodas everywhere you turn. Easy-to-munchsugary snacks like cookies are far too easy to take advantage of. And those pretty little pastries with our morning coffee are obvious culprits, too.
What might not be so obvious, though, are the sneaky ways sugar makes itself at home in such a vast amount of the food we consume. Ice cream and candy, sure. But milk? Marinara sauce? What about those "healthy" foods with labels that read low-fat or low-sodium? We'll let you in on a little secret - if they're cutting one ingredient, they're probably making up for it with sugar.
Sugar is sneaky, creeping into surprising foods and then disguising itself with an exotic name tag on the nutrition label. Common aliases include: cane crystals, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, and syrup, to name only a few!
So if you're trying to watch your sugar intake, the smartest thing you can do is read the label of everything you're bringing home from the grocery store, because that sugar will creep up out of nowhere if you aren't careful. To help you be better prepared, though, here is a list of foods sugar loves to hide in.

Yogurt

Read more