What to do with Kraft American Cheese singles?

[ipsedixit]

I'm not a big cheese fan to begin with, and find these Kraft singles just shy of completely revolting.

But I'm stuck with a big package of these things (24 slices).

Certainly a shame to just throw them away, but I'm certainly not above it ...

That said, is there any ingenious (or even just plain dumb) way to make these things palatable?

[londonmom]

When my daughter was little she called Kraft Singles "Flat Cheese" and refused to eat them. Smart thing. I however, loved them as a child and could only improve on the baloni, cheese, miracle whip on Wonder Bread sandwich noted with the addition of toasting the bread and buttering it first. Yummmm.

[ayoungre]

The best thing to do with Kraft Singles IMHO is to make cheesesteaks with them, although I prefer whiz Singles will do well.

[Indirect Heat]

The only way I find them palatable is melted on a hamburger. I'd much rather have real cheese, but I don't find them revolting when melted on a hamburger.

Frankly, I think putting those things in your body is a much bigger shame than throwing them in the trash. I prefer my empty calories to be tasty.

[Jennalynn]

I always have a package of Kraft singles (has to be Kraft) in my fridge. It sits right next to my $14 a pound parmigiano reggiano.

I love them both for different reasons and for different applications.

I love a gooey cheese omelet with Kraft. A cheeseburger. A tuna melt. Nothing works better for me.

If you find them just shy of completely revolting, you may never find their true magic. So give them to someone in your life who does.

BTW... How did you come to be "stuck" with them?

[Emme]

when i was a kid, we would scoop bagels, then toast, then stick a slice on, re-toast for a second, then fill with tuna salad, with sliced tomato... open face. yum.

[Lorry13]

I always keep a package of Kraft Cheese singles. It is only for when I am craving grilled cheese sandwiches or cheeseburgers. For everything else I use REAL cheese!

[FishTales]

Cheese Racing:

http://www.cheeseracing.org/

Cheers!

[ilikefood]

Heed the wisdom posted by MandalayVA above. It's worth repeating:
"The plastic-wrapped singles are gross, but the Deli Deluxe slices are pretty good. But yes, grilled cheese sandwiches!"

The Deli Deluxe slices are very appropriate on, but best limited to, most sandwiches, esp grilled cheese, burgers and quick snacks (i.e on crackers).
The ones wrapped in plastic are only appropriate in recipes with "plastic" listed in the ingredients.

[foiegras]

What I miss are the American Swiss slices, and agree re Deli Deluxe being a step up. I don't know if they quit making them, or if the store where I was buying them stopped carrying them ...

[chef chicklet]

I'd probably toast a bagel lightly, then put s a light coating of scallion cream cheese down, Then the cheese down, pepper it, and run it quickly under the broiler. Top it with a nice slice of tomato, and salt that.

[ipsedixit]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I ended up giving them to a co-worker.

Cheers.

(P.S. As a sidenote, said co-worker eats them straight. As of this writing, co-worker has alread gone through 6 slices ...)

[appycamper]

ah, then you've done a good thing and found them a good home.

[tonka11_99]

Sausage egg and cheese croissants. good anytime. If you really hate them ask a neighbor to take them.

[smartie]

make your own egg mcmuffins or on biscuits with a fried or poached egg, slice of cheese melts perfectly in between the carbs.

[mickeygee]

It might be the jersey girl in me, but american slices are the only way to make a proper Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese sandwich. Or Bacon, Egg and Cheese. Or Sausage, Egg & Cheese.

Pretty much any type of sandwich - grilled cheese with bacon and tomato is nice with american, cause you can layer the bacon and tomato inside the cheese and it all melts together.

[Sam Fujisaka]

I have a selection of good to great cheeses from all over the world in my ref. I would gladly take and enjoy your Kraft singles. Cheeseburgers and some sort of mac & cheese probably.

[chowser]

Donate them to a shelter or place that gives out food. Honestly, if you don't like them, the taste/texture/feel is so strong that you can't hide it unless you use such a small amount that using it is meaningless anyway. There are people who really would use and enjoy it.

[Val55]

Doggie treats!! They are like crack for dogs. Really good for training. My dog would solve quadratic equations if there was a slice of american cheese in it for him.

[kandmls]

Val
Our dogs love them, too. Unfortunately now they want all kinds of cheese.

[Val55]

My dog likes cheese of all kinds as well, especially anything stinky. But fortunately he still enjoys good old american!

[bushwickgirl]

This stuff is the grilled cheese slice of many American's childhood, although I'm inclined to think that the quality was a bit better 30 years ago. I know these slices have their fans and their applications, but there are better American cheese choices.

I still eat American cheese on occasion, but not Kraft American Singles. I share ipsedixit's opinion. I can't stomach the current Kraft TV ads, which state that this product is "America's cheese." Revolting in taste and texture, basically not that healthy a product, and patriotically embarrassing, yeah, you go Kraft.

I applaud the OP's willingness not to waste the cheese. Pass them along to a hungry person, or donate. Someone else may appreciate it more than you.

[MandalayVA]

The plastic-wrapped singles are gross, but the Deli Deluxe slices are pretty good. But yes, grilled cheese sandwiches!

[jeanmarieok]

Grilled cheese, with tomato soup and bread and butter pickles. Lunch of my childhood. And I'm with MandyVA - those Deli Deluxe are pretty good.

[blue room]

Sure, it's the plastic on the slices that you're tasting--American cheese is simply real cheese that's been Pasteurized, right? There's nothing evil about it. There are products made from oil (not milk) that look like cheese--but American cheese is really cheese.

[foiegras]

I suppose it all depends on what you mean by evil ... certainly Kraft singles isn't in Hitler's class. There's a reason why they have to call it 'cheese food' or 'cheese product' or whatever it is ... I know it's actually dairy ... is it because there's no aging involved? I suppose not, because fresh mozzarella is simply cheese. My understanding it's not truly cheese ... but neither is it a petroleum byproduct ;)

From wiki ...

Kraft Singles is a processed cheese product manufactured and sold by Kraft Foods, introduced in 1947. One of the more famous ad campaigns involved the claim that each ¾ ounce slice contained "five ounces of milk" (with milk being poured into a glass next to Kraft Singles), which makes them taste better than imitation cheese slices made mostly with vegetable oil and water (with oil being poured into a glass next to imitation cheese) and hardly any milk. The campaign was lambasted for its implications that each slice contained the same amount of calcium as a five ounce glass of milk and also more calcium than imitation cheese slices, which eventually led to a ruling by the Federal Trade Commission in 1992 that ordered Kraft to stop making false claims in its advertising.[1][2][3][4]

Kraft Singles are marketed under "pasteurized prepared cheese product".

Ingredients: Cheddar cheese, milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, calcium phosphate, sodium citrate, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid as a preservative, apocarotenal (color),annatto (color), enzymes, vitamin D3, cheese culture, yellow dye.

[rochfood]

Find a child, and cook for them (grilled cheese) or they like to snack on the cheese (they seem to like the shape and texture). Just give them a slice for snack or as part of a cold plate.
IF no child, I hate throwing out food as well, but would not be adverse to tossing a particularly bad food. Your comments seem to indicate you can't stand the stuff, so why eat it ? And which begs the question..why do you have them ? Did you buy them ?

[ipsedixit]

I don't like children. So nix the idea of cooking grilled cheese for a child.

No, did not buy them; I was given these as a part of a raffle, believe it or not.

Reason I am asking for ways to ingest these things is I hate to see food (if I can call it that) go to waste.

[Scott D]

I had to laugh at your last line, because when I came back to this thread I honestly couldn't remember if it was in Home Cooking or Not About Food :)

[ESNY]

The stuff was invented for grilled cheese and cheeseburgers. Just make sure they are fully melted and don't overdo it. One slice is plenty per hamburger.

I've also dropped one slice in my mac and cheese. It melts perfectly but doesn't really effect the taste, just gives a better texture.

[BamiaWruz]

Grilled cheese - singles on rye, it's the best!!

[smartie]

they make a great snack for my dogs!

they are ok on burgers in fact I kinda like them.

[Tripeler]

Put the slices individually on baking sheets and bake lightly for about 5 to 8 minutes, and they turn into chips.

[thew]

cheeseburgers
cheese omelets
grilled cheese

[greygarious]

Combined with good grated cheese, the slices will function to assure smooth melting in a cheese sauce for macaroni & cheese or a gratin of spuds or other vegetables.

[small h]

In the "just plain dumb" category: tuna melt. Sure, you can use aged cheddar and jarred Italian tuna on artisanal foccacia. But chunk light and processed cheese food has a trashy charm all its own. Just watch it like a hawk once it goes under the broiler: Kraft singles go from sort of solid to completely molten in the time it takes you to grab a pot holder.

Or a fried egg and cheese sandwich, on a toasted kaiser roll. Others have mentioned the scrambled egg sandwich, but I think the fried egg sandwich is far superior.

[dmd_kc]

I'd most recommend you NOT try to integrate them into a cream sauce for a faux Mornay. Heat enhances the artificial flavor and just creates a total mess.

Me, I'd combine them 50/50 with some good, hard American cheddar, run them through a food grinder to make pimiento cheese. My grandmother's always had half process cheese in it, and it's my gold standard.

[ChristinaMason]

I disagree. The singles melt perfectly in mac 'n cheese. I just made some last week out of desperation. Drain your noodles, add a little butter and milk to the pot, warm through, stir in the cheese, let that mostly melt, then stir in the noodles. Stir a couple minutes more and it's ready.

[dmd_kc]

Wonder what I did wrong. I was in EXACTLY that position a few weeks ago, and made a quick white sauce that I melted the cheese into. It was just terrible. Maybe I put in too much, but nobody could eat it -- even the American cheese fans.

[ChristinaMason]

Did you make a roux? You don't need to with the singles. Just melt them into pure milk and melted butter.

[dmd_kc]

I did - maybe that was the issue.

[julesincoq]

I don't like them and I don't like the way they feel in my mouth - all plasticy and yucky. Having said that.... I do add a scoop of cheeze whiz to mac and cheese. I would just try melting it into a mac and cheese dish. Crush up potato chips on top and you will have made serious junk food mac

[MikeG]

They make an "OK" grilled cheese sandwich if you don't use too many slices at a time. Tomato is good too and if you throw on a little bacon, you'll taste the cheese that much less...

[appycamper]

melt into grits with garlic and sriracha. grilled cheese with sliced tomato or sliced dill pickle. or find someone with kids and hand them off (they're usually little guys intro to grilled cheese).

if you're feeling nostalgic or very depressed add to a sandwich with bologna, mayo or miracle whip on wonder bread. should be served with koolaid.

[Cherylptw]

Oh yeah, now you're reminding me of my childhood; I second the bologna & cheese sandwich with miracle whip on wonder bread AND the kool aid...red....and if you want to get fancy, grill it.

I'm a chowhound but I do eat processed cheese slices..to me they just go with certain things. I'll mix them with other cheese when making grilled cheese, add to a toasted buttered roll & scrambled egg sandwich, add to my cheese mix when making mac & cheese, if I have some that need to be used; add to broccoli cheese cornbread before baking, melt on top of a pile of hashbrowns or home fries etc.

[ipsedixit]

I'm not against the fact that these cheese singles are processed ... it's just that they taste like plastic to me.

It's sort of like when I drink Evian from a plastic bottle, I experience a nasty "plastic" aftertaste. If I drink Evian, it has to be from a glass bottle.

[JerryMe]

If you're going to do the bologna cheese sandwich w/ MW and WB then add a big piece of crisp iceberg lettuce and don't forget ruffles chips . . .Yum - my stomach just growled as I typed that.

DS loves the Kraft singles semi-melted on a bagel w/ a scrambled egg on top. He asks for a breakfast bagel on a regular basis, if I'm taking requests. He's moved on to toasted onion bagel w/ scrambled egg w/ chives and red pepper and gruyere and or mozz, but the Kraft single w/ basic scrambled on a plain bagel is still his first love.

[appycamper]

lol! that sandwich is ubiquitous for a reason. i have the same fond feeling for hostess chocolate cupcakes.

[Scott D]

I have to ask if the ruffles are ON the sandwich? That's the way I do it.

[MrsCheese]

OMG, I had that sandwich almost every day in grade school. And somehow I was skinny.

[DGresh]

I think they melt really well, so mac and cheese?

[foiegras]

I've done that ... you can also do grilled cheese for a hit of nostalgia.

Do you have pets? I use processed cheese to give my dogs their pills (I buy the big bricks of Velveeta). It's sad ... I cook beautiful healthy food for them, and they consider the Velveeta pill package the cherry on top, to be eaten **first** without fail!

[threedogs]

hahahaha - you beat me to it! Was going to post the same - not only that, but I ALSO cook food for my dogs.. only my poor dog (it's actually the oldest of - yes, my three dogs - who is so fussy I that he won't eat pills in anything else) doesn't even get Velvetta - it's an imitation Velvetta.

So sad...

[Emme]

me three! the singles pill package... these work well for most dogs, except for my most recently passed beloved Weimeraner... he'd chew the cheese and drop the pill... we had to resort to the brand Pill Pockets.