Description
Kraft, who?? If you’re looking for real deal American cheese recipe, look no further. This is ultra-gooey burger and grilled-cheese greatness. And super easy to make! Recipe adapted from Chef Steps.
Ingredients
400 grams sharp yellow cheese (see note), cut into 1-inch cubes
160 grams whole milk
12 grams sodium citrate
4 grams kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
1 gram sodium hexametaphosphate
Instructions
- Using a cambro or large pot filled 2/3 of the way with water, set the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 167 degrees F.
- Line a mini-loaf pan, or other contraption that’s roughly 6×4 inches with multiple layers of plastic wrap. This is to ensure that once the mixture is fully blended, you can immediately pour it into the mold. I cannot stress IMMEDIATE enough. You have to move quickly, trust me.
- Set up your blender so that it’s ready to go once the cheese is done cooking. Again, you gotta move quickly.
- When the water bath is finally set to 167 degrees F, add the cheese, milk, kosher salt, sodium citrate, and sodium hexametaphosphate into a 1-gallon ziplock bag. Remove the air from the bag by leaving it slightly open while you carefully drop the bag into the water, because the water displacement method will push the air out. Once you’ve achieved this, zip the bag up and clip it to the side of your cambro or pot.
- Cook for 30 minutes. The cheese should be fully melted.
- Immediately pour the melted cheese mixture into your blender and start to emulsify it on the lowest speed, gradually increasing speed all the way to high, for about 1 minute. You shouldn’t have any issues blending, but if you do, incrementally add 1 teaspoon of warm milk to help loosen the mixture. Don’t add too much milk (more than a tablespoon or two), because it will be too soft to slice once it’s fully cooled. After a minute of mixing it all up, IMMEDIATELY pour the mixture into your plastic-lined loaf pan (or whatever you’re using) with the help of a rubber spatula to get all of it out. Work FAST! Once the cheese is all out of the blender and into the mold, give it a good hard tap on the counter to release any large air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to pop any large bubbles. Cover the cheese with the over-hang of the plastic wrap, making sure no air is trapped. Cool in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- This cheese is very soft, and difficult to slice with a knife. I sliced mine with a knife, but I also got super thick slices. If you’re looking for a typical “slice” size, use a wired cheese slicer or unflavored dental floss. To store your slices, layer them between slices of parchment paper, then store into a plastic zipper bag.
Notes
Use regular sharp cheddar, not “extra” sharp or “seriously extra” sharp.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30
Keywords: how to make american cheese, american cheese recipe, homemade american cheese, american cheese from scratch
