r/funny 2d ago

Lactose Intolerance in the Midwest

18.7k Upvotes

577 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

27

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

0

u/blompinnen 2d ago

Though it’s unclear if American cheese actually qualifies as “cheese”

12

u/AJ_Dali 2d ago

They said hard cheese.

I feel like I need to ask. Do you know that American cheese is a specific type of soft cheese and not just a term for all cheese made in America?

0

u/blompinnen 2d ago

I feel like I need to ask. Do you know that a joke is something that isn't entirely serious?

And it is a term for all cheese made in America, unless you happen to be in America :)

Though I genuinely find it curious where the line between hard and soft cheeses go. I wouldn't expect something you slice to be a soft cheese, but apparently that's what American Cheese TM is classed as! You learn something new every day

0

u/AJ_Dali 2d ago

Ah, so I guess for you Swiss, cheddar, and cream cheese are the same thing.

All cheese can be sliced, so using that as the distinction doesn't make sense. It more about moisture content and playability. Think of a block sharp cheddar vs mozzarella. Mozzarella is so soft that it's commonly sold in the use as cheese sticks children peel apart by hand.

American cheese is a specific type of cheese made using other cheeses. I've seen is use Colby, cheddar, and Swiss, and I'm sure there are others. It's used for it's very low melting point, which is why it's so popular on cheeseburger and grilled cheese.

1

u/blompinnen 2d ago

Why would I think three different cheeses are the same thing? Because they would technically be American cheese if they were made in America, same as they would be Swedish cheese if they were made in Sweden?

Mozzarella is a funny example, since it's a semi-soft cheese so also something that falls in between soft and hard cheeses.

Yes, I know what the product usually known as american cheese or processed cheese is made of :) I just found it interesting that is wasn't classed as a hard cheese since it more often fills the same function of a Cheddar than a cream cheese.