Processed Cheese what is it?

Processed cheese is a type of cheese obtained from the mixing and heating of several natural cheeses, with suitable emulsifying agents, into a homogeneous plastic mass. It contains fruits, vegetables and spices. Processed cheese may be defined as a modified form of natural cheese prepared with the aid of heat. Processed cheese isn't technically a cheese but a byproduct of the cheese making process.

Good processed cheese has a smooth and compact body, devoid of fermentative gas holes and has a uniform color. This type of cheese could be sliced without crumbling or sticking and it melts uniformly and smoothly. Today there is an enormous range of processed cheese on the market, flavored by a staggering variety of ingredients which range from salmon to pineapple.

Preparation of Processes Cheese:

• Selection of cheese blocks is very important. Cheese blocks from various lots are selected according to age, flavor, body, texture etc to produce good quality cheese with standard composition.
• The selected cheese blocks are placed on the cleaning table for tempering. If there is any wax coating on the surface of the cheese blocks is removed along with non edible portions and hard rind.
• The ground cheese is then transferred into the processing kettle. The kettle is heated to temperature, usually ranging between 80-85°C to get a good quality product. The cheese is constantly stirred and cooking continued with steam. Emulsifiers such as disodium phosphate or trisodium citrate are commonly used at the recommended rate with the pre-calculated quantity of water. The cheese has to be continuously stirred during the heating process. The hot cheese is transferred to the packaging machine and packed into convenient sizes. It is a common practice to store the packaged processed cheese at 20°C overnight before transferring them into the cold store.

Advantage of processed Cheese:

• Processed cheese keeps better than natural cheese, and it melts more evenly when used in cooking.
• They have extended shelf-life.                                                  
• They have resistance to separation when cooked, and the ability to reuse scraps, trimmings and runoff from other cheese making processes.

Disadvantage of processed Cheese:

• Processed cheese is available in small range of flavors, which is far narrower than the range for unprocessed cheeses and normally very mild.
• Processed cheese also normally lacks the range of textures available in unprocessed cheeses.
• Processed cheeses are normally very smooth and medium-firm.
• Inclusion of artificial additives in processed cheeses and the higher levels of salt are other subjects of criticism.

Shop for processed cheese: Processed cheese is sometimes sold in blocks, or spray cans, but more often sold packed in individual slices, sometimes with plastic wrappers or wax paper separating them. Due to the processing and additives, some softer varieties cannot legally be labeled as "cheese" in many countries, including the United States and Britain, and so are sold as "cheese food", "cheese spread", or "cheese product."

Velvetta: Velveeta is the brand name of a processed cheese product which was first made in 1918 by Swiss immigrant Emil Frey. Velveeta features a soft, creamy texture and a distinctive taste that advertisers compare to cheddar cheese, and it is noted for its easy melting.

(Sources: absoluteastronomy.com, ezinearticles.com/?Processed-Cheese&id=852719, web.info-galaxy.com)

(Image sources: sybarite.us/puertorico/2007/07/24/im-terrorized-by-cheese/, pollsb.com/polls/p2084016-velveeta_processed_cheese_yay_nay, atlanticcheeseco.com/services.html, goldpeg.com/applications/processed-cheese.htm)