Velveeta

[MarketStEl]

I can't eat the stuff... my grandfather always used it as catfish bait, and the smell reminds me of those nasty smelling cheese flavored marshmallow bait things.

That said, my sister puts Velveeta into the Green Bean Casserole that she makes for Thanksgiving.

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(emphasis added)

NOOOOOOOOooooooo.....

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That's what I told my mom when she told me. Made me glad I never go "home" for Thanksgiving.

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Mind if I ask your race or ethnicity?

--Sandy "click the link in my prior post" Smith

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My mother's family is Japanese-American, my father's family is Caucasian.

I don't go "home" for Thanksgiving because "home" 400 miles away, and my husband rarely gets the day after Thanksgiving off.

My sister lived in the South (Jacksonville, FL) for about 5 years, and developed a taste for things like deep fried okra, boiled peanuts, sweet tea, grits and velveeta.

We did grow up eating Kraft Mac N Cheese though... Mom used to put sliced weiners, chunks of ham, or a can of chili in it. Her sister, my late aunt Ivy, used to put 2 whole bunches of cilantro into her Kraft Mac N Cheese, turning in Mac N Cheese that made a journey to Chernobyl and back.

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...um, that's not Chernobyl, that's Three Mile Island.

Chernobyl is the chili I made for a potluck party tonight:

3 pounds ground beef, browned and drained

1 39-ounce can chili seasoned beans, undrained

3 6-ounce cans tomato sauce

3 small onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped

4 dried ancho chilies, crushed

1 dried habanero pepper, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons each chili powder and cumin

1/2 tablespoon each ancho and chipotle powder

2 bay leaves

Toss all this into a Crock-Pot, turn it on High, transport it to Northeast Philadelphia 8 hours later.

I brought sour cream and shredded cheese along so the guests could cut it. The cheese was not Velveeta, but it was Kraft.

Edited to add: Okay, Green Bean Casserole remains a Caucasian thing, I guess -- your sister had to get it from your father's side of the family, right?

Right?

You still there?

Edited August 26, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[LindsayAnn]

I have also been thinking (ever since the birth of this tread) that if I brown some ground meat, add some salsa and velveeta and nuke it all....that would be good too - no?

Here you go, sweet stuff:

Carnes con Queso

1 lb ground beef

1 lb chorizo (Mexican-style)

1 white or yellow onion, chopped

1 can whole tomatoes, drained

1 2-lb box Velveeta

chopped jalapenos to taste (I used the canned or jarred pickled jalapenos, "en escabeche"; often you can find them sliced, for nachos)

In a large skillet brown the meats. Drain well. Either remove the meat from the skillet and set aside, or make the sauce in a separate pan.

Coarsely chop the tomatoes and chunk the Velveeta and place in a pan along with the onions and chiles and cook slowly, simmering, until Velveeta is melted and smooth.

Stir in the meats and serve hot with tortilla chips.

Now...I used to be a huge hit at cocktail parties with this dip. Often somebody else had brought the good ol' Velveeta & salsa/Ro-Tel dip, and this is a step up, so it would disappear much more quickly, with kudos all 'round. (Not that 'dips' should be a competitive event, you understand, but still...)

I haven't made it in years, though, so if you're reading it and you're asking "what SIZE 'can of whole tomatoes'?" I'd say, good question - I don't remember. You'll just have to experiment and get back with us.

And way back then, when I was making it several times a month, there was only one kind of Velveeta, so I don't know how it would be to use one of the "Mexican" versions.

And insofar as the "heat quotient" goes, you can buy mild or hot chorizo, and you can adjust the number of jalapenos to suit your taste. I usually dumped in a small jar of the sliced jalapenos.

But this stuff is delicious.

Football season is almost upon us, you know.

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Well thanks so much!!! I will have to try this sometime soon! As soon as the occasion is right, I will give it a whirl and report back.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Edited to add: Okay, Green Bean Casserole remains a Caucasian thing, I guess -- your sister had to get it from your father's side of the family, right?

Right?

You still there?

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Yeah, in our family, it was a fixture at my paternal grandmother's holiday dinners. Now that grandma is gone, Mom makes it, because it's a nostalgia thing for us kids, and she's grown to like it too.

That said, I think my sister and brother-in-law were the only one who ate the version with velveeta.

[shoutsandmurmurs]

velveeta + rotel =

it's a treat i allow myself only occasionally. today was particularly stressful, so after work and errands, i heated up some of this wonderful treat on the stovetop.

with a dos equis (con limon y sal, claro que si!), it's just heavenly. not a very healthful dinner, but wholly satisfying.

i don't even know where my stress went!!

*edited to change the word "cooked" to "heated," as i really didn't cook a thing tonight!

Edited August 30, 2007 by shoutsandmurmurs (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

Does homemade Velveeta, a la America's Test Kitchen, behaviour in the same way as 'real' Velveeta for all purposes? For instance, if I had a recipe for fudge that called for Velveeta, would the homemade stuff do the job?

EDIT

 

For context, Velveeta isn't available locally as no one imports it due to quarantine restrictions. I'm not asking this question just to be difficult.

[gfweb]

Does homemade Velveeta, a la America's Test Kitchen, behaviour in the same way as 'real' Velveeta for all purposes? For instance, if I had a recipe for fudge that called for Velveeta, would the homemade stuff do the job?

EDIT

 

For context, Velveeta isn't available locally as no one imports it due to quarantine restrictions. I'm not asking this question just to be difficult.

 

 

If Sean Brock's name wasn't on that recipe....

[pbear]

Does homemade Velveeta, a la America's Test Kitchen, behaviour in the same way as 'real' Velveeta for all purposes?

 

Okay, I'll bite.  How does ATK make its homemade Velveeta?  (I don't have a subscription.)

[ChrisTaylor]

The recipe has been reproduced elsewhere, albeit with modifications (the type of cheese and the disappearance of cream of tartar). I've never consumed Velveeta but I'm struggling to see how using it in fudge is any different to using a heavily processed cream cheese (like Philly) in a dessert.

 

EDIT

 

For context, I guess it's worth mentioning my sister uses cream cheese in fudge. It's the only fudge I can really recall having any time recently and, seeing as everyone seems to like it, I kind of figured Philly was a normal thing to put in fudge. The end product doesn't taste cheesy. It's not hard, through my totally pastry blind eyes at least, to see another processed cheese product serving as a workable base for fudge. 

[pbear]

Well, it's not impossible that will work in the linked fudge recipe, but they're going about it differently than does Kraft, i.e., gelling the additional liquid as opposed to emulsifying the fat.

 

Also, cream cheese is very different from Velveeta, in texture as well as flavor.  Basically, it's a higher fat version of Neufchatel.

 

Finally, I have to point out it's not that hard to make real fudge.

[djyee100]

When I eyeball your Hillbilly Fudge recipe, I see a recipe for chocolate frosting that's solidified with Velveeta. Credit Sean Brock's grandmother for seeing the gelatin and milk fat in Velveeta. That was a bold move. Other fudge recipes use marshmallows (gelatin), evaporated milk (milk fat), and chocolate chips (cocoa butter, milk fat).

 

So to answer your questions, I think homemade Velveeta would not be a good substitute because it has too much real cheese in it. You're looking for gelatin (or another thickener) and bland milk fat. Highly processed cream cheese might not be so bad.

 

Pbear is right about the differences between cream cheese and Velveeta. The recipe might come out with cream cheese, but the texture could be different. Not sure there would be much of a flavor difference. Cocoa dominates all.

 

Pls let us know how it goes.

[Martin Fisher]

Sodium citrate and the phosphates are what make Velveeta what it is.

It's unlikely anything but the real stuff will work well but it may be worth trying a melty cheese recipe with sodium citrate and phosphates, such as... http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/melty-cheese-slices

[ChrisTaylor]

Sodium citrate and the phosphates are what make Velveeta what it is.

It's unlikely anything but the real stuff will work well but it may be worth trying a melty cheese recipe with sodium citrate and phosphates, such as... http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/melty-cheese-slices

 

Once I read the above responses my mind did wander in the direction of the 'modernist' processed cheese, such as the one you linked to (or the one in Modernist Cuisine). Although I think this fudge lost all of its hillbilliness the moment I contemplated making processed cheese. It's now less about 'oh, that recipe for fudge sounds interesting' and more a case of 'I should because I shouldn't'. 

[Jaymes]

I think there's a right time for just about every food, given the appropriate place and circumstance. I've never been one much for turning up my nose at the food choices of others.

People Magazine recently published an article wherein they asked several famous chefs a series of "Burning Food Questions." In response to, "What's your sneakiest chef ingredient?" Bourdain said, "I have a secret love for Velveeta; it's an amazing substance."

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20862620,00.html

Edited January 16, 2015 by Jaymes (log)

[Lindacakes]

I don't think Velveeta tastes the way it used to.  Even if my palette has changed.

 

My mom made Creamettes elbow macaroni with Velveeta for macaroni and cheese.  She also used it for grilled cheese sandwiches.  Both of these foods lost to me because Velveeta doesn't taste the same.  

 

Macaroni and cheese doesn't taste the same and grilled cheese doesn't taste the same.

[pbear]

Was in the supermarket today, noticed Velveeta on the shelf and remembered Linda's post.  Out of curiosity, looked at the label.  The problem, I think, is that they've changed the formula, in effect reducing the amount of cheese by about 43%.  I deduce this by comparing calories per serving of the current product with that from 1992, for which I happen to have an excellent book of nutrition values.  In '92, Velveeta was 100 calories per ounce, 70 of them from fat.  Now it's 70 calories total, 40 from fat.  Interestingly, in '92, that was their "light" product.  Incidentally, regular cheddar is 110 calories per ounce, 80 from fat.

[Jaymes]

Was in the supermarket today, noticed Velveeta on the shelf and remembered Linda's post.  Out of curiosity, looked at the label.  The problem, I think, is that they've changed the formula, in effect reducing the amount of cheese by about 43%.  I deduce this by comparing calories per serving of the current product with that from 1992, for which I happen to have an excellent book of nutrition values.  In '92, Velveeta was 100 calories per ounce, 70 of them from fat.  Now it's 70 calories total, 40 from fat.  Interestingly, in '92, that was their "light" product.  Incidentally, regular cheddar is 110 calories per ounce, 80 from fat.

[rotuts]

I'v been eye-balling Velvita from time to time for years.  we had it growing up in grilled cheese and mac&cheese.  it was inexpensive etc

 

some time ago, 10 - 20 years I started looking at labels, about the time EarlButz invented HFC, via Nixon.

 

i recall then there was nothing really bad in the concoction at all.  there was subsidized dairy, and all that milk had to go somewhere :

 

school lunch programs, and perhaps Velveeta.

 

rats.  I was going to pick some up and SousVide it

 

 

actually once I have a bit more freezer space, get those elbows going and then add the V. and stuff

 

and seal it up for a quick 'heat in the bag'  pasteurized, of course

 

Im a bit bereft, much like an under-inflated football

 

as far as I can tell ....  about the football.

 

Edited February 1, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Naftal]

Was in the supermarket today, noticed Velveeta on the shelf and remembered Linda's post.  Out of curiosity, looked at the label.  The problem, I think, is that they've changed the formula, in effect reducing the amount of cheese by about 43%.  I deduce this by comparing calories per serving of the current product with that from 1992, for which I happen to have an excellent book of nutrition values.  In '92, Velveeta was 100 calories per ounce, 70 of them from fat.  Now it's 70 calories total, 40 from fat.  Interestingly, in '92, that was their "light" product.  Incidentally, regular cheddar is 110 calories per ounce, 80 from fat.

velveetagate?

[pbear]

Except this cover-up seems to have worked.  That is, the change has been noticed, e.g., here, here and here, but gets little discussion in general.  Not mentioned, for example, on Velveeta's wiki page.  Closest thing I found was an article discussing a similar change to Cheez Whiz. Incidentally, here's an article on the science of Velveeta, a blog post about its cultural history and ATK's article on how to fake it.*  And, for completeness, the official Kraft ingredients and nutrition facts page for the current product.

 

*  Not as good as the sodium citrate method in Modernist Cuisine, but probably easier for most home cooks.

[Lindacakes]

Well, reducing the amount of cheese by 43% would change the taste, wouldn't it?  

 

I would also like to add, at the risk of offending some, that a thick coating of Miracle Whip goes very well with a cold Velveeta sandwich.  Iceberg lettuce.  Tangy and crispy.

[Jaymes]

I would also like to add, at the risk of offending some, that a thick coating of Miracle Whip goes very well with a cold Velveeta sandwich. Iceberg lettuce. Tangy and crispy.

I never had that sandwich, exactly. But one of my very favorite sandwiches has always been, and remains, a generous slice of good, strong Swiss cheese on some sort of wheat bread (it was Roman Meal in our house when I was a kid), topped with way too much Miracle Whip and a big, crunchy layer of iceberg lettuce.

So I'll see your "tangy and crispy" and add, thanks to the Swiss, nutty.

.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Jaymes (log)

[lemniscate]

Can you believe the Velveeta topic has been silent since 2015?!

I shop on AmazonFresh and sometimes they offer incredible deals on things that I can't pass up.  This week was Velveeta & Philly cream cheese (buy X get X free).  I don't actually use Velveeta much as I am not a mac-n-cheese eater, but I shop for a couple households and Velveeta gets used there occasionally.   I ended up with the queso blanco version of Velveeta in multitude.  So, how about a Velveeta cheese ball/dip.  Tis the season.

 

Cream cheese, ~ 1 cup

blanco Velveeta shredded, ~1 cup

dehydrated onions : rehydrated in pickle juice, ~1/3 cup

garlic powder, to taste

dried chives, for color

celery powder, to taste

and a smidge of msg.   

 

Good now but better later.   If I do mold it into an official cheese ball when it cools down, I have Everything Bagel mix to roll it in.   Can't wait, now I need to find a party (and some appropriate crackers).

[Katie Meadow]

12 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Can you believe the Velveeta topic has been silent since 2015?!

I shop on AmazonFresh and sometimes they offer incredible deals on things that I can't pass up.  This week was Velveeta & Philly cream cheese (buy X get X free).  I don't actually use Velveeta much as I am not a mac-n-cheese eater, but I shop for a couple households and Velveeta gets used there occasionally.   I ended up with the queso blanco version of Velveeta in multitude.  So, how about a Velveeta cheese ball/dip.  Tis the season.

 

Cream cheese, ~ 1 cup

blanco Velveeta shredded, ~1 cup

dehydrated onions : rehydrated in pickle juice, ~1/3 cup

garlic powder, to taste

dried chives, for color

celery powder, to taste

and a smidge of msg.   

 

Good now but better later.   If I do mold it into an official cheese ball when it cools down, I have Everything Bagel mix to roll it in.   Can't wait, now I need to find a party (and some appropriate crackers).

Find my husband. He might be willing to try a bite. As for appropriate crackers, see the saltine thread. How could you go wrong?

[lemniscate]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

As for appropriate crackers, see the saltine thread.

I have been instructed locally by "the eaters" the only appropriate cracker for this cheese ball is Melba toast rounds, preferably pumpernickel or rye.   They said saltines are for spray cheese.   Didn't know about so many rules!

[rotuts]

Velveeta has a long history :

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velveeta

 

the ingredients have changed over time

 

in the late 70's 0r 80's the ingredients

 

changed very much for the worst 

 

before then :   surprising stuff , that was shelf stable.