7/22/05 | Albertsons Cheese Singles
[ Currently Eating: Turkey Sammich ]
I had been cutting back on buying Kraft American Cheese Slices because they’re just so darn expensive nowadys. Nevermind that it lasts forever in the fridge (Interestingly, they don’t. I’ve had slices of American Cheese go bad… the first indication is that they turn brown along the edges first. Time to toss it!)
But the other day, following my cheapy Cheap Eats whims, I decided to go generic and see if Albertson’s Brand “Singles” Cheese slices would be any good. They are considerably cheaper, I think between 75 cents and a buck less than Kraft.
First, let’s get serious. Sliced cheese is pretty much “cheese food” that has had the hell processed out of it. I bet this was a wonder for moms when it first came out, along with Wonder Bread. Perfect slices of cheese for bag lunch sandwiches, without getting out a knife and hacking through a big block.
Kids seem to like it too. I used to eat slices of Kraft cheese straight out of the pack at times. Or, I remember having grilled cheese sandwiches in the morning for breakfast. Of course, the cheese connoisseur’s among us (or those who have been lucky enough like the winner in that old lottery commercial who says “Look at all this cheese I can finally afford!”) are going to turn down their noses. Fine, fine… it’s no parmigiana reggiano
So how do these cheese slices stack up against Kraft? I didn’t do a side by side but it was pretty shocking actually…
First, you cannot eat these straight out of the pack. I could still do that with Kraft, but eating an Albertson’s slice of cheese is like squirting warm Cheeze Wiz straight into your mouth. Alarmingly, it kind of dissolves right away! It had the consistency of congealed melted butter. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but it sure seemed weird.
In an actual sandwich, it did much better. It was pretty passable in a standard wonder bread turkey sandwich. I didn’t really notice it actually… I think there is a bit less “flavor” to it than Kraft.
I also tried melting it up on some Cheese Toasts… just plain cut supermarket french bread with cheese shoved into the toaster.
This was actually not a good idea because it did not seem to melt correctly… it had that gushy butter texture again. Eating these felt like eating toast with a layer of cheesey oil on it. Ugh. I actually think that melting it turned it into something like nacho cheese sauce. So maybe it might be good for putting in a casserole or something where it needs to melt down really well…
Well, I’ve got about 12 slices more left to go so you can be sure I’m just going to put them in cold sandwiches for now. I couldn’t give it that high of a score even though going generic was definitely cheaper.
Cheap Eats Score: 5/10
July 23rd, 2005 at 3:06 am
I usually buy the Safeway brand stuff, because sometimes it’s 2 for $5 or $6. Very rarely the Kraft slices go on sale for 2 for $5 at Safeway. I once tried the Safeway brand fat free cheese and it’s not bad, but it’s also not good. Actually, I don’t really eat much cheese, except when I make chili.
July 23rd, 2005 at 9:51 am
yeah, i usually wait for kraft cheese sales because like i said this stuff seems to last for such a long time that you can stock up. When i was living at my parents, they used to get these huge free cartons (about 500 slices?) of American cheese because their neighbor was a volunteer at some food bank and they used to just give the excess to the volunteers. I got all “cheesed” out on American Cheese back then because there was so much…
July 23rd, 2005 at 1:00 pm
I actually really like the Bordon slices. They are cheaper than Kraft and melt really well in a grilled cheese or mac n’ cheese.
July 23rd, 2005 at 1:25 pm
andie - hm… i don’t know if I saw Bordon there, but I will definitely check that out next time I’m at the market. Yeah, I like a grilled cheese sandwich made in a pan… tastes good!
July 25th, 2005 at 8:14 am
My baby girl loves the kraft singles. We buy ‘em in bulk at Sam’s Club, and she’s the only one that eats them. We try to limit her to only 2 slices a day (one at lunch, one at dinner), but she’d eat them all day long if I let her.
I can’t stand even the Kraft ones. I try, and in a grilled cheese sandwich they are passable, but still not as good as plain ol’ cheddar (provided you get a good block of cheddar, like the Tilamook variety - not cheap eats, mind you).
July 25th, 2005 at 9:10 am
hey, bottom feeder! Oh, I have been known to break down as well occasionally and buy good cheese. The one that gets me is parmesan cheese… i really like something good to grate on top of the pasta that gets made frequently. But I have the “canned” type as well. Mix and match. I need to win the lottery so I can afford all that cheese… =)
July 25th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
I also like Borden singles, cheaper than Kraft but still good. One thing about American cheese - some of that really cheap stuff tastes like - hmmm - plastic cardboard? It’s not enough that the stuff has no flavor , they have to make it like eating a melted Barbie doll - in the box. I do love good cheese though…
July 25th, 2005 at 12:22 pm
shawn - haha, that’s a great comparison, melted barbie doll! Yeah good cheese kicks ass. Hm… I am thinking of writing to some of these cheese companies and requesting some free samples to review. I wonder if that would fly. =)
August 9th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Hey, do you need some cheap eats recipies using American Cheese slices?
My Mom used to make this amazing open faced sandwich that we lovingly call a “Muffin’Wich.” I’ve turned on quite a few friends to it over the years and it’s still a family fav even for us.
This is the single serve recipe, although we do it family style at home.
One English muffin Split open (any store brand will do)
Two slices Bacon, cooked
Two slices tomato
Two American Cheese slices
2tsp Mayo or Miracle whip (Or even store brand “Salad Spread”)
In the Broiler, or broil setting on toaster oven, brown the “nooks and crannies” sides of muffin.
Spread each with 1tsp mayo
lay one slice of tomato on each half
break each slice of bacon in half and lay cross ways on top of tomato and top each with American cheese slice
Broil again until cheese is melted!
HEAVEN!!!
August 9th, 2005 at 3:59 pm
justine - whoah… you had me there at “Two slices Bacon”! This sounds pretty good. I think there was another reader who made open faced sandwiches like this using tomatoes. I don’t remember if they put bacon on it though.
I used to make “fake” pizzas using english muffins, tomato sauce (or ketchup), american cheese, oregano and some parm cheese. But yours sounds a little better. Gotta love that bacon…
October 28th, 2006 at 11:50 am
There is simply no substitute for Kraft American. They make one call Deli Deluxe and it is good stuff. I put tomato and bacon in my grilled cheese. ‘Nuttin’ better.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
You know, you get a much better product for a similar price by actually getting american cheese sliced at the grocery deli. It usually goes for about 1.50 a pound and is much better than that crap that’s individually wrapped. A plus is that you can choose the thickness you want.