Kraft baked mac and cheese with swiss cheese

They could be fortified with vitamins and minerals, and, in an era before everyone had access to mechanical refrigeration, the fact that they kept well meant consumers were less likely to contract diseases from spoiled, rotten foods. In some ways, processed foods were also healthier. Many of them could be easily prepared, freeing women from spending entire days cooking and giving them more time to pursue professions and avocations. They kept well, tended to be easily digestible and, most importantly, they tasted good. So for most consumers, processed foods were a godsend.

In fact, as international food historian Rachel Laudan has noted, back then, РІР‚Сљnatural was something quite nasty.РІР‚Сњ She describes fresh milk as warm and РІР‚Сљunmistakably a bodily secretion.РІР‚Сњ Throughout the history of cookery, most recipes aimed to transform an unappetizing raw product into something delightful and delectable. The fact that it wasnРІР‚в„ўt natural didnРІР‚в„ўt seem to bother consumers at all. Today, food thatРІР‚в„ўs simple, pure and natural is all the craze, while disdain for processed foods is practically a credo among sophisticated consumers.Р”В«ut when KraftРІР‚в„ўs different forms of processed cheese came out, they found widespread acceptance despite their strange textures. With meat hard to come by, the cheap main dish substitute was a hit. Its slogan was РІР‚Сљmake a meal for four in nine minutes,РІР‚Сњ and the product got a big lift with American consumers during World War II because you could get two boxes and spend only one ration point. In 1937, Kraft debuted its boxed macaroni and cheese, which it sold for 19 cents and contained four servings. When you make it, youРІР‚в„ўre adding back the fat and the liquid when you mix in the milk and butter. The packet in the box of macaroni and cheese is essentially a cheese sauce that has been partially defatted and dehydrated. The product was a hit, but Kraft wanted to find more ways to sell processed cheese, and eventually came up with the idea to make a powdered base. A number of variations appeared in the following years, including Velveeta and Cheez Whiz.Р”Р‡rom the start, Kraft was selling convenience. Army, which bought more than 6 million pounds of the stuff to feed soldiers in World War I. These early processed cheeses were similar to the processed American cheese slices we see in the stores today, though wrapping slices individually didnРІР‚в„ўt happen for another 40 years. So he took some cheddar cheese scraps, heated them to kill the bacteria, ground them up with some sodium phosphate as an emulsifier and voila РІР‚вЂњ Kraft processed cheese was born. He eventually realized that the same bacteria that made cheese age nicely was also the bacteria that ultimately caused it to go bad. But none of these solutions caught on with the public. He tried putting it tin foil packages, sealing it in jars, even canning it. Kraft understood the spoilage problem and had tried various solutions to it. Kraft was awarded the first patent for processed cheese in 1916. When they heated up the treated cheese, they noticed it melted better as well. Processed cheese solved this age-old problem.Р”В¬redit for inventing processed cheese should go to a pair of Swiss food chemists named Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler who, in 1913, were looking for a way to improve the shelf life of Emmenthaler cheese using sodium citrate. Before household refrigeration became common, many retailers wouldnРІР‚в„ўt even stock cheese in the summer because it spoiled so quickly. Some cheese gets better as it ages РІР‚вЂњ a well-aged cheddar is one of lifeРІР‚в„ўs delights РІР‚вЂњ but once most cheeses hit their prime, they tend to quickly go bad. Universal History Archive/Getty ImagesР”Р„n internet search for macaroni and cheese recipes will turn up over 5 million hits, but many still prefer to get theirs in a box РІР‚вЂњ the kind with pasta that comes in shapes ranging from shells to Pokemon characters, accompanied by a packet of powdered cheese sauce.Р”В«oxed macaroni and cheese was one outcome of the quest for ways to keep cheese longer. Neopolitans eating macaroni, which they often dressed with Parmesan cheese and a little salt.

Kraft baked mac and cheese with swiss cheese