Andy Montoya
McDonald's has been serving its iconic cheeseburgers since its early days in 1940. The Tempting Cheeseburger, as it was called, featured a slice of cheese between the meat patty and the buns, marking the beginning of McDonald's commitment to offering unique and delicious fast-food options. While McDonald's uses real cheese, it is processed and blended with other ingredients to achieve specific meltability and consistency. This blend, exclusive to McDonald's, consists of 60% cheddar cheese and 40% other ingredients, including water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavouring, and food colouring. The result is the soft, oozy cheese slice that has become synonymous with McDonald's cheeseburgers worldwide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese type | American cheese, blend of cheddar, Colby, and Swiss |
| Ingredients | Water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salt, flavouring, colouring |
| Percentage of real cheese | 60% |
| Texture | Soft, oozy |
| Melting properties | High meltability |
| Suppliers | Great Lakes Cheese, Kraft |
| Availability for purchase | Not available for purchase |
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What You'll Learn
McDonald's has used cheese since its early days in 1940
McDonald's has been a household name since its establishment in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald as a barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, California. The original 1940 menu featured the "Tempting Cheeseburger", marking the early days of McDonald's commitment to providing customers with unique and delicious fast-food options.
McDonald's has used cheese since its early days, with cheeseburgers holding a special place on the menu from the very beginning. The inclusion of cheese in their offerings was a bold and novel addition that helped set the stage for McDonald's innovative approach to fast food. The iconic Big Mac, introduced in 1967, further solidified the role of cheese in McDonald's menu, as its unique mix of two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions, and cheese became an instant classic.
While the exact composition of McDonald's cheese slices remains a closely guarded trade secret, it is known that their blend is made with 60% real cheese and 40% other ingredients. These additional ingredients include water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavouring, and food colouring. This processing ensures that the cheese achieves the desired gooey and smooth consistency when used in burgers, making it easily mass-produced, stored, and used consistently across their outlets worldwide.
McDonald's cheese is exclusive to the company, as they have their own personal suppliers who often have a seemingly unlimited demand for cheese to meet the needs of the fast-food giant. The closest substitute available to consumers is Kraft's single-serve processed cheddar cheese, which tastes nearly identical to McDonald's cheese, according to some sources.
Over the years, McDonald's cheese has been a subject of curiosity and speculation and even controversy. Some customers have raised concerns about the amount of farming and production needed to meet the company's high demand for cheese. Additionally, in 2018, two customers sued a Florida McDonald's for $5 million, alleging they were charged for cheese when they didn't want it on their Quarter Pounders. Despite these discussions and debates, McDonald's cheese remains an iconic component of their menu items, contributing to their global success and cultural impact.
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McDonald's cheese is a blend of 60% real cheese and 40% other ingredients
McDonald's has become synonymous with quick, delicious bites, with its burgers being some of the most iconic offerings on the menu. The Tempting Cheeseburger, introduced in 1940, marked the early days of McDonald's commitment to providing customers with unique and delicious fast-food options. Since then, McDonald's has become a cultural phenomenon, with its burgers, such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Cheeseburgers, instantly recognisable worldwide.
A significant part of what has made those burgers so iconic is the sliced "cheese" that lies between the meat patties and the buns. But is this slice of soft, oozy goodness actually cheese? The exact composition of those slices is a closely guarded trade secret. However, it is known that McDonald's cheese is a blend of 60% real cheese and 40% other ingredients.
According to sources, McDonald's cheese is referred to as a "processed cheese product" in America. The 60% real cheese component is typically made up of cheddar, Colby, and Swiss varieties. The remaining 40% includes water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salt, flavouring, and colouring. This processing involves blending real cheese with other ingredients to achieve a specific meltability and consistency.
The reason for this extensive processing is primarily practical. McDonald's, as a large-scale fast-food chain, requires cheese that can be easily mass-produced, stored, and used consistently across its outlets worldwide. Processed cheese offers these advantages, making it an efficient choice for McDonald's operations. The chain has its own personal suppliers, and the cheese is made and packaged specifically for them.
While the debate around the nature of McDonald's cheese continues, it is clear that their blend of 60% real cheese and 40% other ingredients has played a significant role in creating some of the most iconic burgers in the world.
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McDonald's cheese is not considered real cheese
McDonald's is a fast-food giant and a cultural phenomenon, with its burgers, like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Cheeseburgers, being instantly recognizable. A significant part of what has made those burgers so iconic is the sliced "cheese" that lies between the meat patties and the buns. However, the "cheese" used by McDonald's is not considered real cheese.
McDonald's uses its very own blend of processed cheddar cheese, which is exclusive to them. Their blend consists of 60% cheddar cheese and 40% other ingredients, including water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavoring, and food coloring. While it does contain real cheese, the extensive processing it undergoes to achieve specific meltability and consistency disqualifies it from being considered real cheese. This processing involves blending cheese with emulsifiers, preservatives, and additives to create a uniform texture and melting properties, resulting in the desired gooey and smooth consistency in burgers.
The reason McDonald's uses processed cheese instead of real cheese is primarily practical. As a large-scale fast-food chain, McDonald's requires cheese that can be easily mass-produced, stored, and used consistently across its outlets worldwide. Processed cheese offers these advantages, making it an efficient choice for their operations.
The exact composition of McDonald's cheese slices is a closely guarded trade secret. However, it is known that they source their cheese from various suppliers, including large companies and local farmers and factories in each country they operate in. One of their suppliers is Great Lakes Cheese in the USA.
While McDonald's cheese may not be considered real cheese, it has become an iconic component of their signature sandwiches, contributing to the unique taste and experience associated with McDonald's burgers.
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McDonald's cheese is exclusive to the company
McDonald's is a fast-food giant and a cultural phenomenon with a range of iconic offerings, including its burgers. Its menu features several cheeseburger options, including the original 1940 "Tempting Cheeseburger", which marked the company's early commitment to providing unique and delicious fast-food options.
Over the years, McDonald's cheeseburgers have become renowned worldwide, with their sliced "cheese" playing a pivotal role in their popularity. However, the exact composition of these slices remains a closely guarded trade secret. While it is known that McDonald's cheese is a processed cheese product, it is not merely a single type of cheese but rather a blend. This blend is tailored specifically for McDonald's and is not available for purchase by consumers.
McDonald's cheese blend is crafted from 60% real cheese, predominantly cheddar, and a mix of other ingredients, including water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavouring, and food colouring. The combination of these ingredients ensures the cheese achieves the desired gooey and smooth consistency when melted on their burgers. This processing is undertaken primarily for practical reasons, as it allows for easy mass production, standardised storage, and consistent usage across all McDonald's outlets worldwide.
The exclusivity of McDonald's cheese can be attributed to their dedicated suppliers, who often have their hands full meeting the company's high demand for cheese. With McDonald's requiring cheese on a massive scale, their suppliers have little to no capacity for additional orders. Additionally, McDonald's sources cheese from multiple national locations, ensuring a consistent supply for their restaurants in various countries. This extensive network of suppliers, coupled with the sheer volume of cheese required, contributes to the exclusivity of their cheese blend.
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McDonald's uses cheese from suppliers such as Great Lakes Cheese and Kraft
McDonald's has been serving cheeseburgers since its early days in 1940. Back then, the ""Tempting Cheeseburger" was a novel addition to the menu, marking the beginning of McDonald's commitment to providing unique and delicious fast-food options. Today, McDonald's cheeseburgers, with their iconic sliced cheese, are instantly recognisable.
While McDonald's does not disclose the exact composition of its cheese slices, it is known that they are not made from 100% real cheese. Instead, they are considered a "processed cheese product" in America, consisting of 60% real cheese and a mixture of other ingredients. This blend ensures the cheese has the desired meltability and consistency, making it ideal for mass production and storage.
McDonald's sources its cheese from various suppliers, including Great Lakes Cheese and Kraft. Great Lakes Cheese is an award-winning manufacturer and packager of natural and processed cheese. The company has a national distribution network, allowing it to deliver fresh products to its customers efficiently. The La Crosse plant of Great Lakes Cheese is one of three suppliers of process cheese to McDonald's, producing about 12 million pounds of process cheese for the chain annually. This process cheese is made by mixing several types of American cheese with heat.
Kraft, another well-known cheese supplier, is also believed to provide cheese to McDonald's, although the company has not publicly disclosed this information. McDonald's cheese is likely made and packaged specifically for the chain, ensuring consistency across its outlets worldwide.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, McDonald's has always served cheese in its burgers. In fact, the original 1940 menu featured the "Tempting Cheeseburger".
McDonald's uses its own blend of processed cheese, which is made up of 60% real cheese and 40% other ingredients, including water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavouring, and food colouring.
McDonald's uses processed cheese because it can be easily mass-produced, stored, and used consistently across its outlets worldwide.
No, McDonald's cheese is exclusive to the company as they have their own personal suppliers. The closest substitute is Great Value Deluxe Pasteurized Process Sliced American Cheese from Walmart.
