Andy Montoya
Dollar stores are known for their affordable products, but some customers have expressed disappointment with their cheese offerings. Many have reported that shredded cheese from dollar stores does not melt, even when cooked in a pan, microwaved, or baked in an oven. This has sparked speculation that dollar store cheese might be imitation cheese or cheese-like products. Interestingly, some dollar stores' websites feature recipes that include their cheese products, yet even in the styled photos, the cheese appears unmelted. A closer look at the ingredients of these cheese products reveals that they are predominantly formulated with water, food starch, oils, and various additives, raising questions about their authenticity and meltability.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Main Ingredient | Water |
| Other Ingredients | Food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, modified food starch, salt, natural flavor, sodium phosphate, stabilizer (xanthan, locust bean, guar gums), sorbic acid, lactic acid, artificial color |
| Dairy Content | Milk protein concentrate |
| Melting | Does not melt |
| Recipes | Nacho casserole, Irish nachos, breakfast burritos, deviled eggs with cheese and bacon, garlic "cheddar" biscuits, cheesy potato casserole, bacon ranch cheese ball, pizza quesadillas, chili cheese dip, cheesy broccoli egg bites |
| Price | $1 |
| Alternative | Block of cheddar |
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What You'll Learn
- Dollar store cheese has water as the main ingredient, preventing melting
- It's imitation cheese, made from vegetable fat, casein, and cheese flavour
- It's marketed as cheese, but the ingredients are lab-concocted
- It's durable, even when grilled, baked, or microwaved
- It's cheap, but you get what you pay for
Dollar store cheese has water as the main ingredient, preventing melting
Dollar store cheese is infamous for its inability to melt. This is because water is the primary ingredient, and cheese with water as the main ingredient does not melt. Dollar Tree's Sunny Acres sliced cheese, for instance, is labelled as "American Slices Pasteurized Processed Sandwich Slices", and a look at the ingredients reveals that it was likely concocted in a laboratory rather than a dairy. The first five ingredients are water, food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, modified food starch, and milk protein concentrate. Notably, water is the main ingredient, which explains why the cheese does not melt.
In one instance, a user of the Lipstick Alley home and lifestyle forum wrote of her experiments with Dollar Tree shredded cheese, saying she was unable to get them to melt in a frying pan, the microwave, or the oven. YouTuber CassieTV tried to melt Dollar Tree's "Pasteurized Process Topping," the Sunny Acres Mexican Blend Shreds, and found that baking them for five minutes didn't even cause them to heat up, much less melt. In another instance, YouTuber Sonyabeonit grilled three types of Dollar Tree sliced cheese—American-style, Swiss, and Jalapeño—for almost 10 minutes, and they turned into something resembling blackened, solid plastic.
While Dollar Tree does offer bricks of non-generic cheese that are reportedly okay, their generic sliced and shredded cheese are widely criticised for their poor quality and inability to melt. It is worth noting that not all cheeses melt, and different types of cheese have varying properties. For example, halloumi, feta, older cheddars, and parmesans do not melt easily. Additionally, some recipes that use cheese, like fondue, may require the addition of wine to lower the pH and help the cheese melt and flow properly.
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It's imitation cheese, made from vegetable fat, casein, and cheese flavour
Dollar store cheese is infamous for its inability to melt. The cheese sold at dollar stores is imitation cheese, made from vegetable fat, casein, and cheese flavour.
Imitation cheese, also known as cheese analogues, is designed to have the flavour and functionality of natural cheese without the butterfat. This is to cater to the demand for "fat-free" and "cholesterol-free" foods. In imitation cheese, the milk protein and milk fat are replaced by vegetable proteins and fats. Vegetable fat is used to replace butterfat, and commercial flavourings are added to imitate the taste of cheese.
The use of vegetable fat and starch in imitation cheese reduces its meltability. Starch is used to create the structure and rigidity of the imitation cheese, but this comes at the expense of its ability to melt. The addition of gums can improve the texture and meltability of the product, but it still pales in comparison to natural cheese.
The ingredients used in imitation cheese are combined to provide the required textural and functional properties, as well as to meet nutritional and economic goals. The development of imitation cheese allows manufacturers to manipulate the constituents to achieve these goals.
The use of imitation cheese is prevalent in the pizza industry, where cheese is one of the costliest components. It is also marketed to lower-income groups who may not be able to afford natural cheese due to increasing prices. However, imitation cheese is not a direct threat to the consumption of natural cheese, as its major role is currently in cost-cutting measures.
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It's marketed as cheese, but the ingredients are lab-concocted
Dollar store cheese is marketed as cheese, but its ingredients suggest otherwise. The product is often labelled as "processed cheese" or "pasteurized processed sandwich slices", indicating that it has been concocted in a laboratory rather than a dairy.
The ingredients of this so-called cheese include water as the main ingredient, followed by food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, modified food starch, salt, natural flavour, sodium phosphate, stabilizers, sorbic acid, lactic acid, and artificial colour. Notably, milk protein concentrate, which one might expect to be a primary ingredient in cheese, is listed only fifth on the list.
A comparison with the ingredients of actual cheese, such as Tillamook sharp cheddar, which includes cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto (a natural food colouring), highlights the stark difference between the two products.
The fact that this "cheese" does not melt, even when subjected to high heat for extended periods, further supports the notion that it is not genuine cheese. While some types of cheese naturally have higher melting points or do not melt at all, such as halloumi, feta, and older cheddars, the behaviour of dollar store cheese is indicative of its highly processed nature.
It is worth noting that dollar stores are known for their budget-priced supplies, and their groceries, especially cheese, have been the subject of scrutiny and criticism. While some of their products, like steaks and cheeseburgers, might be surprisingly decent, their generic sliced and shredded cheese has been described as abysmal and not worth purchasing.
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It's durable, even when grilled, baked, or microwaved
Dollar store cheese is durable and can withstand grilling, baking, or microwaving without melting. This is because the product is not real cheese, but an imitation cheese product made with water as the main ingredient, followed by food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and modified food starch. While it does contain milk protein concentrate, it is not formulated to melt and is more akin to “cheese food” or “imitation cheese”.
In one instance, a YouTuber grilled three types of Dollar Tree sliced cheese—American-style, Swiss, and Jalapeño—for almost 10 minutes, and they turned into something resembling blackened, solid plastic. Similarly, attempts to melt Dollar Tree's shredded cheese in a frying pan, microwave, or oven proved futile, with the cheese remaining solid and refusing to melt.
The durability of dollar store cheese is likely due to its highly processed nature and the presence of stabilizers and other additives. While it may be marketed as cheese, it is important to read the ingredient list, which often reveals that the product is not cheese at all but a laboratory-concocted blend of various substances.
It is worth noting that not all dollar store cheese is the same, and some may melt to a certain degree. However, the consensus is that the generic sliced and shredded varieties are particularly inferior when it comes to melting.
While dollar store cheese may be durable and inexpensive, it is not ideal for culinary applications that require melting. Consumers seeking melting cheese are better off purchasing blocks of real cheese, such as cheddar, for a slightly higher price.
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It's cheap, but you get what you pay for
Dollar stores are great for picking up budget-priced supplies, from cleaning products to party essentials. But when it comes to groceries, it's a different story. Dollar store cheese, for example, has gained a reputation for being a "definite dud". It's cheap, but you get what you pay for.
The cheese in question is the generic, pre-sliced or shredded variety, usually packaged as "American slices" or "sandwich slices". The product is often labelled as "pasteurized process cheese food" or "pasteurized process topping", and a look at the ingredients list reveals why it doesn't melt. Water is listed as the main ingredient, followed by food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and modified food starch. This concoction is clearly not real cheese, which typically contains cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto (a natural food colouring).
When subjected to heat, dollar store cheese doesn't melt; it turns into something resembling blackened, solid plastic. One food blogger compared the product to "industrial left-over sludge". It's so durable that it's been suggested that "nothing short of nuclear fire" could cause it to melt.
While dollar stores do sometimes offer bricks of non-generic cheese that are reportedly "pretty decent", it's best to steer clear of their imitation cheese products. As the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for".
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Frequently asked questions
Dollar store cheese doesn't melt because it's not real cheese. It's a processed cheese product with water listed as the main ingredient.
Dollar store cheese is made of milk protein concentrate, water, food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, modified food starch, salt, natural flavor, sodium phosphate, stabilizer (xanthan, locust bean, guar gums), sorbic acid, lactic acid, and artificial color.
Yes, halloumi, feta, older cheddars, and parmesans don't melt.
Some people claim to have found dollar store cheese that melts, but it's not clear how common this is.
You can buy a block of cheddar for a similar price to dollar store cheese, or look for cheaper options at other grocery stores.
