Cheddar that melts better

Does the title of this blog entry make anyone's stomach churn as they think about that Velveeta vs Cheddar commercial, in which they show a big gross mess of cheddar that someone tried to melt? If so, I apologize.

Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar Cheese Slices













Where purchased: Target
Price: $2.89
Overall rating: 2.5/5

First, I'd like to say that I had to try this product three times before I felt comfortable posting about it. The first time I just ate it plain, the second time I had it on a cold turkey sandwich, and the last time I had it on a plain hot turkey and cheese sandwich. This is how thorough I am for my readers :)

My first impression was... yuck. I really didn't like it when I tasted it. But, I think the problem is that I was expecting to taste more of a sliced cheddar cheese than a sliced processed cheese. Even though it is called "Bacon Cheddar," it really is just cheddar flavored American processed cheese. I don't suppose that sounds particularly appealing to anyone. I mean, if Velveeta came out with a cheddar flavor would you want to just eat a hunk of it? Probably not. But if you melted it over some broccoli or a baked potato, it would be delicious.

When I actually put a half slice of the cheese on my sandwich, it was fine. I really didn't taste it. The flavor is very mild. I really don't taste any bacon flavor in it, so it is somewhere between a mild cheddar and American cheese flavor. Not enough to stand out amongst the company of lettuce, cucumber, chipotle mayo, whole wheat bread, and peppered turkey breast.  I finally thought "Hey, this is essentially just a thick American cheese. It is meant to be melted." So I melted it over a pile of turkey and ate it on a bun. I think that was probably the way to go. It still didn't stand out, but at least I finally understood what the one appeal of the cheese is: To make a cheddar that melts better.

All in all, I wasn't impressed with the product. It gets a rating of 2.5 out of 5 because each slice has a high fat/calorie content because it is about twice as thick as I'd want it to be. And the flavor just isn't there. It isn't necessarily a bad flavor (unless you eat it straight out of the package), it just isn't better than regular "yellow square cheese" (courtesy of my nephew, Owen) or cheddar cheese. I think this product is simply trying to fulfill a niche that really doesn't need to be filled.