The video is about making American cheese from scratch. The narrator tries to recreate the iconic cheese, which is actually a "processed cheese product" rather than a natural cheese, according to the FDA. He starts with a base of real cheddar cheese and adds sodium citrate and sodium hexametaphosphate, two chemicals that help combine the cheese with water. After mixing and heating the ingredients, he adds butter and whole milk powder to enhance the flavor and texture. The mixture is then cooled and solidified, resulting in a thick, gooey cheese that resembles American cheese. The narrator is surprised to find that his homemade version tastes similar to the store-bought version. He concludes that American cheese is not an abomination, but rather a cheese derivative that has been processed to have a unique texture and flavor.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. American cheese was developed in the 1910s from cheddar, Colby, and similar cheeses.
2. The manufacturing process of American cheese involves grinding traditional cheese, combining it with emulsifying agents and other ingredients, and heating it until it forms a melted homogeneous mixture.
3. The US FDA does not consider American cheese to be a natural cheese.
4. To make American cheese, the base is real cheese, which is then mixed with emulsifying agents and other ingredients.
5. The ingredients used to make American cheese include sodium citrate dihydrate crystals, sodium hexametaphosphate, and whole milk powder.
6. The sodium citrate and sodium hexametaphosphate are safe to eat and are found in lots of other foods.
7. The mixture of cheese, water, and chemicals is heated to create a liquidy, gooey cheese.
8. The cheese is then cooled and solidified to create a sliceable cheese product.
9. The final product is a cheese alloy that is similar to a craft single but thicker.
10. The creator of the video successfully made a homemade version of American cheese using the ingredients and process described in the text.