Commodity Cheese

If you grew up poor and in the country, then you are quite familiar with commodity cheese, sometimes referred to as government cheese.  To this day, my friends and I still talk about this wonderful cheese.  I’m sure the government handed out other food products, but the cheese stands out in my mind.  It came in huge blocks so it’s no wonder that we found lots of uses for it. 

I ran across this recipe in a vintage cookbook that gives a week of uses for cheese sauce and thought you’d enjoy it.  I think I will give the recipe a try, but will omit the massive amount of added salt!

ALL-PURPOSE CHEESE SAUCE

2 pounds processed cheese, cubed

1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

3 tall cans of evaporated milk (probably 12 oz.)

Mix cheese, seasonings and milk in a heavy kettle or in a saucepan over boiling water.  Cook slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and beat with rotary beater until smooth.  Put in bowl, cover and cool.  Keep in refrigerator overnight before using.  Makes 8 cups.

USES FOR SAUCE

Cheese spread for sandwiches

Mix 1/2 cup cheese mixture with 1 pound cooked cabbage

Heat 1 and 1/2 cups with 1 pound cooked macaroni

Mix some sauce with diced cooked ham and spread on sandwiches

Mix with cooked vegetables and cooked chicken for a quick casserole

Melt cheese over cooked broccoli

Spread as topping for crackers