Serious Eats
Dude, Kraft Has Gone All, Like, Web 2.0, or Whatever
Clearly someone at Kraft Foods has given the inmates the keys to their asylum. In the latest example of Web 2.0 gimmickry, the company famous for its American pasteurized prepared cheese product has launched a MySpace page calling for video submissions that demonstrate "the simple joy that comes from enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich." The contest, oddly named "Have a Happy Sandwich," lets MySpace users vote for their favorite videos, with the highest vote-getter winning a $50,000 grand prize.
While I love grilled cheese sandwiches as much as the next guy, I just don't see how a campaign like this is will induce me (or anyone else) to buy more Kraft Singles. Then again, the page has attracted more than 2,000 "friends," so what do I know? For me, though, the proof is in the videos, some of which are just too painful to watch.
Granted the contest called for videos only 10 to 15 seconds in length, which isn't exactly enough time to move me emotionally or anything, but give me 10 to 15 seconds to talk about a REAL good cheese—like Sweetgrass Dairy's double-cream Green Hill Camembert—and I promise the results will be more appealing than this drivel. (To be fair, here's one that's kind of cute.)
I'm willing to admit that Kraft Singles make a decent grilled cheese sandwich, but only from the standpoint of texture. In fact, one of the main reasons James L. Kraft created American processed cheese way back in 1911 was to make a good melting cheese. When real cheddar melts, the butterfat tends to seep out of the curd in a greasy puddle. Processed cheeses contain added emulsifiers that help maintain a smooth consistency when melted. However, when it comes to taste, the stuff fails miserably. Which is why I much prefer to make my grilled cheese sandwiches with a nice aged Comté or Gruyère, or even a raw milk Taleggio. Those cheeses melt well AND taste good. Why bother with the plastic stuff?
What goes on your grilled cheese? Are you a Kraft Singles purist, or do you go for the fancy stuff?
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.