Fellow millennials/ gen x , why was cheese sauce so much better when we were growing up?
Posted by Cool_Twist4494@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 85 comments
When I was a kid Cheese fries were the food of the gods that you could only get so often. It had the best gooey, fry-coating cheese that actually tasted like cheddar. Now everyone has the same nasty overly tangy bullshit that like tastes nothing but putrid yellow lubrication.
I know it's not my pallet changing because I've gotten the good kind sporadically over the past 20 years maybe only 5 times.I feel like Nathan's cheese fries are still good but I haven't had them in over a decade.
I thought they were literally just procuring bags/cans of it so what's with it? Did they not use sodium citrate when we were growing up? Is this syscos fault somehow?
missed_sla@reddit
That government cheese can go for $20 a brick for a reason
bransanon@reddit
Look for Gehl's Jalapeno Cheese Sauce. If you can't source that one, you might be able to find Chef-Mate. You'd need to go somewhere like Restaurant Depot to buy either of them.
cola1016@reddit
That’s what we use- chef mate nacho cheese. We get the giant can cuz that’s all they sell and we portion it out and keep it refrigerated for a couple weeks. 6 of us so we go though it quickly when we make cheese fries and nachos at home. Haven’t bought anything else since 😂
epidemicsaints@reddit
The cheap Ragu jar is the best. https://www.ragu.com/our-sauces/cheese-sauces/double-cheddar-cheese-sauce/
Things like this get reduced to nothing to copy the flavor profile with the cheapest thing possible. Like sweet and sour sauce can be made with ketchup, pineapple juice, and vinegar but then they reduce it to acetic acid, corn syrup, and red food coloring.
These foods have also gotten blander and blander for kids, I think. Bottled ranch has had this happen too.
TP_Crisis_2020@reddit
Yeah I have completely stopped buying bottled ranch years ago as it seemed to go downhill. My cooking hack is to make up my own ranch now. There have been some good recipes floating around, but this one is a pretty good one.
epidemicsaints@reddit
I have a good time with the packets and real sour cream, milk whatever. I even prefer French's to Hidden Valley because it so dilly.
TP_Crisis_2020@reddit
Yeah, using the packets to make ranch is legit too. But have you SEEN the price of them now? The packets of the powder are over $2 each now!
I have always dusted my vegetables with ranch powder as seasoning for pretty much my entire life so I go through a lot, but it's a shock to me that an 8oz bottle of the Hidden Valley powder is almost $10 now. That's what prompted me to look into making my own. I can make a pound of DIY ranch powder now for the same price as the 8oz bottle of Hidden Valley powder.
epidemicsaints@reddit
The French's is less than a dollar, I dump it on popcorn.
TP_Crisis_2020@reddit
Yeah ranch on popcorn is good! I never knew about the French's, I might have to give that a try.
Auntie_Venom@reddit
I hate bottled ranch now.. The last few times I bought it, I was like am I remembering it wrong, I swear it was more savory and tasty. If I make it myself it’s better and I use heavy mayo like Duke’s.
I usually just buy fresh made by the pint from the pizza joint up the street, it’s AMAZING.
t3hwookiee@reddit
I can’t find it locally anymore! Now it comes in a little box, like broth does, and it doesn’t taste the same at all. Used to be great for making taco mac.
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
I remember when Chinese restaurants used to have pinapples and carrots floating in the sauce.
JeffTS@reddit
Lots of things tasted better when we were kids. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hersey's candy, various cereals, Steak-ums, etc. Companies switched to the cheapest possible solutions.
Ditzy_Davros@reddit
Mmmm fresh cut, fried potatoes covered in crappy cheese.... ::enter Homer's drool here::
Kellzy1212@reddit
Idk the answer, but Shake Shack cheese sauce is great. It’s a blend of American and cheddar, so close to a really good Mac and cheese sauce.
CincySnwLvr@reddit
Transfats
epidemicsaints@reddit
I don't know about this one... they went from partially hydrogenating to fully hydrogenating the oils with the ban. It's just Crisco/shortening and I don't see any difference in this ingredient, flavor or mouthfeel wise.
DaringMoth@reddit
I worked in fats & oils R&D around the time the trans fats labeling requirement went into effect in the US. A lot of work went into replicating the mouthfeel and flavor of trans fats products, so it's not surprising a lot of people can't tell as much of a difference. Fully hydrogenated has pretty different properties than partially hydrogenated, though. I'm not sure whether that's the difference in flavor in this case, but a lot of products I think there was a very noticeable difference (Doritos is one of the biggest examples for me).
Auntie_Venom@reddit
Why McDonald’s fries aren’t fried in beef tallow anymore… There’s a BBQ chain in StL (Salt + Smoke) that fries them in beef tallow, OMG they are amazing! I have to get a fix about every other visit back “home”… I read Steak & Shake also cooks them in beef tallow again…
DrMcJedi@reddit
MSG. It’s delicious…but kills rats (and everything else) when you drown them in vats of it.
ReadyAimTranspire@reddit
The MSG scare was actually bunk, it's not bad for you and the FDA and WHO have said as much.
You shouldn't eat handfuls of it but it's perfectly safe.
colostitute@reddit
MSG is truly some flavor magic. I use it all the time.
New_Stats@reddit
That's true of every scare in foods
The new fear mongering is going after artificial sweeteners.
You'd need to drink like 18 zero calorie sodas a day to get enough of the fake sweetener to kill a rat
First off - don't drink 18 zero calorie sodas a day, that's crazy.
Second - even if you're a crazy bastard who drinks 18 sodas a day, you're much much bigger than a rat, you're gonna be fine.
GrumpyOldHistoricist@reddit
That was the joke.
pina_koala@reddit
Poe's law sucks sometimes lol. I'm constantly extolling the virtues of MSG to anyone who will listen
boston_homo@reddit
All the "MSG bad" bs has been debunked, completely and unambiguously.
blamberr@reddit
Is a lack of transfats the reason why all cereal is shittier now too?
cerialthriller@reddit
If you get the cheez whiz or velveta brand it’s still pretty good. But all the knock off brands are really shit.
noonesaidityet@reddit
The best cheese sauce that still exists is at Maid-Rite, and the closest I've found in retail is the small cans of Frito's Mild Cheddar that are in the chip aisle. It's not 100% there, but I haven't found anything closer.
Thank you for bringing to light one of the real problems facing us gluttons in the modern world.
Orleanian@reddit
I love the Fritos cheese, but it's gone from $1.50 can in 2020 to a $6.00 can in 2026.
siiilenttbob@reddit
Yeah, I love the jalapeno cheddar but I can't allow myself to pay that much for such a little can. It's highway robbery!
cat_at_the_keyboard@reddit
You're making me want to finally try Maid Rite. I've lived in Iowa for 8 years but still haven't been.
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
I'm on the east coast and I make their loose meat regularly. The key is to have a somewhat flavorful liquid that by end that reduces into a more flavorful liquid as it evaporates with the meat. Make it taste too good off the bat it comes out as pickled ground meat.
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
Dude the little fritos is totally on point! But for real people keep saying rude comments about REAL cheese but I see real cheese in ingredient still like ricos, and it's still terrible. Unless you're just allowed to lie now.
398409columbia@reddit
Because I had no taste literally.
Agent17@reddit
My high school sold a big deli roll and a tray of cheese as the base school lunch. Lots of kids where hyped about it. Was always weird to me.
Aggravating-Alarm-16@reddit
My high school sold the 7/11 of nachos
And French fries.
Nachos and cheese fries were my lunch. I may be fat but I have no regrets
ReadyAimTranspire@reddit
A guilty pleasure of mine is the 7-11 chili, just straight up meat (likely mystery meat) and whatever flavoring it was floating in.
The_Bard@reddit
As a kid i used to get a big bite with chili and cheese in it in the late 80s and loved it. I wouldn't touch the stuff today but I've gone down the Google rabbit hole before of how I could replicate it at home.
FiveCrappedPee@reddit
I remember going to the movies and you'd order nachos and they'd just slop that shit on, and nothing was better than the soggy ass chips dripping with cheese sauce as you watch Die Hard and then scoop up some jalapenos. Now you get a sad lil cup and that's it. At least at 711 you can still go buck wild.
Orleanian@reddit
The death of the sloppy soft nacho pile is a travesty.
TP_Crisis_2020@reddit
That's probably why 7/11's are still so wildly popular worldwide.
TP_Crisis_2020@reddit
Yes, gas station and concession stand nacho cheese sauce hasn't been good in many years.
I started making my own with the Winco bulk cheddar powder.
Substitute the Winco powder in this recipe
This will make you feel like you're at that little league baseball game concession stand again!
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
Thank you
jRok57@reddit
Because the markets bears what we allow.
Back then they used real ingredients. Now the FDA has approved cheap alternatives to make the facsimile.
Do yourself a favor and learn how to make a bechamel.
New_Stats@reddit
Which cheap alternatives has the FDA approved to degrade the quality of the food we eat today?
Be specific
toctami@reddit
No dont you understand! Our food is full of chemicals!!!!!! /s
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
I make bachemel but it tastes like bachamel. Great for lasagna and Mac and cheese but not the true nasty nasty daddy wants.
nudave@reddit
FYI, the secret ingredient and being able to make a very cheesy sauce out of a Bauml is sodium citrate. Just a little bit, and you get a super smooth cheese sauce that won’t break and has no grit. And honestly, if you overdo it on the sodium citrate, you can start to approach the artificial textures that might be just what you’re looking for
pina_koala@reddit
How much is a little bit? I keep using too little lol
cheerful_cynic@reddit
Or just add one slice of American cheese to your bechamel
RCP90sKid-@reddit
Alton Brown taught me this.
Significant-Rush-129@reddit
They absolutely did NOT use real ingredients back then. Our tastes as a society have changed drastically over time (particularly the last 20 years) as cultures have blended.
Scrapla1@reddit
Was it made from real cheese but now it's all chemicals?
justsomeyeti@reddit
It's more likely that it was all "chemicals" back then, especially in the 80's
Scrapla1@reddit
That questioned seemed to anger some folks.
justsomeyeti@reddit
That's because the issue is quite polarized, ESPECIALLY about cheese. Lots of folks from the EU who may have only visited the US and probably ate at a TGI Friday's or taco bell while here, say all sorts of silly bullshit, and then you have the other end of the spectrum that pretends that the US food systems are flawless and harmless.
Frankly you see more of the former on reddit, and those folks are Homeric in the scope of their douchebaggery.
Truth is, we do eat too much ultra processed junk, but our food safety standards often exceed most EU standards. As far as quality is concerned, it's a mix. You can get a lot of local produce that folks in the EU only dream of (Especially tomatoes outside of certain areas of the Mediterranean, or chilis) but it's going to be hard to find in food deserts and large urban areas(or just prohibitively expensive in those areas).
Then there is the whole chlorinated chicken BS, and egg washing BS...
Scrapla1@reddit
Thanks
New_Stats@reddit
Welp, you heard it here first everyone. cheese wiz from the 80s was made with real cheese. What you remember is a lie
Also spray cheese was all natural, single sourced artisanal cheese until 1993 when it all went to shit
Scrapla1@reddit
I was asking not being sarcastic. Why did this upset people?
New_Stats@reddit
It's a common statement made by very uninformed people. RFK jr types who think Tylenol causes autism if a pregnant mother takes it and they also think a common deworming drug helps cure X
X = COVID a few years back but currently it means cancer because Mel Gibson said it cured cancer. The actor. Who has no medical training of any kind.
So your genuine question read more like a "you should know this already" type of statement. Just a lost in translation text. Sorry about that
devious_burrito@reddit
The big food service cans of nacho cheese sauce from smart and final are the real deal.
Abidarthegreat@reddit
Because when you were a child, you were not exposed to good food. By the time you are an adult, you've experienced more and realized how shitty things like liquid cheese, spaghetti Os, and Kool aid taste comparatively.
Uztta@reddit
Pro tip:
If you’re making something that has cheese sauce, like Mac and cheese or some kind of hamburger helper type food. Take the quantity of milk that it calls for and instead use half heavy whipping cream and half water.
I know, you think it should be the same as milk, but it isn’t and it makes a huge difference
Ill-Percentage-3276@reddit
I add in a bunch of shredded cheddar and seasonings too.
Leilani3317@reddit
Come to Albuquerque. I don’t know how they’re doing it, but all the restaurants that do cheese fries with the sauce here are doing it however I remember as a kid.
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
The good stuff is being smuggled across the border to you.
DrMcJedi@reddit
That molten hot nacho flavored emulsified cheese product was the best…
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
Yeah it was super spicy with no floating peppers or spices. Crazy. Must have been like pure jalapeno oil in it or something.
DrMcJedi@reddit
I’m gonna better was probably some MSG in it too…
Someone else mentioned that the Frito’s canned stuff in the chip aisle is probably about as close a thing that still exists.
Where’s the Allrecipes version of this already?
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
It's insane cause it's literally the size of a tuna can maybe smaller. More like the weird blue raspberry bubble tape that came in a different container for some reason.
rearwindowpup@reddit
The trick to awesome box mac and cheese with the powdered cheese sauce is to use a plain yogurt instead of butter and milk when making it. The sauce is tangy delicious and super smooth.
jivemasterjohn@reddit
They put more cheese in it back in the day. There has always been oils, preservatives and other stuff in cheese sauce. But manufacturers have steadily reduced how much cheese is in it
DrunkenMaths@reddit
It was horrid then and it's even worse now.
DethByCow@reddit
I dont know man, i still love dipping bread sticks in nacho cheese.
New_Stats@reddit
My local pizza shop used American cheese and it was fantastic
They just popped the fries & cheese in the pizza oven and let it get all bubbly and golden
59apache01@reddit
Back then it was real cheese. Not a bunch of shit you can't pronounce or spell.
JamesMattDillon@reddit
Yup
Just_call_me_Face@reddit
Everything was just better in the 90's
JamesMattDillon@reddit
Because now days stuff got taken out and they had to use another source. And our tastes change
Lucky_Louch@reddit
Wasn't much of a fan of it back then but it was no doubt better then the drivel they are trying to pass as cheese sauce these days. Almost every...single...Thing has gotten worse especially food, enshitification has come full circle.
thecatsofwar@reddit
The asbestos and lead in it.
Blando-Cartesian@reddit
Decades ago products actually were pretty much what the name implies. Cheddar was cheddar. Now, what is sold as “cheddar” is cheese like product, stripped from valuable components that are replaced with yoga mat ingredients.
That was somewhat /s but not entirely. In EU this phenomenon show in product labels, such as milk being labeled as “milk beverage” because it doesn’t match the EU definition of actual milk. Many cheese like products also can’t label themselves as the cheese classic products they are pretending to be.
Cool_Twist4494@reddit (OP)
I was figuring regulation was behind the demise .
TuckerCarlsonsOhface@reddit
All you people saying back in the 80s/90s it was real cheese are insane. Back then it was basically pure palm oil with orange dye. A couple decades before that it was real.