Not that this will affect me, but there are copycat recipes for making Velveeta Cheese for anyone who suffers from a shortage.

We used Velveeta back in the 50's when I was a child and I've hated it ever sense. I think it's why I dislike grilled cheese sandwiches to this day - all that gagging cheese (because we sliced it with a butcher knife instead of a cheese cutter and the slices were WAY too thick), and my "always-in-a-hurry" mother had the skillet too hot and burned the bread. Oh, my, just typing the story I can feel my throat close and remember the acrid smell of the burned bread. Ugh!!!

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Velveeta Substitute

I certainly wouldn't even notice a shortage, as I never have and never will buy it. Well, never say neverâ¦if someone pointed a gun at me and forced me to buy it I would.

Sally

I can't remember the last time I bought it, if ever, but I'm sure my mother used it in the 50's and 60's.

Too salty for me, and now, with my sophisticated palate, weird taste!

Velveeta is particularly bad for anyone who has lactose problems. I can handle some dairy products, and other I can tolerate okay in small doses, but Velveeta would definitely give me a bad reaction - and not just from the taste and texture. I also avoid milk.

My sister uses it for a crockpot dip for tortilla chips, and I think she also uses it to make nachos. I think they used it in Napoleon Dynamite for nachos also - I remember they used a large block. My sister's taste is completely different from mine, not only in food, but then she is a lawyer, and I'm not. She does seem to like the food that I make, but I do not like most of the food that she makes.

Lars

Lars, my parents were never fans of Velveeta, or any other cheese, for that matter.
So I didn't learn of its existence until many years later, when a friend served the aforementioned 'Crockpot Dip,' at a party (back in the eighties), and I actually liked it.
For whatever reason, that was the first and last time I tried Velveeta.

I just realized a Velveeta shortage might be the apocalypse for Mama June and her clan!

Please, send all donations to:

A-Dollah-Makes-me-Holla-Honey-Boo-Boo-Child Foundation.

Sol

Now hold on folks. Admittedly, I don't put cheese on my hamburger; but how are you going to make a cheese-burger without Velveeta? You've all had a cheese-burger I suspect! And now grainlady, you can use 'slices' which ought to help; unless you melt the plastic onto the burger; yum. ;-]

Ok, I just had to do it. I think I liked this in the distant past. But right now I feel ill!

Velveeta Salsa Mac 'n Cheese

What You Need
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (16 oz.) TACO BELLî Thick & Chunky Salsa
1-3/4 cups water
2 cups (8 oz.) elbow macaroni, uncooked
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) 2% Milk VELVEETAî, cut up
Make It
Brown meat in large skillet; drain.
Add salsa and water; mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
Add VELVEETA; cook until melted, stirring frequently.

This post was edited by foodonastump on Thu, Jan 9, 14 at 17:40

Actually I'm pretty sure I might have lived on something like that in university.....no kraft mac and cheese for this gourmand!

As for cheese on hamburgers ....sharp Canadian cheddar, a good Swiss or a blue for me thank you.

Edited to delete the dreaded double

This post was edited by chase on Wed, Jan 8, 14 at 21:22

Does anyone else think this is a publicity stunt? If so, it was effective. For very little money every news, talk & entertainment program has been promoting Velveeta. Perhaps I'm just a skeptic, but there doesn't seem to be a reason for a shortage. Nothing like citrus freezing or drought conditions ruining the Velveeta crop.....

...I'm thinking it must be. Allof the stories keep referring to it being such a staple for Super Bowl. The article reads like an ad to me.

Velvetta in the business section.....give me a break.

Around here all the talk points to a publicity stunt. And obviously a very effective one!

I am the odd ball here....I actually like the dip made from Velveeta and Chili. It's not bad!

Other than that it's got about the strangest texture imaginable and on it's own is utterly disgusting! I can't even imagine it on a cheeseburger! (Aren't cheeseburgers supposed to be made with cheese?)

Linda

I think publicity stunt.

As for cheeseburgers, only person I know offhand who uses Velveeta is my FIL. That said, to me cheeseburger implies American Cheese (Product) unless otherwise stated, and Velveeta is a pretty close cousin.

I never put cheese on my hamburger - sliced, shredded or Velveeta - and never have my entire life. I would never put chili on a hot dog - even though the combination may be popular together. In my $10 per week meat budget world, the meat stands alone as the protein serving for the meal in both cases. Adding cheese, as well as bacon if that were a choice, may be tasty, but they would be the protein serving for 2 other meals, and the chili would be a serving for another meal.

We only have 2 servings of meat or meat alternative each day. It's my ultra- thrifty, Spock-like mentality and tight control on our servings from all food groups throughout the day.

-Grainlady

I admit it!
I like the Velveeta Nacho dip! It may have been the very first "dish" I made in my revolutionary new oven -- the microwave oven! What's a football party without it????? I used to buy the BIG block of it. I even have a special Velveeta storage container - made especially for the big block. :) It has a convenient slide out tray so you can slice the Velveeta without removing the block.
I haven't bought it for years -- also think it is a genius publicity stunt. Look at us - we are talking about it - some of us fondly. :)

I don't eat red meat any more (not good for you, my son doesn't like it, it's too expensive), but if I were to have another burger, sharp cheddar cheese and jalapeño with seeds/membrane please.

I like velveeta slices. Not for everything, but in small doses it's pretty good. I have to say, such convenient timing for those who would normally have cheesy dip at their superbowl parties. Wonder if this is a manufactured shortage?

When I heard Diane Sawyer talking about the "Velveeta shortage" on the network news the other night, I thought what is the world coming to? In this case maybe a marketing genius.

I don't know that I've ever purchased a block of Velveeta. But I have purchased Velveeta or other American type slices for burgers and grilled cheese.

When two of my great nephews come over the special treat is Velveeta Shells and Cheese. I am the favorite great aunt!

How will Super Bowl parties go on without the Velveeta/Rotel tomatoes dip???? :-)

If you go to the Ro-Tel web site, the first thing you will see is the Ro-Tel / Velveeta recipe. I've eaten Ro-Tel tomatoes all my life and still make sure that I always have them on hand, but I had no idea that one of their main uses was for the Velveeta dip, even though that is the way my sister made it.

I'm glad, however, that I can find Ro-Tel tomatoes here, as originally, they were only available in Texas. If I were making a Velveeta dip, I would have to add extra chilies or some of my roasted habanera sauce. I think that would make it spicy enough to be okay, but it would still upset my stomach.

The only cheese I ever liked on hamburgers was Bleu Cheese.

Lars

Velveeta s still the cheese product of choice for mysoon-to-be 87 year-old mother. We always have several different cheeses available to the family, but once in a while she asks me to pick her up a loaf of Velveeta. I did love grilled cheese made with Velveeta when I was a child, but now it turns my stomach. Not that I'm a cheese snob, or too sophisticated, it just makes me think of cheese flavored taffy.

Grainlady - Regardless of what it is you're counting, whether calories, grams of fat or protein, sodium, or cost, there's no rule that says you can't spread it around differently throughout the day - if a cheeseburger sounds good to you then try it! Biggest sin is cost.

Anyway I know I like stuff made with Velveeta, but just knowing last night's leftovers are in the fridge is upsetting my stomach. I think I have to throw it out even though there's a bunch of it. And delete the above picture while I'm at it.

Loling at Sol!

I think it could be Velveeta's Perfect Storm. Advance notice of sub-freezing weather and travel advisories across most of the USA coincided with the wildcard football playoffs, resulting in record-breaking viewership this past weekend.

Just the two Saturday and Sunday night games had 35 and 45 MILLION people sitting at home watching them, while a certain percentage of them were nibbling nachos or Philly cheese steaks topped with Velveeta or Ro-Tel and Velveeta dip.

That exact combination of conditions is a rare occurrence and Kraft scored a publicity touchdown by exploiting it.

I'm not overly fond of REAL cheese, I'm sure not eating the fake stuff. If I do have a cheeseburger, I'll have real swiss or a slice of provolone with lots of mushrooms and onions on it, thanks.

That said, Ashley loves Velveeta Shells and Cheese, and she makes a chili dip that has Mexican Velveeta, beans, hamburger, some other stuff I'm afraid to find out about.

If Grainlady really WANTED a cheeseburger, she could eat a small burger with half a serving of cheese and still only have one protein serving. When I was in high school I worked at a sub/fried chicken joint. The hamburger place next door sold burgers that were 8:1. Yup, 8 burgers per pound, so that's a 2 ounce burger. I'll bet White Castle burgers aren't any bigger. So, split the protein up and have whatever combination you want...

Definitely a publicity stunt, but it did make me check for Velveeta today. Yes indeed, there's a whole shelf full of it here, as well as the store brand stuff right next to it. Maybe I should buy it all and "black market" it to Super Bowl Fans.

Or Honey Boo-Boo, LOL.

Annie

Grandpa used to buy it to bait fishhooks with. I never could do harm to them, so I used to feed small chunks of it to the fish at the edge of the kiddie fishing pond. It was more fun than fishing.

I was raised on it, used to make the best open-faced toasted cheese sandwiches, left the top off so that the cheese got real melty and bubbly. I only use it for Queso now, maybe only once a year. I do prefer real cheese for everything else now. And a burger isn't complete without cheese for me, even if it's American.

I don't think it's a publicity stunt. My grocery store has been out of the size package I use since before Thanksgiving. I asked them to check a few days before Thanksgiving, and right in front of me they checked and they couldn't get it in. The manager showed me the screen.

Since Thanksgiving I've only seen the small packages once, and I bought the last two packages on the shelf. The young man stocking shelves said those two packages were the last ones left. I haven't seen any since.

I don't like the taste of velveeta, so I would never use it in a grilled cheese sandwich or on a cheeseburger. But my kids and their friends love Patti LaBelle's Over The Rainbow mac n cheese and they love that velveeta/rotel dip. The bowl of mac n cheese is practically licked clean when I make it. So it's a serious matter in this house if there's a velveeta shortage during the holiday season.

I see the big blocks of velveeta cheese in my grocery store. But the little block, the size that all my recipes use, has been missing for months. I like the little size because then I don't have any leftover velveeta to store in my fridge.

daisy, I don't mean that there is Velveeta available, or that your grocery could get it if they wanted. I think it's an artificially created "shortage" for publicity, made entirely by the company, and suddenly it'll appear and people will buy a bunch, or so the company hopes.

Annie

If that's the case, then their strategy is working with me! I'm cooking for a group of college students soon and macaroni and cheese seems to be the most requested side dish, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be some velveeta at the grocery store tomorrow.

I admit -- nay, confess! -- that I like Mac and Cheese made with Velveeta. I also thought the announcement was a publicity stunt, but Kraft says, "the shortage was caused by 'minor manufacturing challenges' and amplified by the seasonal demand." Fortunately, mac and cheese is an infrequent treat here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kraft statement re: Velveeta shortage

I have bought the big block of velveeta exactly twice in my life and both times were recently and for the same recipe. I ate some chicken enchilada soup from my local grocery store and I had to try and make some. Searched garden web for a recipe and found one that I liked. I've made it twice, I wish I could make it more often but it's definitely not healthy. I try not to use processed foods when I cook, doesn't always happen though, and I really enjoy the taste of this soup. If anyone decides to make it I added corn and black beans the second time and it was a nice addition.

Here is a link that might be useful: chicken enchilada soup

It is unlikely that it is a publicity stun.

Velveeta has enjoyed very steady sales growth, to $600 million yearly.

I think to create a sudden supply shortage, then a big dip in demand, will do harm to their manufacturing system.

dcarch

Cheese (real) of all kinds is the most commonly found ingredient in my refrigerator.

But like Daisy, Patti LaBelle's Over The Rainbow is the family's favorite Mac n Cheese, it makes me a hero. So I also used the small box but now Velvetta comes shredded in a bag so I switched to that.