American recipe: In the US is 'cream cheese' the same as Philadelphia type cheese?

[TspookyChasm]

Just need some clarification here.

I have a really nice recipe book for my slow cooker and it seems to be American.

Some recipes require cubes of cream cheese. I always think of something like Philadelphia cheese if I think of cream cheese and it's not really something that you can cut up into cubes.

Does it mean a different thing in the US or am I reading too much into the description?

[GrapefruitMoon]

I would have thought Philly too - some US measurements are hard to fathom though - eg stick of butter

[TspookyChasm]

Wow really Hoochie?! How weird is that? Glad it's not just me that gets confuzzled.

It's funny those little things that completely throw you. I wonder what odd things in our recipe books have American cooks scratching their heads.

[TspookyChasm]

Their measurements sound endearingly old fashioned with their cups and sticks and cans instead of tins. Oh and 'shredded' cheese. Grated I thought that must mean.

[SofaQueen]

Yes, it is. Be careful, a US fl oz is different from a UK fluid oz.

Butter comes in sticks in the US. 1 stick of butter is 8 tablespoons.

Shredded cheese is grated cheese.

[FaintlyMacabre]

I have seen Phildelphia in the US wrapped up in a block like butter. Presumably it would be possible to cut it into cubes. I don't know if the consistency is any different from 'normal' Philedelphia as they do sell it in tubs as well like in the UK.

There, that was helpful, wasn't it?

[SofaQueen]

Odd things about UK cookbooks for an American:

What is rocket?
Spring onion? (we call them green onions)
We don't have gammon, mutton,
Jelly? Jelly in the US is jam. Jello is jelly.
Muscovado sugar?
Caster sugar?
Most people is the US have never heard of fromage frais (we have sour cream)
Bacon in the US is the streaky kind. The kind normally called bacon here in the UK is called Canadian bacon.

I'll think of more...

[TspookyChasm]

Lol. That would fox me too FB.

Thanks to SofaQueen I think we are enlightened. Thanks! I may be back with more questions though.

I had to look up 'Colby cheese'. Not heard of that at all.

[SofaQueen]

Philadelphia is a brand by Kraft which makes cream cheese. There are other brands, so it is just known as cream cheese. The stuff in the blocks is just the same as tubs.

[MrsBadger]

I think mostly they say 'cut into cubes' to make mixing it in easier, esp as most people would do it in a food processor where dropping in a whole tub of Philly in one lump would gum up the blades

[SofaQueen]

Colby cheese is an abomination - close to cheddar (with much less flavour) with a deep orange colour.

[serenity]

Sour cream isn't the same as fromage frais (with fruit or not!)

[GrapefruitMoon]

Sofaqueen - is asparagus eaten in the US - I had some visitors a while back and did some grilled asparagus (which was yummy if I say so myself) but they didn't even try it - so was wondering if they didn't know what it was and were too polite to ask?

[SofaQueen]

Here is a good translation for both US and UK cooking terminology www.allem.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ukuscook.htm

[SofaQueen]

I agree, GrapefruitMoon. I was just giving the closest approximation.

Asparagus is eaten in the US, but is seen as quite poncy.

[TspookyChasm]

SofaQueen you've been really helpful. Thanks again. Good link too. 'Marshmallow cream'? Sounds interesting.

[SofaQueen]

Marshmallow cream- some people are obsessed with this.

Uses:

Marshmallow cream and peanut butter sandwich (uggg)
Mixed into roasted sweet potato (uggg ugggg)
Make fudge
Make frosting (the best use
Spread on graham cracker (digestive cookie) and smear melted chocolate on top (my secret vice)
In pies

It's actually available in Selfridge's Food Hall for an eyewatering markup.

[MrsBadger]

...also on firebox thus - I usually get my sister one for her stocking (and eat the rest myself, om nom nom)

[mathanxiety]

Yes, Philly and cream cheese are the same thing. If you put your brick of cheese in the fridge for a bit, you can cut it into cubes right after you take it out. You can just spoon it out of the tub otherwise.

A stick of butter is a 1/4 lb. Butter in the US comes in lbs, divided into four individually wrapped sticks, each one marked into 8 tablespoons. It is nothing like European butter, tastes like salted grease.

US measurements are done by volume -- a cup is a standard sized measuring tool, ditto for tablespoons, teaspoons, etc.

As for marshmallow fluff, why not just dig into a bag of sugar So glad to have found someone else who thought Colby 'cheese' was dreadful.

[CheerfulYank]

Yes, cream cheese/Philly cheese same thing, it comes in blocks here, colby cheese is yucky, and grapefruitmoon we definitely eat asparagus!

[NativeMinnesotaLivinginUK]

I recognize this is an old post ... I went searching this morning to find out of UK and US cream cheese is the same thing. I am making a pumpkin cheesecake recipe posted by Martha Stewart as "quick and easy."

I enjoyed reading the dialogue from years back. Hope some of you are still participating on MumsNet.

The thing about sticks of butter in the US is that they are sold in 8-tablespoon sticks as SofaQueen pointed out ... AND they have marks on the wax paper wrapping for 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. tablespoons so it is very quick and easy to slice off 4 tablespoons of butter without having to dirty a measuring spoon or weigh butter on a scale. Helps loads with speed and clean up.

From afar, I recognize the "stick" measurements seem confusing. I am having the same challenges here as many of you have mentioned when I use some of my aunts' recipes now that I live in the UK. For instance, 1 can of x. In the States, I would recognize what size can we had used on the shelf, really by the branding and label, not so much by the volume. Here I am not as sure of my memory and REALLY wish I knew how many fluid ounces (or mL) the can had contained.

But sticks I know how to translate and there are lots of helpful butter converters online.

[NativeMinnesotaLivinginUK]

Pity the link you referenced isn't still live. Is there another you have been using more recently?

[NativeMinnesotaLivinginUK]

Pity the link you referenced isn't still live. Is there another you have been using more recently?