Hi Babs - American Cheese is processed cheese. In the states we have processed cheese and processed cheese FOOD - the FOOD is not real cheese and is to be avoided. Velveeta is a processed cheese food. The benefit to American Cheese is that it melts really well. However, I have made the chips using grated cheddar cheese and it works great - I just sprayed a bowl with non-stick spray, made a nice layer of cheese then zapped it in the microwave. The bowl worked better for me than the plate because of the way my microwave works.

Good luck.
PecanPie