Hot answers tagged cheese
29
I think it would depend on the cheese.
For a reasonably hard cheese, like cheddar, I have done it, and never gotten sick (your results may vary).
If it's pre-grated, then I would not touch it anymore.
For a softer cheese, like a brie, I would not risk it.
27
Cheese is not made from "rotten" milk, let me clarify that. Rotting is an uncontrolled process in which bacteria, molds and other life forms colonize milk, eat it, release waste into it and die. The resulting, rather unpredictable, crud we call rotten (or more precisely spoiled) milk.
Most cheese is the product of highly controlled action by bacteria that ...
26
I usually freeze mozzarella and then grate it (longer the better, unless you are in a hurry, then 20 minutes or so works OK). This works very well. Other soft cheeses, such as those meant to be eaten at room temp, brie, for example, I wouldn't freeze... Of course, I don't think many of us are grating brie anyway.
24
Cheap cheese is, as others have explained, cheap for a reason.
You should be able to find old/extra old (AKA "sharp"/"extra sharp") cheddar cheese in the cheap section, which makes a reasonably good starting point - this cheese does have some flavour.
Daniel says he simmers the milk; I generally start with evaporated milk, which is even more economical ...
21
They are both soft-ripened cheese, and there are certainly many similarities, but they are by no means the same.
Camembert is aged at least 3 weeks; Brie may be aged as little as 1 week.
Brie is generally drained for 18 hours; Camembert is drained for 48 hours.
Brie may be salted before aging; Camembert is not.
Brie is more often pasteurized than Camembert ...
21
The rind of Brie is Penicillium Camemberti it's a completely harmless fungus which gives brie its taste. You can eat it, or not, up to you: you are supposed to.
If it smells very strongly of ammonia the cheese is just a bit too ripe but it won't do you any harm.
20
Those are called "Eyes" by cheese makers. The appear when bacteria convert lactic acid into propionic acid and carbon dioxide or metabolise citrate.
These bacteria occur in diary product, tough they can also be added to the curd to get the characteristic eyes. See for example: Propionibacterium freudenreichii.
19
To quote On Food and Cooking (Harold McGee), page 63, about crystals in Cheddar:
In aged Cheddar, there are often
crystals of calcium lactate, formed
when ripening bacteria convert the
usual form of lactic acid into its
less soluble mirror ("D") image.
In blue cheeses:
The white crystals often visible
against the blue mold of a Roquefort,
...
18
Could be an unfinished roux (the butter, flour mixture). But most likely it's because the cheese was heated too quickly or too much, causing the protein to clump up.
Suggestions:
Melt with less heat
Use a double boiler (to reduce hot spots within the pan)
Toss the shredded cheddar with cornstarch first (starch helps reduce clumping)
Add cheese in smaller ...
18
Having worked for some time as a cheesemonger, I found that Bulgarian Feta was generally saltier and more assertive than many Greek fetas. I also found the texture to be a bit grainier with the Bulgarian feta and a bit more dense. However, my experiences are limited in that while I sold five different Greek fetas, I only sold one Bulgarian Feta. I'll also ...
17
This is a recipe that we used for the concierge lounge when I was a chef in the main kitchen of the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:
Paneer
5 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Bring the milk to a boil, add the lemon juice so that the milk separates into the curds and whey.
Add a bit more lemon juice if necessary. Let set for approx. ...
16
I found a highly rated mascarpone cheese substitute recipe on food.com. I haven't personally tried it, but it's highly rated on that site, and is ridiculously simple.
1 16 oz block of cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Blend until smooth
Try it and let us know? :)
15
Making Mozzarella is not fantastically difficult, but certain things during the process are critical, probably the most important is temperature.
If it's your first time making cheese, you might find the buying a 'starter kit' the easiest way to get up and running. These will provide you with all the important items you needm such as rennet. If you feel ...
15
I'm not sure that's the right way to go about this. There are tons and tons of types of cheeses. I'm not sure you'll find a good list of all substitutes because it will be too big to put together.
Instead, I think you need to learn about the types of cheese so that you can make an informed decision. Is a cheese blue, sharp, creamy, hard, soft? How does it ...
15
Pizza hut uses skim milk mozzarella on it's pizza, at least in the USA. Not sure what they use in other countries, but I would imagine it is still the same. Skim milk mozzarella is extremely stretchy, but loses a little on the flavor end. More expensive pizzerias normally spring for the full fat mozzarella cheese.
Dominos uses a mix of cheese, made up of ...
14
Normal cheese melts like that. It is made of proteins, fats, and water, and these separate when they are heated.
For dipping, you need processed cheese. It has additives which keep the fat, fluid and solids mixed in a smooth mass. Also, it really helps to use very slow and even heat. This is the easy option.
If you want to do it "for real", without ...
12
I like it fine; on good cheeses it seems like that outer layer has a lot of interesting flavor. I love it when at things like industry conference buffets thrown by giant rich corporations the good (or great) brie rinds gets mostly left behind for me :-)
If you don't like the taste of it, don't eat it. I suggest adopting that policy as a general rule. You ...
12
Ignore the purists. If it's got cheese in it, and you're grilling it, it's grilled cheese.
The problem is this: your cold ingredients are keeping the cheese from properly melting through. The cheese is what binds the whole thing together. If there is not enough cheese, or if the cheese hasn't transitioned completely to gooey deliciousness, the sandwich is ...
11
By the wording of the question, I'm pretty sure you're using one of those pyramidal graters or a "sheet" grater.
That's great for getting the "bulk", but if you want to grate a small amount of cheese (or the last bit of a large amount, if you don't want to just eat it) then you really need to get yourself a rotary grater. They're more commonly used for ...
11
Both contain protein. The amount varies by the type for cheese, although it appears to be about 20% - 35%. All dairy contains protein. There may also be milk or cream in the sauce, which would also be a contributing ingredient.
Pasta also contains protein, but less than cheese. The amount depends on the type of flour used. It will also increase if egg is ...
11
Usually a cheese tasting would have more variety in terms of texture and flavour and you'd progress from the mild to the stronger. However, if your goal is to compare a lot of similar cheeses to contrast with each other, you'll need to have more palate cleansing and balancing in between each cheese.
A lot of the cheeses that you're considering are aged ...
11
Gorgonzola, like any other blue cheese, is supposed to have mold. It should have blue mold radiating from "veins" through the middle, like so:
Normally this pre-existing mold actually helps prevent other molds from growing, but if you see more than one type of mold (especially a different colour like green or black), then you should throw it out, because ...
11
Milder cheddars are for melting. They get used in things such as grilled cheese sandwiches, grating into chili, nachos, or in quesadillas. In these uses, they don't need the full-bodied flavor of a sharp cheddar, but they do need to melt down into soft, gooey, creamy deliciousness.
Sharper cheddars are for flavor. I commonly see them in sandwiches, ...
10
Solid blocks of cheese, such as cheddar, will only have the mold on the exterior so cutting it off should be fine. For soft cheeses such as Brie all you need to do is cut far enough back that you're not cutting through the mold itself. Brie is more likely to develop an ammoniated smell before the mold gets too extreme and if this is the case cutting the ...
10
As Nick said, I wouldn't recommend it for soft cheese... the process of cutting off the mold can push some nasty bacteria into the inside.
I've also never got sick from doing this. Now if you're talking about some piece of cheese that has questionable provenance (been in your student accommodation fridge for 6 months)... well that may be different :)
10
A lot of cheeses are naturally brined (feta, for example), and marinating cheese is not much different. For the best effect:
Pick a porous cheese
Cut off the edges if the cheese has a skin
Cut into smaller pieces to increase the penetration
Press it dry with towels (or paper towels)
You can inject the cheese to get more flavour in it
Marinate in flavours ...
10
Last summer was a long time ago. The National Center for Food Preservation has this to say about herbs in oil:
Oils may be flavored with herbs if they are made up for fresh use, stored in the refrigerator and used within 2 to 3 days. There are no canning recommendations. ... Pesto is an uncooked seasoning mixture of herbs, usually including fresh basil, ...
10
Continuing to age a "nice" block of Parmesan is not going to do anything for you. It has already aged for over year and has changed pretty much all it's going to.
Similarly aging cheap, canned, Parmesan-like product that is aged only a month to cut costs will also not be good because it has too much surface area and will oxidize. It isn't very good to start ...
10
According to the nutritional information posted on their website Domino's uses a blend of Mozzarella, American, Cheddar, Feta, Parmesan, and Provolone Cheeses.
Somebody, apparently, with similar concerns asked Domino's and received this response:
excerpt from letter, emphasis added:
Domino's Pizza Diced Cheese for Pizza is a specially produced cheese
...
10
Yes, you can freeze parmesan cheese. Even without freezing, Parmesan is very durable since the low water and high salt content prevents mould from growing. The younger varieties may be more prone to mould growth (having a higher water content), but I've kept ripe Parmesan (30-36 months) for at least a year in the fridge without problems (and it would ...
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