Questions tagged [cheese]
Questions about the identification, use, storage, and sometimes production of cheese.
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Is it safe to eat moldy cheese if you slice off the edges?
Whenever my cheese gets too old and has a bit of blue/white mold on the side, I'm not sure whether I should throw it completely out or not. Is it safe to eat if I cut off the edge? Should I cut a bit ...
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How do I make paneer firm and chewy like in the restaurant?
Recently I've taken a liking to Indian cuisine and am trying to replicate the curry experience at home. The biggest problem I'm having is with the paneer cheese, which is used in curries I like the ...
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Fish and cheese: An unbreakable rule?
I always wondered about this seemingly static rule:
Never add cheese (especially, but not limited to parmigiano reggiano) to a dish with fish.
Italians would never, ever add parmigiano reggiano ...
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Parmesan rind: should I use it, or trash it?
I grate my own Parmesan cheese (and others). When I get down to the rind, I usually throw it out. Is there a use for it?
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I want to make my own cheese. How do I get started?
I've seen people do their own mozzarella and it seemed easy. Any tips on how to get started (equipment, ingredients, recipes)? What about blue cheese and other stronger cheeses?
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What is the rind of Brie cheese made of?
We were eating brie cheese last night, and someone asked if the rind was edible.
I was tempted to say "yes, it's not plastic". But then I realized that while it doesn't look like plastic or wax, I ...
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I bought Mainland's vintage cheddar, it tastes... stale?
Normally I bought a cheddar slice, which I've been eaten since child. It has a smooth and milky taste. This time I wanted to try something premium so I bought the pricier, but same kind of cheese. (...
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Why is my cheese sauce gritty?
Sometimes when making a very simple cheese sauce (butter, flour, milk, cheese [cheddar, usually]), the final sauce has a sort of gritty or slightly pebbly texture (rather than smooth) - it seems like ...
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How can I grate soft cheeses?
Sometimes I need to shred a block of a soft cheese such as mozzarella, or cheddar. When I use my grater, the cheese starts to get kind of chunky as I'm grating it. I end up wasting a lot of cheese ...
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What's this "pucker" style hole on my cheese grater for?
Ok, this picture has two sort of weird looking holes, but the one I'm asking about is on the left side of the picture - the metal sort-of puckers up, like it's been punched through from the back side.
...
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What is a substitute for mascarpone cheese?
I've found mascarpone cheese can be pricey. What would be a good (in taste and price) substitute?
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Is there a reason to not grate cheese ahead of time?
Suppose I know that I'm going to eventually end up grating all of my cheese. Is there a reason to not just toss it all into a blender and store it for later? To be more concrete, I'm particularly ...
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Why is cheese never used in Americanized Chinese food?
While working weekends in an Americanized Chinese food restaurant I realized while many ingredients are used, no dishes contain cheese.
This seems to be the case for every chinese dish I have ever ...
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What's the point of "cheese alternative" that has dairy in it?
I was at Trader Joe's again, and I bought this cheese alternative. Being hungry out of my mind, the thought to check the ingredients never crossed it. Now I, a vegan, am stuck with having to eat a "...
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Why did my mozzarella turn out like ricotta?
I bought my wife a mozzerella kit for christmas, and we tried to make it last night. We followed the directions pretty closely. I supposed we could have removed a bit more whey at some early steps. It ...
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Are you supposed to eat the rind of Brie cheese?
I've heard that it's OK to eat this, but I think it tastes gross. Are you really supposed to?
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How can I melt cheese for dipping?
I love dipping things like pretzels in melted cheese.
I've done this lots of times at fairs and other places with 'pretzel carts', but I've never been able to replicate it myself at home.
Whenever I ...
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How long can hard cheeses last in a refrigerator?
I had chunks of various hard cheeses, mostly parmesan, in my refrigerator for varying lengths of time. Some as long as 3+ months.
I've never seen any obvious signs of spoilage and have never been ...
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What determines how well cheese melts
I have had my fair share of eating cheese and experimenting with them. Sometimes they come out heavenly while other times, it turn out to be a huge flop. Usually when it flops, it's because I am ...
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How do you make paneer?
I've seen the ingredient list of a brand of paneer with an ingredient list of: Milk, Citric Acid. Ok, so what is the process from there? I have a few specific questions:
What kind of milk do you need?...
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Why does Swiss Cheese have holes?
I've always enjoyed eating cheese. Just getting that out of the way. I've never quite figured out why Swiss Cheese has holes! I mean, I can understand different shapes like round, square, triangular - ...
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How to marinate cheese
In the answers to this question Jerk vegetable?
one of the suggestions is to marinate some cheese.
This is not something I have heard of before. I was wondering what cheeses are suitable, and are ...
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Can I continue to age store bought cheese?
I know that many cheeses are considered to be better when aged. After I've purchased a nice block of Parmesan or such, can I continue to age it at home?
Is it practical? Will I get the same result?...
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What's the difference between Greek and Bulgarian Feta Cheese
I went to buy some feta cheese today and noticed that there was both Greek and Bulgarian feta. I was wondering what the differences are between the two and can they be suitably substituted for each ...
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Why do you shred cheese before adding it to a sauce?
I know it melts faster, but tearing cheese into rough parts and adding it to a white sauce melts just fine. Is there a specific reason to why you should shred cheese before adding it to a sauce?
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Why does cheese sometimes slide off my pizza and how can I prevent it?
I eat pizza constantly and have noticed that one of the most annoying pizza properties is cheese sliding. You take a bite and all the cheese is dragged off and often swings down and burns your chin ...
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What kind of cheese does Pizza Hut or Domino's use?
I have been experimenting with Pizza and cakes. I can easily purchase mozzarella in India and have been using it for pizza, but it doesn't come close to the cheese Pizza Hut or Domino's use. Do they ...
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Making (or substitute for) ricotta cheese?
Some of my favorite dishes call for ricotta cheese, be it anything from a lasagna to cannoli. Arguably, this is a very easy thing to find in the States (and presumably elsewhere), so I'd never thought ...
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Is there a difference between Brie & Camembert?
I was listening to a program on Radio NZ where the broadcaster claimed that apart from size there was no difference? It's almost like today we put a brie label on and tomorrow a camembert one. Is this ...
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Can you really keep feta for 3 months in a milk bath?
I just came across some instructions on how to store feta cheese, mentioning you can keep it for about 3 months in the fridge in a brine or milk bath:
Store the cheese in a brine or milk bath if you ...
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Why do so many cheeses have artificial ingredients?
Here in Europe (and perhaps only in Spain) I've noticed that most of the cheeses (hard and soft, but more often hard) contain an interesting list of artificial additives in the ingredients: ...
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Pre-treatment of wet mozzarella balls to reduce moisture for pizzas - thoughts on method?
During my journeys of homemade pizza making I've come across the classic problem of it coming out as a wet mess, due to excess moisture of the toppings. A prime culprit of this was my use of ...
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Is there a way to recover hardened Pecorino Romano?
I've had a wedge of Pecorino Romano wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for a while. There are many of you out there that probably have had the same problem. :)
I actually cut a small piece and ...
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What is the effect of using pasteurized milk in cheese making?
I am new to cheese making and I do not want to use raw milk to make cheese for health reasons. So, my next option is to use pasteurized milk. However, since pasteurization destroys some of the ...
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Why is the outside of grilled cheese buttered?
Most grilled cheese recipes call for the outward faces of bread to be buttered, while the inside faces have the cheese inserted.
However, this tends to cause your hands to become very oily when eating ...
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Why does cheese have an expiry date?
I am wondering why there are expiry dates on cheese. Sorry if I am not very clear about how cheese is made, but isn't cheese made from rotten milk? Some cheeses have molds on them too.
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What vegan substitutes are available for cheese?
Suppose I want a cheesy-tasting sauce that is vegan. How could I obtain this flavor (or something close to it) without using any actual milk or cheese?
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Is there a way to grate a block of cheese entirely without hurting one's fingers or knuckles?
You know the scenario: You grate the cheddar until you're left with a quarter-inch. What do you do? Try to grate it and risk cutting your knuckles, or pop it in your mouth and enjoy?
Usually I do the ...
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How to store Parmesan cheese?
I recently lucked into about 4 lbs of a delicious Parmesan. Sadly it's already in 4 pieces, and so I'm pretty sure its going to be more prone to spoilage than a single large chunk. How does one go ...
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Why is my mac 'n' cheese grainy?
I need to make a large batch (to serve 30) of mac 'n' cheese, and rather than bothering with my standard roux - cheese sauce, I thought maybe I could cheat with a short cut.
I dug up an old recipe ...
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Is cheese seasoned by default?
When I buy some Gouda, can I expect that it only contains the original fermented milk?
E.g. cheese usually tastes somewhat salty and sometimes nutty. Is this because of seasoning or because of the ...
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Do specialty cheese-cutting tools have specific advantages over an ordinary knife?
I cut block cheese (mostly cheddar or muenster) into slices or cubes using an ordinary non-serrated stainless steel knife. I used to use a T-shaped slicer that had a wire and an adjustable roller (for ...
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Can I freeze Parmesan?
I am thinking about buying a larger amount of Parmesan and freeze it for later use. Is this possible? How long can I keep it for? How is the taste/texture affected?
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Is Casu Marzu illegal in the United States?
I am having difficulty determining whether Casu Marzu is illegal in the United States. There are reports of it being available, albeit briefly, in New York last year. Also, I have heard that it is ...
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Can I eat cheese which has been "infected" with blue cheese mold?
Recently, I bought two pieces of cheese - St. Agur and Pyrenean cheese. They were cut from wheels, not pre-packaged. At home, I removed the foil and placed them in the same plastic container in the ...
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What is the flavor quality that makes cheese "sharp"? Are there other seasonings or foods with this "sharp flavor?
I love the flavor of sharp cheese (especially cheddar) and was wondering what exactly it is that makes aged cheese taste sharper. I was also wondering if there are any ingredients that emulate this ...
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Liquid made with cream and penicillium roqueforti?
In a comment on this answer, Wayfaring Stranger mentions something I'd never heard of before:
Incubating a walnut size chunk of blue with some cream for a couple days creates a lovely tasty thick ...
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Cheap cheese is tasteless. Can I make it tastier in my mac and cheese?
I used to make mac and cheese with cheddar. Like many, I'm cutting costs due to the recession and I'm buying the cheapest cheese I can find. The problem is, when I make macaroni with it, it's just ...
glacier
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Overwhelmed by cheese
I have been trying to improve my skills in the kitchen by watching some professional chefs on television, I have a serious problem though, many of the recipes they describe contain different kinds of ...
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Cheese suggestions to replace melted Velveeta
I have been given the honors of making appetizers for the family Christmas dinner. One of the traditional recipe calls for melted Velveeta, to go over a cooked sausage "pate" on top of a small piece ...
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