GaryMrMets
04-02-2002, 06:22 PM
http://www.southernliving.com/food/oxmoor/cheese101/cheese101.asp
Cheese 101
Cheese choices are virtually endless in today's market.
Cheeses differ substantially in flavor, texture, and color, depending on how they're made and how long they're aged. Use the information that follows to whet your appetite and broaden your horizons.
The Story of Cheese
The amazing range in taste and texture of individual cheeses is the result of several things: the type of milk used, the manufacturing process, and the length of time a cheese is aged. Generally speaking, the longer the aging, the sharper (stronger) the flavor, the harder the cheese, and the longer it will keep.
Ever wondered how cheese is made? Milk is typically combined with a starter such as rennet, which makes it separate into curds (solids) and whey (liquid). Whey is drained off; curds are used as fresh cheese or cured by pressing, cooking, or adding bacterial cultures.
Cheese Categories
Cheese is commonly categorized by degree of hardness, ranging from soft and semisoft, to hard (or firm), very hard, and blue-veined cheeses.
Within the soft cheese category there are soft, fresh cheeses and soft-ripened cheeses. Soft, fresh cheeses have a high moisture level, the most delicate flavor, and are the most perishable. A fresh cheese is unripened and retains much of the fresh milk flavor. (Unripened describes soft cheeses that aren't aged.) Some well-known fresh cheeses are ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, and mascarpone.
Soft-ripened cheeses have been allowed to mature to various degrees. They also have a high moisture content, and though mild when young, they develop a fuller flavor as they age. They ripen inside of a powdery white rind. Brie and Camembert (which look and taste almost identical) are the most popular; they have a mild, earthy flavor that blends well with a host of other flavors.
Gouda and Monterey Jack are common semisoft cheeses. Semi-soft cheeses are good shredding and melting cheeses.
Hard cheeses include a broad range of textures from semifirm to firm to very firm. They contain less moisture than soft cheeses and hold their shape better. Cheddar and Swiss are common cheeses that belong in this category. These cheeses are easiest to shred when they're cold.
Very hard cheeses are exactly that—very hard; they can be easily grated. They have a granular texture that develops as they age. These cheeses have the longest keeping quality. Parmesan and Romano are the best known in this family of cheeses.
Blue-veined cheeses are sprayed with spores of special molds and aged to develop their characteristic earthy flavor.
Buying and Storing Cheese
Select cheese that looks moist, fresh, and clean. Don't buy cheese that looks dry and cracked or has shrunken from the rind. Avoid blue cheese that has any browning near the veins. Avoid cheese in a broken package or with a wet, sticky wrapper.
Keep all cheeses clean, cold, and covered. Once cut, tightly rewrap the cheese in plastic wrap. Store soft cheeses tightly wrapped in the coldest part of the refrigerator up to two weeks. If soft cheese shows signs of mold, it's time to throw away the cheese.
Wrap firm and hard cheeses in an airtight plastic bag, and store in refrigerator up to three weeks. If mold appears, simply cut it off and discard it. The rest of the cheese is still fine to eat. Just rewrap it in fresh plastic wrap, and use within a week. Very hard (grating) cheese will keep several months, wrapped, in the refrigerator. Change the wrapping weekly to prolong the life of the cheese, if desired.
Freezing is not the best method of storing cheese, but it can be done. Expect a change in texture, but the flavor and nutritional content will remain the same. You can freeze most cheeses up to six weeks. Hard cheeses freeze better than soft cheeses. To freeze, cut cheese into pieces (less than a pound), and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw cheese in refrigerator several hours, and use soon afterwards. Thawed cheese is better for cooking rather than just eating.
Cooking With Cheese
When cooking with cheese, a good rule of thumb is that most cheeses respond best to low or medium-low heat for a short time—just long enough to melt and blend with other ingredients. And if you're serving a cheese-topped casserole, add shredded cheese the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking; then heat just until cheese is melted. If overcooked, cheese tightens and becomes tough and stringy. When adding cheese to a sauce, shredding or dicing it promotes even melting. For all but very hard (grating) cheese, shredding is easiest if cheese is well chilled. Processed cheese melts and blends well if it's diced first; it's often too soft to shred.
Measure cheese by weight—4 ounces of hard cheese usually equals 1 cup shredded.
For easy cleanup when shredding, brush oil on a grater or spray vegetable cooking spray on grater before shredding cheese. Shred frequently used cheeses, such as Cheddar or Swiss, and freeze in zip-top plastic bags; then whenever you need a little cheese for cooking, just measure and use.
Serving Cheese
For cutting ease, cut cheese directly from the refrigerator while it's still cold. All cheese, with the exception of soft, fresh cheeses, tastes best if allowed to sit at room temperature (about 30 minutes) before serving. This allows its full flavor and aroma to come through.
A wooden cutting board or a marble slab makes a good serving piece for unsliced cheese. Provide a butter knife for soft cheese and a sharp knife for firmer cheeses.
Cheese 101
Cheese choices are virtually endless in today's market.
Cheeses differ substantially in flavor, texture, and color, depending on how they're made and how long they're aged. Use the information that follows to whet your appetite and broaden your horizons.
The Story of Cheese
The amazing range in taste and texture of individual cheeses is the result of several things: the type of milk used, the manufacturing process, and the length of time a cheese is aged. Generally speaking, the longer the aging, the sharper (stronger) the flavor, the harder the cheese, and the longer it will keep.
Ever wondered how cheese is made? Milk is typically combined with a starter such as rennet, which makes it separate into curds (solids) and whey (liquid). Whey is drained off; curds are used as fresh cheese or cured by pressing, cooking, or adding bacterial cultures.
Cheese Categories
Cheese is commonly categorized by degree of hardness, ranging from soft and semisoft, to hard (or firm), very hard, and blue-veined cheeses.
Within the soft cheese category there are soft, fresh cheeses and soft-ripened cheeses. Soft, fresh cheeses have a high moisture level, the most delicate flavor, and are the most perishable. A fresh cheese is unripened and retains much of the fresh milk flavor. (Unripened describes soft cheeses that aren't aged.) Some well-known fresh cheeses are ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, and mascarpone.
Soft-ripened cheeses have been allowed to mature to various degrees. They also have a high moisture content, and though mild when young, they develop a fuller flavor as they age. They ripen inside of a powdery white rind. Brie and Camembert (which look and taste almost identical) are the most popular; they have a mild, earthy flavor that blends well with a host of other flavors.
Gouda and Monterey Jack are common semisoft cheeses. Semi-soft cheeses are good shredding and melting cheeses.
Hard cheeses include a broad range of textures from semifirm to firm to very firm. They contain less moisture than soft cheeses and hold their shape better. Cheddar and Swiss are common cheeses that belong in this category. These cheeses are easiest to shred when they're cold.
Very hard cheeses are exactly that—very hard; they can be easily grated. They have a granular texture that develops as they age. These cheeses have the longest keeping quality. Parmesan and Romano are the best known in this family of cheeses.
Blue-veined cheeses are sprayed with spores of special molds and aged to develop their characteristic earthy flavor.
Buying and Storing Cheese
Select cheese that looks moist, fresh, and clean. Don't buy cheese that looks dry and cracked or has shrunken from the rind. Avoid blue cheese that has any browning near the veins. Avoid cheese in a broken package or with a wet, sticky wrapper.
Keep all cheeses clean, cold, and covered. Once cut, tightly rewrap the cheese in plastic wrap. Store soft cheeses tightly wrapped in the coldest part of the refrigerator up to two weeks. If soft cheese shows signs of mold, it's time to throw away the cheese.
Wrap firm and hard cheeses in an airtight plastic bag, and store in refrigerator up to three weeks. If mold appears, simply cut it off and discard it. The rest of the cheese is still fine to eat. Just rewrap it in fresh plastic wrap, and use within a week. Very hard (grating) cheese will keep several months, wrapped, in the refrigerator. Change the wrapping weekly to prolong the life of the cheese, if desired.
Freezing is not the best method of storing cheese, but it can be done. Expect a change in texture, but the flavor and nutritional content will remain the same. You can freeze most cheeses up to six weeks. Hard cheeses freeze better than soft cheeses. To freeze, cut cheese into pieces (less than a pound), and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw cheese in refrigerator several hours, and use soon afterwards. Thawed cheese is better for cooking rather than just eating.
Cooking With Cheese
When cooking with cheese, a good rule of thumb is that most cheeses respond best to low or medium-low heat for a short time—just long enough to melt and blend with other ingredients. And if you're serving a cheese-topped casserole, add shredded cheese the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking; then heat just until cheese is melted. If overcooked, cheese tightens and becomes tough and stringy. When adding cheese to a sauce, shredding or dicing it promotes even melting. For all but very hard (grating) cheese, shredding is easiest if cheese is well chilled. Processed cheese melts and blends well if it's diced first; it's often too soft to shred.
Measure cheese by weight—4 ounces of hard cheese usually equals 1 cup shredded.
For easy cleanup when shredding, brush oil on a grater or spray vegetable cooking spray on grater before shredding cheese. Shred frequently used cheeses, such as Cheddar or Swiss, and freeze in zip-top plastic bags; then whenever you need a little cheese for cooking, just measure and use.
Serving Cheese
For cutting ease, cut cheese directly from the refrigerator while it's still cold. All cheese, with the exception of soft, fresh cheeses, tastes best if allowed to sit at room temperature (about 30 minutes) before serving. This allows its full flavor and aroma to come through.
A wooden cutting board or a marble slab makes a good serving piece for unsliced cheese. Provide a butter knife for soft cheese and a sharp knife for firmer cheeses.