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8.5: Cheese Cookery and Varieties

  • Page ID
    29412
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    Learning Objectives

    • To apply principles of cheese cookery from previous labs in preparing various cheese dishes.
    • To identify the distinguishing characteristics of a variety of cheeses and cheese products.

    Laboratory Problems

    • Prepare various cheese dishes using mild, sharp, and process Cheddar cheeses.
    • Taste a variety of cheeses.

    Prepare each of the dishes according to the recipes below, using mild, sharp, and process Cheddar cheeses. Weigh cheese for each recipe.

    Macaroni and Cheese

    ⅔ cup uncooked macaroni 3 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
    3 cups water 2 tbsp dry bread crumbs
    1 tsp. butter  
    White Sauce  
    1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp flour
    1 cup milk 1/8 tsp salt

    Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until almost tender. Drain and rinse with hot water. Prepare white sauce: Melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour and salt; remove from heat. Add milk, stirring to blend; return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to a full boil. Remove from heat. Wait 45 seconds, and blend cheese into sauce. Stir in macaroni. Place in 1-pint baking dish. Melt 1 tsp butter, mix with crumbs, and sprinkle over top. Set baking dish on wire rack in pan of hot water and bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes.

    Cheese Rarebit (Rabbit) on Melba Toast

    Melba Toast 1½ tsp. flour
    1½ tsp. butter ½ cup milk
    ¼ tsp. dry mustard 2 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
    dash cayenne  

    Prepare Melba toast. Make white sauce from butter, mustard, cayenne, flour and milk. Melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour and seasonings; remove from heat. Add milk, stirring to blend; return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to a full boil. Remove from heat. Cool 45 seconds; blend in cheese. If necessary, heat the rarebit in a double boiler before serving. Serve immediately over Melba toast on a warmed plate.

    Melba Toast

    Trim crusts from two slices of bread. Cut into rectangles or triangles as desired. Place on baking sheet and bake at 300°F until a delicate brown and crisp all the way through, approximately 20-25 minutes.

    Characteristics of Standard Product:

    Flavor Texture
    Distinctive cheese flavor, typical for type of cheese.

    Smooth, well-blended sauce of uniform consistency.

    Some graininess expected from less-ripened cheese.

    Evaluate appearance, flavor and texture of each product:

    Cheese

    Product Mild Cheddar Extra Sharp Cheddar Process Cheddar
    Macaroni and Cheese      
    Cheese Rarebit on Melba Toast      

    Natural Cheeses and Cheese Blends

    Record Observations of Various Cheeses and Cheese Blends

    Note distinguishing characteristics and compositional differences. Sample cheese with cheese crackers, if desired.

    Type Name % Fat*,** % Moisture* Distinguishing Characteristics Sensory Qualities
    Soft, unripened Cottage 4 80 Acid coagulated (small curd)  
    Cream 35 54 Acid coagulated  
    Neufchatel 23 62 Acid coagulated  
    Firm, unripened Gjetost 30 13 Goats’ milk, whey cheese 44% lactose  
    Mozzarella 22 50 Stretched curd  
    Soft, ripened 1-2 months Camembert 24 52 Mold and bacteria ripened  
    Limburger 27 48 Yeast and bacteria ripened  
    Semisoft, ripened 1½-4 months Havarti 36 42 Cows’ or buffaloes’ milk, enzyme coagulated, small openings (‘eyes’)  
    Feta 21 55 Sheep’s milk, stored in salt brine, open texture  
    Muenster 30 42 Yeast and bacteria ripened  
    Firm, ripened 1-12 months or more Cheddar 33 37 Bacteria ripened  
    Colby 32 38 Open texture, bacteria ripened  
    Edam 28 42 Bacteria ripened  
    Gouda 27 41 Bacteria ripened  
    Provolone 27 41 Stretched curd smoked  
    Swiss 27 37 Gas forming bacteria ripened  
    Ripened 5 months to 2 years Parmesan 26 29 Very hard, granular, must be grated  
    Romano 27 31 Very hard, granular, must be grated  
    Blue-vein mold-ripened 2-12 months Blue 29 42 Blue mold cheese from cow’s or goats’ milk  
    Roquefort 31 39 Blue mold cheese from ewes’ milk, made in Roquefort, France  
    Process Cheese Blends: Process Cheese is made by grinding or mixing together by heating and stirring one or more cheeses of the same or different varieties. An emulsifying agent is then blended into the mixture. Small amounts of acid, cream, water, and spices or flavorings may be added.

    Analysis: £ 40% moisture, ³ 32% fat for process Cheddar cheese

    Example: Deluxe American Process Cheese

     
    Cheese Food is made the same way as the cheese (process or cold pack) except that milk, skim milk, cheese whey or whey albumin, or their concentrates, may be added, as well as acid, water, spices, or flavorings.

    Analysis: £ 44% moisture, ³ 23% fat.

    Example:

     
    Process Cheese Spread is made the same way as process cheese food except that it may contain stabilizers, more moisture, and less fat, and must be spreadable at 70°F.

    Analysis: £ 44-60% moisture, ³ 20% fat for process Cheddar Cheese.

    Example: Cheese Whiz

     
    Cheese products that do not meet any of the standards listed above may be labeled “imitation cheese” or “cheese products”.

    Example: boxed Velveeta

     

    * From Composition of Foods. Dairy and Egg Products; Raw, process and Prepared. agr. Handbook No. 8-=1, 1976. pp. 1-33

    ** Cheeses labeled “reduced fat” must, like any other food, contain at least 25% less fat than that standard for the cheese.


    8.5: Cheese Cookery and Varieties is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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