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Cheese is one of the most creative dishes on the planet. Any cheese monger can create and process cheese, adding her unique touch to the timeless craft. Different flavors, however, are dependent on different textures. Knowing a cheese's texture can determine its age, origin, taste and ripeness, and most important, its ability to be paired with food or wine. Textures can be close in consistency yet a world apart in taste. Knowing the difference between a soft and semi-soft cheese, for example, can make all the difference when deciding what to buy with it for that upcoming dinner party or…
Creating new and unexpected combinations of cheeses in your recipes involves some measure of trial and error, as well as luck and foreknowledge of the nature of the cheeses in question. Knowing the character of the cheese, its melting properties, taste and workability, will help you select the most palatable and adaptable mixtures of cheeses. Classic combinations such as mozzarella and Parmesan for pizza are time-tested standbys. You can also venture off the path a little with other cheeses that cook or bake up well and blend with other ingredients harmoniously.
Most people don't eat hot peppers because they like the sensation of a small fire burning in their mouths; it's because hot peppers contain a variety of delicious flavors. From fruity to sweet to soothingly spicy, there are dozens of varieties of hot peppers -- enough to please anyone's taste buds.
Although cheeses generally have strong tastes that stand alone, you can also combine them to create a unique sensory experience. Use combined cheeses as a topping for pizza, tacos, salads or casseroles, and blend cheeses together to create fabulous spreads or dips to serve as a centerpiece for an appetizer tray. Try adding natural sweeteners, fruits, vegetables and herbs to cheeses to enhance their flavors. Experiment with various combinations until you find the perfect blend for your recipe.
Salads combine vegetables, fruits, leafy greens and nuts into a dish that complements an entree or becomes the entree with the inclusion of meats, chicken, fish or cheese. Frequently served cold, salads can also support hot ingredients with interesting results. Classic spinach salad recipes, for example, include hot bacon dressing, which wilts the greens. Keep a salad crisp and crunchy by waiting to dress it until right before serving time.
Cheese is produced around the world from the milk of various animals. It is one of the most versatile foods available and adds texture, volume and taste to sweet and savory dishes. Different kinds of cheese have distinct flavors and uses and are consumed straight from the package or incorporated into hot and cold recipes.
The world is full of cheese varieties, some soft and runny, some hard and dry. While some types of cheese are best eaten as they are, there are others that are the most delicious when melted. Whether used in grilled cheese sandwiches, turned into cheese sauce, grated over enchiladas or melted in quesadillas, cheeses that are made to melt will please you and your family.
Cheese is a way of preserving the milk of cows, goats and sheep. Consumed since at least 4000 B.C., the praises of cheese are sung in the Old Testament. The flavors and aromas of cheese range from bland and mild to very pungent, depending on how it's made and aged. Texture can range from creamy to semi hard to very hard. There are cheeses whose flavor is considered strong, like limburger, but not particularly flavorful. A strong cheese is memorable but is not a cheese you'd probably eat on a regular basis. Cheese with wonderful flavor are available to eat…
Whey is generally considered a by-product of the cheese making process, and almost all cheeses are drained of their whey before they are finished. Whey is formed when curds separate from the cream or milk in cheese; the liquid remaining is called whey. Whey often has a light blue color and has a thin, watery consistency.
Whey is usually a bi-product of cheese production that separates from milk after it has been curdled. Whey cheese is often a combination of milk and whey. While cheese is often made solely from milk, whey is also present in many varietals. Some countries commonly producing this product include Italy, Norway, Greece and Mexico. (See Reference 1)
Although a knife can cut hard varieties of cheese, the cheese planer is the best kitchen tool to cut perfectly uniform, thin slices of cheese. It is a wedge shaped piece of metal with a handle that has a single sharp blade embedded in it. Designed to shave off even, consistent slices of cheese, the cheese planer works best with block, semi soft or hard cheeses, like Swiss or cheddar.
Melted cheese is a key ingredient in many recipes, ranging from pizza to nachos to fondue. Cheeses melt in a lot of different ways, and you can't always tell from appearance, so it is important to select the right kind for the right recipe. While it is a fairly simple process, you should follow some general rules when choosing the type of cheese and the method of melting it.
Different cheese-making processes across countries and centuries have yielded cheeses that range from creamy to hard, crumbly to smooth, mild to sharp and salty to sweet. Cheeses enhance any culinary experience. But which is the most popular? You might be surprised by which cheeses rake in the most money per year.
The early method of pressing cheese curds with clay-fired bricks may have given this sweet, mild-flavored brick cheese its name. Brick cheese originated in Wisconsin during the late 1800s, and comes in a convenient brick shape. Brick's medium-soft texture works well for sandwiches or for melting. When brick is not available, other cheeses with origins from around the world can be alternatives.
Tuscany is a hilly region on the West coast of Italy that is famous as much for its chianti wine as for being the birthplace of the Italian renaissance. Its cuisine is characterized by simple and rustic dishes based on lentils and beans, bread, cheese, olive oil and vegetables. Tuscany produces several famous cheeses as well as some much more local specialties not known outside the region. Pecorino is the most famous Tuscan cheese and comes in several varieties. It is so popular that the town or Pienza has an annual pecorino cheese rolling competition.
There are several types of cheese that are in one way or another flavored and ripened by mold. The most common is blue cheese, which is not only found in its most common chunk style but also in items such as salad dressings and pre-packaged macaroni and cheese kits. The second most common mold cheeses are in the Camembert family; these cheeses are ripened by a velvety white mold, which creates a greenish grey cheese rind while ripening.
Cheesecloth is a type of fabric. It can be used for a variety of different things, but is traditionally used in the process of making cheese. The range of its uses depends on the thickness of its weave, and there are several variations available.
Cheese comes in all different textures, so having different knives for different cheeses is essential for a cheese lover. There are three basic cheese knives: the universal, the Parmesan knife and the planer. Care for your cheese knives as you would any other knife by hand-washing and storing them in their plastic covers or on a magnetic strip.
Cheese is a food made from milk. Cheese is made all around the world and is an important component in many regional cuisines. The color, taste and texture of cheese depends on what kind of milk it was made from, how it was processed, and how long it was aged. Cheese mainly comes from the milk of cows, sheep and goats. Cheese is nutritious and contains calcium, protein and saturated fat. Cheese can be made on the farms where the milk originates from, or in factories. Cheese is used in a variety of meals and can be organized into categories…
