Homeliving in Style

There are hundreds of different kinds of cheese, each with its own characteristics, from taste to texture to the place it was produced. The way that some cheeses are named for the place that they are produced is similar to the way many wines are named. However, in a unique sort of error, while Stilton cheese may seem to be the sort that is named after the place it was made, it is actually named after a nearby town instead.

Despite this apparent glitch, Stilton cheese has a protected name and is only made in a particular location and with a particular method. The history of Stilton cheese shows how this cheese picked up its odd name.

A Matter of Marketing

The reason that Stilton cheese isn’t named after the town it was made in has to do with the fact that it was sold primarily in another town. It was in 1730 that the owner of the Bell Inn discovered Stilton cheese while visiting a farm in the county of Leicestershire. He liked the cheese so much that he proposed a business deal to sell the cheese at his inn, which was located as a stagecoach stop on a major road.

This inn became the perfect place to expose this new cheese to travelers from all over, which in turn helped spread the word of this food. But because the cheese became associated with the town where it was sold, it’s called Stilton cheese, not Leicestershire cheese.

A Controlled Name

Over 250 years later, Stilton cheese still refers to cheese that is made in a particular area. In addition to the county in which it was discovered, the cheese can also be made in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire; the town of Stilton is not located in any of the three counties it is produced in. Controls over the naming of Stilton cheese are as tight as the controls on the naming of some wines, so that even if this cheese is made with the exact same methods in France, it cannot legally be called Stilton.

The Characteristics

That story describes how Stilton cheese got its name, but what is it exactly? This type of cheese is made in a cylindrical shape and is made from pasteurized milk. Rather than pressing the cheese to remove moisture, Stilton cheese is carefully drained over several days before it is ripened. This process also helps the cheese to form a crust, which is considered to be another key characteristic of Stilton.

During the process of making the cheese, traditional Stilton cheese is pierced with needles to allow blue mold to grow, giving Stilton its distinctive veins. This cheese also has to show a high quality of taste, so much so that if the dairy producing the cheese finds it to be less than satisfactory, it won’t be sold as Stilton, but merely blue cheese. It’s this careful control that keeps this distinctive cheese with the misleading name such a popular cheese.

Among cheeses, ricotta cheese is unique in that it is made from whey instead of milk. Usually made using the whey that is a by-product in the creation of mozzarella or provolone cheeses, it takes a lot of this liquid to make a little ricotta cheese. To create it, the whey is boiled so that the remaining proteins curdle, and then the resulting solids are removed. The process is simple enough that ricotta cheese can be made at home.

Storing the Cheese

Ricotta cheese is what is known as a fresh cheese, meaning that it is not salted, smoked, or has any other processes applied to it in order lengthen its shelf life. In fact, if you notice any bit of mold on your cheese, do not try to remove it and use the rest of the container. While this may work in some cases, by the time mold shows up on ricotta cheese, it has gone bad. This cheese freezes very well, so if you have bought or made a lot, storing some in the freezer will extend its shelf life.

Cooking with Ricotta

Ricotta cheese has a very mild, even sweet flavor, which makes it a perfect choice for desserts. You can use ricotta cheese as an ingredient in cheesecake, and ricotta cheese that’s been beaten smooth and mixed with sugar and other ingredients creates the filling for a cannoli. In an Italian dessert called a cassata, ricotta is put in between layers of cake, like frosting for a layered cake in the United States.

Though ricotta cheese is good for desserts, it’s also great in savory dishes as well. Some lasagna recipes call for the use of ricotta, adding its mild flavor to the mix. Its flavor and its softness also have made it an ideal choice for many stuffed pastas, from ravioli to variations like manicotti and stuffed shells.

Variations

Though ricotta is a fresh cheese, there are ways to prepare it that gives it a longer shelf life. Salted and pressed like a regular cheese, it becomes a hard cheese that’s best suited for grating or shaving slices off of. You can also bake ricotta cheese, which gives it a brown crust, sometimes going all the way through the cheese. Another similar method uses smoking instead of baking in order to give ricotta a flavorful crust that aids in storage. But whether you use it fresh or try one of the preserved variants, ricotta cheese is a great food to use in your cooking.

Cheese is an item that is present in most diets today because it is recommended by many doctors as a healthy food choice, and it tastes good. We have cheese sandwiches of many types and varieties that are easy to make, filling and comforting. Also, adding cheese to any dish ensures a better taste and provides the food for a healthier bone structure. However, when we are enjoying the many cheese dishes, we often don t stop to think about the number of calories that cheese can add.

Weight is an issue that most of us have dealt with at one time or another, and when you are dieting, every single calorie counts. The good news is that Philadelphia cream cheese can provide the same great taste and comfort but with much fewer calories than you might expect.

A Brief History

Philadelphia cream cheese originated in New York in the 1870 s, when a distributor named A.L. Reynolds started selling cream cheese in tin foil packs by the name of Philadelphia Brand. A number of years later, Kraft Foods purchased this company and has kept the name and product to this day. Philadelphia cream cheese is made with cream and that is where it derives its rich and heavenly taste from. More then a century later, people from around the world still enjoy Philadelphia cream cheese.

Watching your Weight while not Compromising on Taste

Philadelphia cream cheese has evolved with time to meet the needs and requirements of a modern world where we rarely have time to cook, and where many of us eat meals in front of the computer or television. You will be able to find a variety of light Philadelphia cream cheese that you can eat without feeling guilty that you will be packing on additional fat and calories.

Different Types of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Choosing light cream cheese is generally not sufficient, because taste can often be sacrificed, leaving us craving more. This too is taken into consideration at the company that produces Philadelphia cream cheese by providing additional flavors in the cream cheese like salmon, herbs, garlic, chives, onion and even jam. This successfully will satisfy most tastes and desires, while keeping fat and calories in check effectively.

Helpful Tips

Philadelphia cream cheese is an ideal snack choice for the office or home, at a picnic or when you are traveling. It is easy to carry and use, and it comes in a large variety of flavors to provide a quick, filling snack that is healthy and yummy.

Cheese, like wine, is something that can have a lot of variation from area to area, with hundreds of techniques available for creating different kinds of cheeses. And just as there are many variations of cheese, there are many different names of these cheeses to go with them. There is not right or wrong way to name a cheese, though if you have a homemade cheese you want to sell, there are plenty of options for coming up with names of the cheeses you make.

Where you are

Many of the names of cheeses come from where the cheese was produced, again sharing a similarity to many wines that are often named for regions in which they were made. If the location that you select is your farm, then the names of your cheeses are something like a brand name, identifying your product with where you created it. The name of one cheese that was determined by this method is Maytag blue cheese, which is made at the Maytag Dairy Farms in Iowa. One interesting variation is Roquefort, which is actually named after the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, which is where this blue cheese gets the mold that makes up its veins.

Rather than coming up with the name of a cheese based on a farm where the cheese is made, some names of cheeses are based on entire regions where the cheese is produced. For example, Limburger cheese is named after the Limburg region of Belgium. Gouda, similarly, is the name of a cheese from the Netherlands and named after a city located there.

Variety of Cheese

Sometimes the names of cheeses become disassociated with the area they originally came from, and can be made in many different areas with the same name. For instance, cheddar cheese is the name of a cheese that originally comes from the Cheddar region of Scotland. However, it is common today for cheddar cheeses to be made in Wisconsin and other areas of the world. In this way, it’s like a trademark name that becomes used so much, the name becomes a generic label for a product, like Kleenex tissues.

In this category, you may find that the name of the cheese contains descriptive information about how the cheese was made. For instance, smoked cheddar rather aptly describes the way this cheese gets its distinctive flavor, as well as how it is set apart from other cheddar variations. But by far, most names of cheeses exist as descriptive ways to show how and where the cheese was made, and should likely be the basis for the names of your cheeses as well.

Modern supermarkets offer consumers the chance to sample flavors from around the globe, so shoppers have the luxury of choosing products based on preference rather than locality. Mozzarella cheese is a popular choice in supermarkets today because of its palatable flavor and versatility. Italian cuisine makes the most notable use of the product, including it in an innumerable amount of dishes, from lasagna to insalata caprese. However, Americans have more ready access to inexpensive variations of the cheese, allowing them to use it more liberally in recipes than their Italian counterparts. It becomes a melted, gooey, delicious main event, rather than an accent like in traditional Italian cooking.

Pizza, a modern variation of a classic Italian dish, calls for mozzarella cheese as well, unlike the original version. Layered atop bread and tomato sauce, it adds flavor, texture and a base for whatever toppings a person desires. Popular toppings include everything from pepperoni to pineapple, proving that mozzarella cheese complements nearly any flavor combination nicely. Its wide appeal makes pizza a staple for any party, whether the guests are children or adults. It is unlikely the dish would have attained such heights of popularity without the omnipresent mozzarella cheese gracing the crust.

Nutrition and Fun for Kids

Long popular with adults, mozzarella cheese is also a prime choice for parents who want to provide nutritious snacks for their children. Notorious for being finicky eaters, children are highly particular when it comes to which snacks they will eat as well. Too often their favorites are full of sugar and empty calories. String cheese, on the other hand, is one of the few foods that a child can play with without the fear of being scolded. It is often conveniently packaged in individual sticks, which makes it perfect for school lunches and portable enough to eat on the go. Full of vitamin D and calcium, string cheese made from mozzarella cheese feels like a treat but it provides essential nutrients for a healthy body.

A slightly messier, yet exponentially more fun way to eat the food is fondue. A responsible adult melts the mozzarella cheese in a large dish and places small bits of bread on a plate. Children use forks or other pronged eating utensils to stab the bread and dip it into the bubbling bowl of melted goodness. As they perfect their technique for gathering the most onto their bit of bread, the children are enjoying a nutritious snack and bonding with their parent or adult caregiver at the same time! After all, it s hard not to be grateful to the one who provides the melted mozzarella cheese.

Blue Veined Moldy Cheese

Some varieties of blue veined moldy cheese are protected by their country of origin and may only be called by those names if they actually originate from those countries; some examples of those are Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Stilton.

Gorgonzola blue veined moldy cheese is thought to have been created around 879 it is commonly known as the eldest of the blue cheeses though the blue-veins were not recorded to be present until the eleventh century. Roquefort was likely invented around 1070, the flavor is sharp, rich, and often has a crumbly texture.

Stilton is the newest of the moldy cheeses which was developed during the eighteenth century; many other styles of blue cheese are available to purchase today but none may be given the same name unless they are imported from that country.

Roquefort cheese was so popular for a time that many other cheeses were made to attempt to fill the demand for the prized Roquefort cheese. The attempts at recreating the moldy cheese was abandoned after a time either because of the cost of reproducing the method was too high or because of political maters, the definite reason is unclear.

Most moldy cheeses are made from cows milk enzymes are added to the milk to start the curdling process. For the moldy cheese to achieve the blue veins an editable mold is added to the curd mixture during processing or injected with the proper molds; the culturing crates a pungent aroma, strong and salty flavor, and are often served crumbled or melted on other foods.

Like many other old French cheeses the moldy cheeses are often aged in caves for the cool consistent temperatures; today the cheese is processed in temperature and moisture controlled environments which enhance the growth of the desired mold.

A Scottish blue cheese is made from sheep mild; the moldy cheese has blue-green veins is traditionally strongly flavored and salty. All blue cheeses are white with the exception of the blue or green veins of mold which give the cheese its distinct name; the moldy cheese is a favorite of cheese connoisseurs.

Blue veined moldy cheeses are present in many common products in America, blue cheese dips and dressings are among the most popular; in America only blue cheeses which are pasteurized are sold to the public because of United States Department of Agriculture steep requirements for health and safety.

The most well-known and widely-available Spanish cheese is Manchego cheese. It comes from the grazing land, La Mancha, in Central Spain. Made from sheep s milk, it has been enjoyed in Spain for centuries. It comes in a barrel-shaped wheel identified by its herringbone texture on the side. Originally, the texture came from being wrapped in woven esparto grass to age but it is now stamped into the rind. It also has wheat-eared impressions on the top and bottom of the wheel from being pressed by small boards during its manufacture.

El Queso

Made from sheep s milk, Manchego cheese is flavored with herbs from La Mancha. It is considered the brie of Spain although it has a taste and texture of its own. It comes in two different varieties according to how long it has been aged. The semi-soft variety is curado for cured and is aged three to six months. The variety of Manchego cheese that is aged for a year has a texture more like Parmesan cheese and is called viejo or old.

Its flavor is regarded as zesty and is becoming more popular in the United States. The curado variety is more mild and subtle while the viejo variety is stronger with a tangy flavor. Either way, it is slightly salty, creamy and a bit piquant. The quality of Manchego cheese is closely controlled to ensure that the name will only be applied to cheeses made from the milk of Manchego sheep. All Manchego cheese is aged for at least two months in natural caves.

The curado variety can be eaten on crackers or used as a melting cheese in recipes like quesadillas. The aged Manchego cheese is a grating cheese. Both the young nearly white variety and the older yellow type can be added to many types of dishes including tapas, soups, salads and rice.

The wines to serve with Manchego cheese include fino Sherry or red Rioja, Navarra, La Mancha or any wine made from the Tempranillo grape. It can also be paired with a California Zinfandel or sparkling wine. Since Manchego cheese is popular around the world, it can be found in most supermarkets in the gourmet section. It is also widely available online. While other varieties of cheese can be substituted for either type of Manchego cheese, the experience afforded by this type of cheese should not be passed up.

The Laughing Cow cheese wedges are a product of Bel Brands USA, which in turn is the American subsidiary of Fromageries Bel, S.A. The entire company, and all its branches around the world, holds a strong commitment to quality, variety, and flavorful cheeses. In fact, there are consumers of the cheese brand in more than ninety countries worldwide. Appreciated for good flavor and packaging, the brand continues to grow. Their popularity is likely due to the consistent quality that has come to be associated with the brand and its products.

The Laughing Cow cheese brand is associated with images of a cartoon cow who is always shown smiling on the packaging, commercials, advertisements and company websites. This image implies the pleasurable experience consumers can expect when they eat cheese products from The Laughing Cow cheese brand. Products such as wedges, mini Baby Bel cheese bites, and cheese and baguettes snacks cater to customers in all walks of life and with widely varying needs. The smaller products are excellent for bag lunches and snacks on the move.

Keeping Your Health in Mind

The Laughing Cow cheese brand is vigilant about keeping in tune with today s marketplace and customers changing needs. In an age where many adults are health conscious and watching their weight, the brand remains a step ahead in the industry. Many of their lighter variety cheese wedges contain as little as thirty-five calories per serving, which fits nicely into even the strictest diet. In addition to the nutrition provided by cheese, such as calcium, the total package is very appealing to customers who are watching what they eat. Appealing to that need is both good marketing and responsible business by the company that produces the product.

Beyond selling their product, The Laughing Cow cheese brand provides customers and fans of their product with further ways to stay healthy. Their website provides a thirty-one day calendar every January, with each day containing a helpful health tip. January is when New Year s resolutions have many people tuned to health, so it is the time when they are most in need of such advice. Furthermore, The Laughing Cow cheese brand runs various health promotions. In January, the brand typically offers customers a chance to get a free pass to a local health club that will allow them to try out the facility for a week or two. Provided there is a participating club in their area, and they have the requisite proof of purchase, customers can enjoy their health through eating delicious cheese and getting consistent exercise.

The Kraft food company began with the sale of cheese in 1903. Young J.L. Kraft began a wholesale cheese business in Chicago in 1903. He was always first in line so that he could select the finest and freshest cheeses available. The reputation of his cheeses became well-known to the local grocers who bought cheese from him.

He became one of the first to put a brand name on cheese his own name - Kraft cheese. But J.L. Kraft was bothered by the differences in the taste of cheese from one day to the next as well as the difficulty in keeping it fresh. His real success came after he solved those problems.

Fresh and Consistent

After experimenting with mixtures of cheeses, Kraft found that if he heated and stirred the cheese and placed it in sterile containers, it would cool to a solid state and stay fresh longer. In 1915, Kraft cheese became a processed cheese product sold in four-ounce tins. Kraft quickly had to open several production facilities to keep up with the demand for this new product.

He was granted a patent for the Process of Sterilizing Cheese and an Improved Product Produced by Such Process in 1916. Finally, Kraft had succeeded in finding a way to produce a cheese product with a consistent quality and a long shelf life. The canned cheese product became a staple for the U.S. armed forces during World War I.

Since that time, Kraft cheese became known for food products that broke new ground. Velveeta was introduced in 1928 and quickly became popular for its quality as a cheese that would melt easily without separating. The Macaroni and Cheese Dinner became available in 1937 to the delight of children everywhere.

Kraft cheese introduced the first commercially packaged sliced process cheese in 1950. The very popular cheese spread, Cheez Whiz, made its way into markets in 1952. Today, it can be used in more than a 1,000 different ways. Kraft cheese also comes in various flavors including Bacon Cheddar, Roasted Garlic Cheddar, Pepperjack and Smoky Swiss and Cheddar.

New products include Kraft cheese Crumbles. The many lines of Kraft cheese together has resulted in Kraft Foods becoming today s largest manufacturer of cheese products in the world. Kraft Foods has also added food lines that don t contain cheese such as Miracle Whip dressing and yogurt. The child who has never tried some kind of Kraft cheese is rare indeed.

It s very difficult to think about the cuisine of Italy without picturing at least one of the hundreds of types of Italian cheese. Many Italian dishes are built around aged and dried foods that keep well and maintain their flavors while stored. Italian cheese is such a food and has the added benefit of adding a creamy texture when cooked with dried pepperoni or pasta.

There are many cheeses for every region s style of cuisine. Italian cheese making goes back hundreds of years and incorporates the milk of cows, goats, sheep and even buffalo. No first course or antipasto is complete without the protein boost that comes with the flavors of Italy.

Some of the Tastes

The royalty of Italian cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano, a flavorful and versatile cheese that can be added to most Italian dishes. The milk used in this Italian cheese is closely monitored for quality. Dots are put onto the rind of the cheese to show that it is the real thing. Parmigiano Reggiano may be aged from less than a year to three years. It might be shaved, sliced, melted or grated. Grana Padano is less royal but closely related to Reggiano.

Around since Medieval times, this Italian cheese is known for its lightness and nutrition. It can be served as a separate course or as an ingredient in pasta casseroles, vegetable dishes or savory pies. Gorgonzola is a popular Italian cheese, appreciated the world over. Its creaminess and taste makes it a good fit in a salad dressing, with gnocchi or veal. It is similar to French blue cheese only sweeter and easier to blend with other ingredients. The firm, easy-to-melt Fontina is a popular Italian cheese for cooking. It is known for its slightly smoky taste.

Quattro Formaggi is a fusion of Gorgonzola, Emmenthal, Taleggio and Fontina. It makes a tasty pasta sauce or a great pizza topping. Fresh goat-milk Ricotta cheese is a favorite addition to pasta in the cuisine of Central Italy. With Pecorino, it is called sagne alla mugnaia. Dry Ricotta is a version of Italian cheese mostly made in Puglia, Umbria and Piemonte.

Unlike the usual type of Ricotta that is moist and used as filling in ravioli and lasagna, the dry version is grated over pasta. Pecorino is a very popular Italian cheese and comes in the varieties of Pecorino Romano, Sardo and Toscano. Like Ricotta, it is used in ravioli and tortellini as well as for a base for the fried stuffed bread dough, panzerotta. It s difficult to think of Italian food without Italian cheese, but it s unlikely that you ll ever see any.

The last time you broke open a package of cheddar; did you wonder where that cheese actually came from or how it came into existence? Chances are good that you were probably more interested in getting those slices on your bread or crackers than in the history of your cheese. However, cheese has a long and interesting history that actually dates back much farther than Christ almost to the beginning of the world as we know it. It s pretty amazing to think that the slice of cheddar you are eating has a longer history than almost every civilization on earth!

How did the History of Cheese Begin?

Ancient folklore states that the history of cheese originated with a nomadic traveler that had packed milk for his travel in a saddlebag that had been created from the stomach of a young animal. That bag contained rennet, which is a product found in animal stomachs and is an enzyme that helps to transform milk into cheese. When this weary traveler stopped for a refreshing drink of his milk, he realized that the liquid has been changed into curds and whey. Both were found to be very tasty, and the love of cheese was born.

The Old Testament of the Bible makes many references to cheese and cheese making, leading historians to believe that the history of cheese dates back much farther than the birth of Christ. There have been curdling vessels found that can date back as far as 5000 B.C. and written diagrams showing the process of milking cows and curdling the milk that go back to 3500 B.C.

It is thought that cheese was first made in the Middle East, but the popularity of the food quickly spread throughout much of Europe. By the thirteenth century, farm women realized the advantage of combining their resources to create cheese, and cooperative dairies were born. As more and more countries got into the cheese-making act, many different varieties of cheeses came into existence.

During the Middle Ages, monks got into the cheese-making arena as well, and we can credit them for many of the varieties of cheese that we have today. The history of cheese continued into the nineteenth century, when cheeses began to be made in factories instead of on farms. The variety of cheeses that we enjoy today can be attributed to the various regions in the world that tried their own hand at cheese making with great success and flavor contributions.

Grilled cheese has been a popular lunch choice for generations, and the variations on this simple sandwich abound, depending on where you are in the world. While American or cheddar cheese are the popular choice for this treat in the United States, some parts of Europe prefer Swiss or Gouda cheese to fill their bread slices. There are also a number of additions that can go into a grilled cheese sandwich, like ham, tomato, herbs and spices, or sauces like ketchup or mustard. Some of these will go between the slices of bread before the grilling takes place, and some are sprinkled on the top or used as a dip. Many Canadians enjoy dipping their sandwiches in ketchup or applesauce, while people in the United States tend to prefer their sandwiches with tomato soup or French fries on the side.

The Perfect Grilled Cheese Recipe

There are many gadgets on the market today that will grill up a lovely sandwich for you to enjoy. If you don t own one of the specialty grillers however, a good old-fashioned cast iron pan that is well seasoned will do. In fact, if you have a brand new cast iron skillet, a grilled cheese sandwich will be the perfect choice for seasoning your new pan. Bread can run the gamut from a hearty wheat to a crusty white, depending on your preference. Texas toast can make a yummy choice, as can many rye breads. The good news about selecting a bread for your grilled cheese is that once you have added plenty of butter and melted cheese, almost any bread will fit the bill in a tasty way.

Butter is the next ingredient for making your sandwich, and can be spread directly onto the bread or melted into the pan. It is a good idea not to skimp on the butter, although a well-seasoned pan can add plenty of flavor with a smaller amount of butter needed. Your cheese can be American, Havarti, cheddar, or Swiss, depending on your own tastes and preferences. Place your first piece of bread in the pan with the buttered side down, add the cheese of your choice, and place the second slice of bread on top of the cheese with the buttered side up. Grill the first side until the bread is nicely toasted, then flip your sandwich and cook the other side until the cheese inside is melted.

Variations

There are so many variations on the grilled cheese sandwich today; your choices are only limited by your tastes and imagination. Try tossing in some avocado and tomato, or a slice of ham or bacon. Sprinkle with a dash of oregano, or add some mayonnaise to the bread. Some people enjoy a tuna melt, which adds tuna or tuna salad to the melted cheese inside. Others like to dip their bread slices into beaten eggs before placing them on the skillet. Whatever your preferences, you are guaranteed to find a grilled cheese sandwich that will tantalize your taste buds. Bon a petit!

There are hundreds of different types of cheese in the world. Of those, only a few can be recognized by name. Gouda cheese is one of that small number. Cheeses are described by several different standards. Whether the cheese is hard or soft, how aged it is, its color, its country of origin, the kind of milk that it s made from and whether that milk has been pasteurized. Beyond that, cheese connoisseurs may add the color of the wax coating if it has one, whether it is aged by bacteria and whether or not it contains mold.

The Story

Gouda cheese comes from Holland. It is named for the Dutch city of Gouda in the province of Zuid-Holland. In spite of that, the Gouda cheese with the highest regard comes from Noord-Holland. Gouda cheese is now a generic cheese describing the type and flavor of the cheese rather than its place of origin. The term Gouda cheese is registered in the European Union. The type of cheese it describes is yellowish and made from pasteurized cow s milk.

The milk is cultured and heated to separate the curds from the watery whey. The curds are collected and pressed into the shaping molds for several hours. The cheese is then soaked in a salty brine for flavoring. The salt also serves to control the amount of bacteria which will develop as another level of flavoring. The Gouda cheese is allowed to dry for a few days and then coated with wax, usually red or yellow, to stop the drying process. The Gouda cheese is aged for an appropriate time before being sold.

Exported Gouda cheese is usually aged between one and six months which is considered a young cheese. At this age, Gouda cheese can be easily sliced for sandwiches. The flavor is pungent with an underlying bitterness. It is considered to be creamy. Gouda cheese made for the local market may be aged longer between a year and a year and a half.

At that age, the cheese has a deeper orange-yellow color and is sometimes coated in black. The older cheese has a stronger taste and a harder texture. It may be too brittle to cut easily by a cheese slicer. It can be cubed with a knife, however, and makes a good accompaniment to cocktails. Gouda cheese can be easily found in markets all over the world.

Cheese is a delicious food product that is made from milk gathered from certain mammals. Two of those animals from which milk is gathered to make cheese are a cow and a goat. There are a number of benefits to using both types of milk to make cheese products.

However, the use of goat s milk to make goat cheese is a widely popular cheese based on a number of reasons. Two of those reasons that contribute to the popularity of goat cheese are its nutritional value and the actual taste of the goat cheese.

Nutritional Value Of Goat Cheese

If you were to compare the nutritional value of cheese made from cow’s milk and cheese made from goat s milk you would notice some significant differences. Those specific areas of difference would be in the area of nutrients, calories, cholesterol and fat.

For example, the protein found in goat s cheese is twice as much as that which is found in cheese made from the milk of a cow. In addition, goat cheese contains fewer calories than other types of cheese. In fact, goat cheese has one less third calories.

Also, if you compare goat cheese with cream cheese you will find that goat cheese has half the cholesterol and fat. This is due to the fact that the fat which is found in milk products comes from fat globules contained in the milk. Characteristically, the fat globules found in goat milk are smaller in nature as compared to the globules found in cow’s milk. In addition, this makes the cheese easier to digest.

The Distinct Taste Of Goat Cheese

When it comes to the actual taste of goat cheese many first time tasters are surprised. This is because goat cheese has a very sharp and exciting flavor.

This tart taste is due to the fact that goat cheese contains fatty acids that can be described at mid range level. These acids are called caprylic, capric and caproic acids. It is these acids that give the goat cheese its tangy flavor. Also, the strength of the taste can be due to the hormonal influence of the female goat.

In addition, the taste of the goat cheese can be heavily influenced by the food that the goat is eating. This is due to the fact that goats have a very powerful digestive system. This allows the goats to eat vegetation that other animals cannot assimilate. Therefore, goats may eat plants that are bitter or pungent in flavor which transfers to the milk that is produced.

France is certainly in the forefront of cheese manufacturing, with over 500 varieties of cheeses that are made in this region alone! While many of these cheeses are of the soft variety, French cheeses can actually be a healthy alternative to some of the cheese favorites that are frequently served in the United States. French cheeses are lower in fat while packing in the flavor because of the higher water content in soft cheeses that actually keeps the fat count at a reasonable level. These delicious varieties of cheese can be a great choice for everyday, by using them in pasta dishes and sprinkled into salads. They also work well for entertaining, on platters offering a variety of cheeses with crackers and crusty breads for spreading.

French Cheese and Other Foods

French cheeses make a nice complement to a number of different types of food, including breads, fruits and honey. Soft cheeses like the popular brie taste delicious when paired with fruits like blackberries or figs. Blue cheeses work well with a number of fruits, as well as a variety of nuts for maximum flavor and variety. Try a salad sprinkled with blue cheese and chopped walnuts for a delicious topping. Semi-hard French cheeses are delightfully paired with fruits like pineapple, kiwi and cherries. Chutneys are another nice complement to many of the cheeses today, and you can make your own or buy them in a variety of gourmet shops. Try placing a bowl of chutney next to your cheese platter for guests to serve themselves.

French Cheese and Wine

It is hard to think about the delicious French cheeses without considering which wine is the best pairing. Wine and cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly, but the question always becomes which wine is the right choice? Red wines are often the clear choice with French cheeses, but there are many white selections that will work equally well. The best rule of thumb to keep in mind is to avoid a wine that is too light to mix with the pungent aromas and flavors of the cheeses that you will be serving. It is also a good idea to limit the number of choices in cheeses that you place on your platter to ensure that the ones you select will work best with your wine selection. Stronger cheese flavors will require a more full-bodied wine, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Shiraz. On the other hand, softer cheeses can be quite nice with a lighter and fruitier wine like Beaujolais.

When in doubt about the right wine to serve with your French cheese platters, ask someone at your local liquor mart for advice. Many of these stores will offer wine experts that will answer all of your questions.

Feta cheese has been a staple in Mediterranean cooking for centuries, but has only become popular in the United States in the past thirty years or so. The reason for this may be attributed in part to the fact that it is not easy to find good feta cheese in this country. Due to its popularity in the Mediterranean region, very little of the product is actually exported to the rest of the world. When you do find good quality feta, it is often quite expensive, leaving many Americans to settle for the lesser quality but functional counterparts in many of our recipes.

How is this Cheese Manufactured?

Feta cheese is always made from sheep s milk, which is how it originated, or from goat s milk today. It is a rich, white soft cheese that is usually aged in brine for anywhere from four to six weeks to get the sharp and salty taste that many enjoy. It is a staple in almost all Mediterranean recipes, used in one form or another. It is best when it is fresh, so only buy it when you are going to use it quickly. If you must store your feta cheese for a period of time, storage in a milk bath will allow you to keep your cheese for up to three months in the refrigerator.

How is this Cheese Eaten?

Feta cheese is used in a variety of recipes, and can also be delicious sprinkled in salads or on pasta dishes. It pairs particularly well with other Mediterranean staples like anchovies, olives and tomatoes. It can be used interchangeably with goat s cheese, and can be substituted with Muenster cheese in a pinch. Feta cheese tastes best when it is left at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving, and melts easily when cooked, making it a great choice as a topper of filling for a variety of dishes. It can also be eaten as a snack on crackers or bread.

Feta cheese is a popular choice for many hot and cold pasta dishes and pairs well with many lamb recipes also. It can be baked, or simply tossed or mixed into a recipe in its original state. You can find feta cheese at many local grocers, but gourmet food shops may offer a higher quality of this cheese to bring out the best in your Mediterranean recipes.

Graters cut cheese into small, thin slivers which are perfect for garnishing a variety of dishes. The increased surface area allows cheese to melt more quickly in dishes such as nachos and lasagna. Traditionally, these small pieces of cheese were created by the use of a hand-held grater. A repetitive motion, gliding a block of cheese across the grater s surface, was required to shred the cheese. However, many found this method to be tiring and eventually painful to the hands when the task was performed repeatedly or over a long period of time. This unfortunate circumstance may hinder cooks from performing their best work. An electric cheese grater takes much of the labor out of the task, without compromising the quality of the resulting cheese pieces.

This kitchen appliance is a great help to those who prepare meals that involve the grating of food frequently. It saves on preparation time, allowing the cook to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Electric cheese graters, as a time saving option, are preferable to the alternative of buying pre-grated cheese. This is because the resulting cheese shreds will be fresher and thus retain more of their flavor. Any cook who takes pride in her cooking wishes to have the freshest, most flavorful ingredients in her recipes.

Choosing the Right One

Choosing the right electric cheese grater is like any other purchase. It is important to shop around for the best price, read customer reviews where available, and ask others for recommendations. Friends, especially those who cook, may be able to recommend an electric cheese grater that will suit you. However, it is essential to be clear about your specific needs, such as how you will be using the appliance and what you hope to achieve with it. Electric cheese graters range from the very small to the very large (and expensive) restaurant grade. Purchasing one that is not sufficient for your projects is just as wasteful as choosing one with functions you have no use for.

A popular option for the typical domestic cook is the cordless electric cheese grater variety because it provides the convenience of an electric cheese grater, with the ease of movement that would not be possible if the cook were constrained by the limits of an electrical cord. When choosing a cordless version, bear in mind that rechargeable units typically have stronger and more consistent power, while battery operated models are best only for small jobs or soft cheese.

Cream cheese was invented in 1872 by an enterprising dairyman who realized that by adding cream to the cheese mixture, he could create one of the smoothest and creamiest cheeses on the market. The product quickly took off, and was sold in tin wrapped packets under the name of Philadelphia Brand. In 1928, Kraft Foods bought out the company and continues to market this brand of cheese to this day. Cream cheese is a popular choice for many recipes in the United States, but in Europe it is served as any other cheese on platters or cut up into salads. While many folks envision rich cheesecakes and other desserts when they think of this cheese, it is also a popular ingredient in entrees and side dishes as well.

How Cream Cheese is Manufactured

By law, cream cheese must have a fat content of 33%, although some low-fat varieties are now sold on the market as well. This type of cheese is not aged in any way, meaning that it has a much shorter shelf life than many other cheeses. Because of its high fat content, emulsifiers are added to increase the firmness of the cheese. Because of its short shelf life, it is better to select the freshest cream cheese possible, and to use it within a week after opening the package. If mold appears on your cream cheese, it is not safe to simply scrape off the moldy areas and eat the rest of the block. Due to the way this cheese is manufactured, you must discard the entire package and purchase a fresh one.

How Cream Cheese is used

This type of cheese makes a very popular spread for bagels and crusty breads, and is often topped with fruit, jam or smoked salmon. It spreads easiest when it is at room temperature, although it can go directly from the refrigerator to the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to spread as well. It is also a popular choice for recipes such as cheesecakes, frostings and dips, due to its creamy texture and tangy flavor. There are now varieties of cream cheese on the market that have been whipped with air to give it a lighter and fluffier texture, and some products have been mixed with fruits, onion or garlic to make a tasty spread for your bagels or crackers.

If you are interested in finding more recipes using this rich and creamy cheese, you need not look any further than your computer. The Internet is abounding with cream cheese recipes that will fill any part of your menu.

Cheese is a healthy choice in diets today, and is recommended to be consumed as often as possible because it contains calcium that can strengthen your bones naturally. However, cheese also has two other factors that you may want to take in consideration. First, it is fattening and second, it hard to digest. However, there are reasons why cottage cheese is recommended as the healthiest cheese of all.

The Making of Cheese

All cheese is made out of milk that is extracted from animals such as sheep, cows or goats. The fresh milk that is taken from these animals is left to coagulate in order to form curds, which are usually pressed and aged into the product that we know as cheese.

The process of cottage cheese is slightly different because it is not pressed, and therefore it is left in its natural form containing whey. Cottage cheese is not aged like other cheeses, but sometimes it is washed in order to get the taste that you desire.

The Healthier Choice

The cottage cheese we find in the supermarket is often not made from fresh whole milk like other cheeses are. Instead, in order to make it low in fat and carbohydrates, it is made from skim milk, which provides us with great taste with fewer calories, fat and carbohydrates, making it a healthy choice for any diet.

Cottage cheese is recommended with a fruit garnish in the morning, or as a quick snack at the office. For convenience, you can find it in individual packages garnished with fruits, jam or nuts. Cottage cheese is healthy and tasty at any time of the day, and eating it as a small snack will not slow you down, but in fact refresh and invigorate your senses until the next meal.

Helpful Tips

You will be able to find cottage cheese in all leading supermarkets, but if you are watching your waistline you may want to read carefully the labels for those that are marked as skim or low fat. This will ensure that your cottage cheese treat will be a healthy part of even the strictest diet plan. Eating healthy is a choice we make everyday and now you can do so without compromising on taste, since cottage cheese tastes great whether it is made with low fat, skim or whole milk; the choice is yours.

If you enjoy eating a fresh slice of cheese that is cut right from the block, you probably have some sort of cheese slicer in your kitchen cupboard. While knives can cut some of the harder variety of cheeses sufficiently, it is better by far to use a cheese slicer to get perfect portions of cheese every time. There are a variety of slicers on the market today, and some will work best for individual use and cooking, while others are pretty and functional enough for your entertaining needs. No cocktail party is complete without a cheese platter, and no cheese platter is complete without a cheese slicer.

The History of the Cheese Slicer

The cheese slicer was invented by a Norwegian carpenter named Thor Bjorklund in 1925. His wife had sent a chunk of cheese to his workshop for lunch one day, and the innovative carpenter needed a way to cut off smaller slices. Through that experience, he created the first cheese slicer, which he also patented that same year. The slicer began to be mass produced in Norway in 1927. Since that time, many variations have been created on Bjorklund s design, allowing every cook to find the perfect slicer to meet his needs. Although they are most popular in some European countries where sliced cheese on bread is a common fare, many styles have gained momentum in the United States as well.

Different Designs of Slicers

There are a variety of designs of cheese slicers, including those that are primarily for functional purposes. These can include many hand-held designs, and can run the gamut in quality and price. If you slice a lot of cheese to use in your recipes and cooking, it is best to find a high-quality and functional design that will last through time and plenty of use. On the other hand, if your main purpose in a cheese slicer will be for entertaining, there are many styles on the market that are beautiful as well as functional. Some of these designs are crafted out of high-quality wood or even marble, and some come with a built in tray to hold crackers or slices of bread.

These attractive cheese slicers can also make a wonderful gift for the person on your list that seems to have everything. You can throw in a package of delicious French cheese and a bottle of wine to complement, and your recipient has the beginning supplies for a lovely cocktail gathering.