CHEESE in Family MEALS
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CHEESE in FAMilY MEALS A Guide for Consumers CONTENTS Pille Ch oosing cheese _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 Grades________________ _______________________ 3 Cost_______________________________________ __ 3 Storing cheese_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 Guide to natural cheeses__ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 Cheese as a snack or dessert_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 Cheese cookery __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 Recipes featuring cheese_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 Appetizers and snacks_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 Breads_______________________________________ 13 ])esser~____________________________________ _ _ 16 Main dishes_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 16 Salads and salad dressings_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23 Soups and sauces_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 26 Vegetables____________________________________ 27 Index to recipes_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29 This publication originally appeared as Home and Garden Bulletin No. 112, United States Department of Agriculture. It was prepared by the Consumer and Food Economics Research Division, Agricultural Research Service. CHEESE IN FAMILY MEALS: A Guide For Consumers Versatile cheese! It's so good in featuring cheese usually save main dishes, salads, and sauces. money, too, because cheese is a Served with fruit and crackers, it's concentrated food. a sure-to-please appetizer, dessert, Calorie watchers can find cheeses or snack. to suit their needs, too. Cottage A whole world of cheese flavors and Ricotta cheeses, for example, and textures awaits discovery, so are lower in calories than most other why limit your family to just one or cheeses because they contain more two cheeses? moisture and less milk fat. Dieters In natural cheeses alone, there are should remember that N eufchatel over 400 varieties; several are sure cheese has fewer calories than cream to please every taste. Try some cheese. Hard cheeses, however, con varieties that are unfamiliar to you. tain more protein than cream cheese You may not like some kinds, others or N eufchatel cheese. will become favorites. If you are In this bulletin, you'll find- used to a mild Cheddar, try other • Tips on choosing cheeses to suit mild cheeses, and then try stronger your needs and please your palate. flavored ones. For still more variety, • A guide to storing cheese at the market offers pasteurized proc home. ess cheese and related products. Cheese concentrates a lot of food • Suggestions for serving cheese value into a small package. It con as a snack or dessert. tains most of the nutrients of milk, • Pointers on how to cook cheese. though in different amounts. Nutrients • A comprehensive collection of include protein, riboflavin, and cal recipes starring cheese in family cium. The protein in cheese is of the meals. same high quality as the protein in • Variations of some recipes for meat, fish, and eggs. Main dishes fewer calories. CHOOSING CHEESE Selecting and buying the right or strong-flavored cheeses. Children cheese is largely a matter of per generally like mild cheeses and their sonal preference. Some persons pre elders the more pungent varieties. fer mild cheese; others favor sharp Information follows on the vari- oua forma of cheese available in the characteristic flavor of natural retail markets. These facts may cheese during manufacture; also, the enlarge your acquaintance with the texture becomes uniform and soft. cheese family and help you use Pasteurization prevents further ripen cheese in attractive and appetizing ing; therefore, the texture and flavor ways. remain constant after processing. Process cheeses are convenient to Natural cheese is a product made use in cooked foods because they by coagulating milk and then sep melt easily and blend well with arating the curd, or solid part, from other foods. Process cheeses have the whey, or watery part. Some no rind or waste and are easy to natural cheeses are ripened (aged) slice. Packaged sliced proc to develop their characteristic flavor ess cheeses are handy; they are espe and texture; others are used unrip cially good in toasted cheese sand ened. Ripened cheeses sometimes wiches and cheeseburgers because are labeled as to the degree of ripen they melt readily. ing or aging. Cheddar cheese may Pasteurized process American be labeled "mild," "medium" or cheese, made from natural Cheddar "mellow," "aged" or "sharp." and similar varieties, is the most Many persons prefer natural popular process cheese. cheeses to other forms of cheese be cause each natural cheese has its Pasteurized process cheese own characteristic flavor and tex food, like process cheese, is a pas ture. Flavors range from bland teurized blend of cheeses. Cheese cottage cheese to tangy Blue or pun food may include other ingredients, gent Limburger. Textures vary such as fruits, vegetables, meats, or too-from the smooth creaminess of spices. It contains less cheese and cream cheese to the firm elasticity of less fat than process cheese, but has Swiss cheese. added milk or whey solids. The guide to natural cheeses on Because it has more moisture, pages 4 through 7 lists 31 cheeses process cheese food is milder in likely to be found in grocery and flavor, softer in texture, spreads specialty stores. Characteristics more easily, and melts more quickly and suggested uses are given for than regular process cheese. It does each cheese. not add as much cheese flavor to other foods as natural or process Pasteurized process cheese is a cheese. blend of fresh and aged natural cheeses that has been melted, pas Pasteurized process cheese teurized, and mixed with an emulsi spread has even more moisture and fier. Other ingredients, such as less milk fat than process cheese fruits, vegetables, mea~s, or spices, food; otherwise the two are alike in may be added. Smoked cheese composition. Usually a stabilizer is or smoke flavor may also be added to process cheese spread to added. Process cheeses lose some of prevent separation of the ingredi- 2 ents. Process cheese spread is soft Cheeses with this mark are of the and spreadable at room tempera finest quality. ture. Process cheese and cheese foods are not federally graded but fre Coldpack cheese (sometimes quently are inspected. They bear caUed club cheese) is a combina the USDA inspection shield. tion of fresh and aged natural Cottage cheese may have a mark cheeses blended into a uniform pro on its container stating that the duct without heating. No emulsi cheese is "quality approved" by the fier is used. Spices or smoke flavor U.S. Department of Agriculture. ing and food acids may be added. The flavor of coldpack cheese is Cost usually sharp and characteristic of the natural cheeses used. Coldpack To find the relative cost of var cheese is softer than natural cheese ious cheeses, compare the price of and spreads more easily. equal weights of cheese. Aged or sharp natural cheeses Coldpack cheese food is pre usually cost more then mild ones; pared like coldpack cheese but con imported cheeses frequently cost tains added milk or whey solids. more than domestic ones; and pre It may include fruits, vegetables, packaged sliced, cubed, or grated pimientos, meats, spices, or smoke cheeses may cost more than wedges flavoring. Sugar or corn sirup may or sticks. also be added. Coldpack cheese Cheese spread sold in a pres food is milder, softer, and more surized can costs more than cheese spreadable than coldpack cheese. spread sold in ajar. Process cheeses and cottage cheese cost less than Grades aged natural cheeses. Grades-based on flavor, body, For more information on buying texture, finish, appearance, and cheese, consult Marketing Bulletin color-have been established for 17, "Cheese Buying Guide for Con some varieties of natural cheese. sumers," available from the U.S. Grade marks do not usually appear Department of Agriculture, Wash on retail packages, but you may find ington' D.C., 20250. Send request some packages of Cheddar cheese on a post card. Include ZIP Code bearing the U.S. grade AA mark. with your return address. STORING CHEESE Cheese keeps best in the refrig Swiss-keep much longer than soft erator. How long it will keep de cheeses if protected from drying out. pends on the kind of cheese and Approximate storage times are the wrapping.