This document provides information about different types of cheeses including mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, brie, gouda, cream cheeses, processed cheese, and blue cheeses. It discusses the characteristics of each cheese like taste, texture, where it's produced, shelf life, and how to store it properly. The document also answers frequently asked questions about natural vs processed cheese and the fat and calorie content of different cheeses.

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Karen Anand is
one of India’s Spinach And Cream
Cheese Samosa
most well-known
celebrity chefs
and cookbook
authors. Makes: About 8 – 10 samosas
For the filling
1 bunch spinach (about 150gm), stalks removed;
CHEESY NOTES
1 onion, finely chopped; 1tbsp garlic, finely They might smell like old socks to some, but are
Have a chopped; 1 potato, boiled and mashed; 2 small like nectar to others! Cheese is used on pizzas,
QueStion? ng green chillies, chopped; 1⁄4 tsp jaiphal (nut- tacos, on toast, served on a cheese board at society
hi
If you have anyt en, m e g) p owd e r ; 1 0 0 g m c r e a m c h e e s e dinners or just munched as a snack. Chefs are
to ask Kar
you’d like india@ (Britannia is an Indian brand available in the
gh
send it in to com using parmesan to coat prawns, gruyere to melt in
intoday.
market); 1tsp jeera powder; 1⁄2 tsp amchur
powder; 2tbsp oil; salt and black pepper, to pancakes and adding processed cheese to kebabs.
taste; oil, for deep frying How do you know what they all taste like and the
For the dough one best suited to your needs? Where do you get
2 cups maida; enough water to make a firm them? What can you expect to pay? And how, with
dough; 1⁄4 tsp ajwain; salt, to taste; 1tbsp ghee the smell the way it is, can you distinguish the
Method fresh from the rancid? Read on to know more…
n Mix the maida, ajwain, salt and ghee together.
Add enough water to make a soft, pliable dough. n Processed Cheese: This type of cheese is soft
Cover with a damp cloth; rest for 15 minutes. with little real flavour but is constant and uniform
n Fry the onion and garlic in oil until golden. in taste and texture. These types of cheese are less
n Blanch the spinach in boiling water for one prone to spoilage and take very well to added
minute. Drain thoroughly and chop fine. Add condiments and flavours such as pepper, garlic and
to the potato along with the onion and garlic, so on. These can be used as spreads in sandwiches,
chillies, jaiphal powder, amchur powder and in snacks, as well as for cooking and are relatively
jeera powder. Mix. Add cream cheese; season. inexpensive compared with natural cheese. There
n Roll the samosa dough out into small rotis are several quality brands in India.
(about 4-inch diameter circles).
n Put the stuffing in the middle of each roti n Cheddar: This is a natural, English hard cheese,
without overstuffing it. Fold over into triangles which can range from mild and mellow to rich and
and seal the edges with a little water. nutty. It lasts 2 to 3 weeks at least in the fridge. It
n Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the may harden on the edges but this doesn’t affect the
samosa until golden brown over medium taste. Even if it dries out, it can be grated and used
heat. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve in sauces. Avoid cheese with cracks or drying
hot with tomato chutney. edges and a strong, sour smell. It is a good snacking
Photograph (bottom left): Arjun sHAH;
cheese and can be had with slices of apple, in
Know Your Cheese sandwiches, or used in cooking.
Hard: Parmesan, Gruyere n Cream Cheeses: These range from cottage
Semi-hard: Gouda, Cheddar, Edam
cheese and the creamier paneer (no, paneer is not
Semi-soft: Processed Cheese
actually cottage cheese – though it comes close),
Soft: Mozzarella, Feta, Brie
Blue: Danish Blue Cheese to Philadelphia cream cheese and now Britannia’s
Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton cream cheese. Cream cheese is usually used for
cheesecakes or piled onto smoked salmon, celery,
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this is not a feature of the cheese. The Roquefort in France, gorgonzola, a
FaQ’s smell means it has just over ripened creamy blue which comes from the
Serve at least 4 and should be thrown away. Always village of the same name in Milan and
NATURAL VS PROCESSED
types of cheese on A natural cheese is one, which is
look for a surface, which may range English stilton. Danish blue is the most
a cheeseboard allowed to ripen and mature to from snowy white in younger cheese accessible of the blue brigade in India.
its peak, without any further to creamy with a little coloration It is soft textured with a buttery
manufacturing or heat treatment. across the edge. Brie in tins is widely consistency, easy to spread and slice.
Processed cheese is made by available in India and is now available Avoid cheese which has any signs of
stopping the ripening action at a
cut in city delicatessens too. Although “greyness” or looks dry. Wrap and
Photograph (top left, Polaroid frame): PHIlIP FrIEDMAn/sTuDIo D; (bottom left):
given point, by heat treatment.
As a result, the cheese remains milder than the original in flavour, it store in the refrigerator away from any
constant and uniform in taste has a relatively long shelf life out of the delicate foods. If stored well it should
and texture throughout its life. refrigerator, but should be eaten quick- last 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. It
lArA robbY/sTuDIo D/sTuDIo D; courtesy Good Housekeeping US
Unripened cheese is fresh and ly once opened and should have a is ideal as an after-dinner cheese or in
has no maturing or cooking
consistent creamy, honey-like centre. a salad dressing or dip. Blues are lovely
processes involved. Ripened
cheese reaches its own unique
Wait an hour for it to reach room tem- eaten as is with figs or a stone fruit
texture and taste through perature once opened and eat it before chutney and a glass of fortified or
complex chemical and physical clear, moist looking cheese, which it goes runny. Brie is best with walnuts sweet wine.
changes over time. Surface should be in brine when you buy it. and fresh fruit.
ripened, surface mould ripened, Store it in the brine in the refrigerator.
surface smear ripened and
ReaDeR QueRY
washed rind cheese are ripened
Remove what you need, drain and n Gruyere: It has a sweet, dry flavour
by the action of special bacteria, crumble it into spinach dishes, sauces with a nutty aftertaste. It is harder and Your column on wine in the April
moulds or yeast applied to the or salads. It is used a lot in cooking and has fewer holes than emmental. It issue was very informative. I am
a wine lover and enjoy the
surface of the cheese. Internal salads, but never on a cheese board. keeps for several weeks in the fridge, if
mould ripened cheese is ripened occasional glass. I am also
wrapped properly. It is an ideal after- diabetic and often stick to dry
internally by introducing into the
n Gouda: It is a firm, sliceable cheese dinner cheese with dried fruit and wines. Is red wine good for
cheese milk special penicillium
glaucum or penicillium roqueforti with a buttery taste, which deepens as nuts. It is also used in fondue. diabetics? Can you suggest a
spores, used in the production of the cheese matures. It has a yellow wax wine which will not increase my
sugar levels?
blue vein cheese. rind and is creamier than edam. It n Blue: You either love or hate this
Hiru, via email
or used as a base for dips. Mascarpone packets, which can be used in pasta. It HOW FATTENING IS keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and natural cheese, which has been
n You will have to consult your
is the Italian version of cream cheese can also be paired with any sweet fruit, CHEESE? is a great table and cooking cheese. injected with a penicillin fungus to
doctor about what is considered
and is integral to the dessert tiramisu. or enjoyed in soups and rice dishes. Cream cheese has a fat content The gouda produced in India is good. produce blue veins. The most notorious acceptable for your level of
It can also be mixed with liqueurs or of approximately 28 percent. of all cheese, it is only appreciated by diabetes. Dry red wines have a
Processed cheese has about 26
dried fruits for an easy sweet treat. n Mozzarella: A soft, white, bland n Brie: This is a soft, creamy cheese, real connoisseurs. They have an sugar content of 0.15 to 0.3
to 27 percent, (including cheese
tasting cheese which is used on pizzas which has an edible, white surface overbearing aroma and a very sharp percent (i.e 1.5gm to 3gm per
spreads). Natural cheddar has 36
litre), which is negligible. I
n Parmesan: This is the Queen of because of its stretchability and quick percent. To give you a compari- mould. Brie comes in the shape of a taste. The three Great Blues are
work with a winery and our
Italian cheese! It is hard, crumbly with melting properties. Fresh mozzarella son; butter has 80 percent fat disc and is mild, buttery and flavourful. roquefort, made from sheep’s milk and red wines have 0.15 percent
a grainy texture and has a sharp aroma will last about 10 to 12 days maximum and oil has 100 percent fat! Avoid cheese that smells like ammonia; ripened in the limestone caves near sugar (i.e 1.5 grams per
and piquant flavour. It comes from in your fridge and tends to sour after HEALTH FACTORS litre). Calorie wise, 100ml
Tip
Parma in northern Italy and is aged for that. It usually has an expiry date Cheese is an excellent source of red wine (1⁄2 glass) has 13
calcium and phosphorous and a percent alcohol, 70 calories
about two to three years. It is produced which is quite specific. Look for shiny
moderate source of protein and from the alcohol itself.
in the form of a large, deep wheel and smooth, moist, creamy white cheese About 300ml red
Vitamin A. It is high in saturated
lasts for several years thanks to its low with an elastic texture. It lasts longer fats with moderate amounts of How to store cheese: It is usually wrapped in greaseproof
in
wine is considered
moisture content and hard texture. if vacuum packed. A popular salad cholesterol. Nutritionally 30gm paper and kept on a windowsill or in the cold part of the house a healthy
it better to
But nobody keeps it that long. It may called Caprese (from Capri) involves of hard cheese is equal to about Europe. However in India, with our humidity and heat, I find daily intake.
the
harden which is fine because you grate sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella with 250 ml of milk except that a wrap cheese in foil or cling film and keep it in the warmest part of
large amount of salt (sodium) is refrigerator (cheese compartment) or in the vegetable tray. Try not to
it. Parmigiano Reggiano is the best tomatoes and basil. ility.
added and Vitamin B is removed freeze cheese. Freezing will affect the taste, texture and malleab
variety that money can buy. Parmesan during the process of making Cheese has to breathe to maintain life and vigour. Don’t be
afraid of a
no
is best bought from the wheel itself. n Feta: This is a salty, white Greek hard cheese. bit of mould. This is a sign that the cheese is “natural” with
You can also buy it pre-grated in sealed cheese used mainly in salads. Choose preservatives. just cut or scrape it off and use the rest.
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