A Guide to Choosing Cheese for Fast Food Restaurants in American Supermarkets -Food squad

I believe many foodies are the same as me

Going to a fast food restaurant to order and seeing cheese, I want to cry

What is it? What do you say in English?

What if you make a mistake and taste bad? ?

I had to say with tears in the end"No, thanks!"

I went to the supermarket and saw the bags of packaging and looked confused

Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan

What are all these new words? Just pick a bag and buy it home

I found that it was not the taste I wanted at all

Since then, he and cheese are passersby

Today, I will give you the types of cheese

Guide to buying cheese in American supermarkets

Unlock new cooking and taste bud experiences

What is cheese?

"Cheese" is just a collective term, and is often called cheese. According to the different fermentation time and taste, cheese can be roughly divided into four categories according to the hardness:Soft cheese (soft), semi-soft cheese (semi-soft), semi-hard cheese (semi-hard), and hard cheese (hard), The harder the cheese, the longer the fermentation time, the stronger the taste.

We usually eat soft cheese and semi-soft cheeseIt can be spread on bread or mixed in salad and eaten. It is also a baking ingredient for cheesecake. andHard cheeseIt is eaten alone like a snack, usually as an appetizer, or paired with red wine.

How to eat cheese

Soft Cheese

"Soft" cheese, as the name suggestsDelicate and softMainly, it is usually spread on bread and biscuits. Among the soft cheeses, there are the following types of cheeses according to different tastes and ways of eating.

Common soft cheeses include:

Mozzarella Cheese,cream cheese, Cottage Cheese

mozzarella cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Everyone must be familiar with this cheese, it isBaked rice, cheese heart pizzaThe cooking ingredients, the cheese heart pizza is when the pizza is slicedWire drawingIt's because of mozzarella cheese.

Raw material characteristics:It originates from southern Italy and is made of milk. The color is mostly white, but some whites are yellow. Due to the high water content of this cheese,The shelf life of fresh products is usually up to 7 days, and the shelf life of supermarkets is 1 month..

Applicable food:Baked various foods (baked rice, baked noodles, baked mushrooms, etc.), salad appetizers, lasagna, cheese heart pizza.

Taste status:After being heated, it melts in the food and becomes silky, with a delicate, soft and milky flavor! When eaten cold, it tastes like sliced raw tomatoes.

Edible calories:The size of an ice cube is about 370 calories

cream cheese

Cream cheese

I believe everyone goes to the convenience store to buybagel (bagel)At that time, the waiter will ask you if you want to apply cream cheese, which is actually talking about this cheese.

Raw material characteristics:Immature full-fat cheese, white in color, creamy and fine in texture

Applicable food:Spread on bread or bagel to make various cheesecakes.

Taste status:Creamy, melts in the mouth, full of milk flavor but slightly sour taste.

Edible calories:A spoonful of calories is about 51 calories

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese

This cheese usually appears in salads, if inSeen snow-white foamy food on the salad, That's it!

Raw material characteristics:Originated from the Netherlands, made of skimmed milk, white in color and loose in shape like foam

Applicable food:Stir salad or fruit, sandwich sandwiches, make American muffins

Taste status:The taste is soft and delicate, melts in the mouth, but slightly sour

Edible calories:About 100 calories per 98g (about the size of a tomato)

Semi-soft Cheese (Semi-soft Cheese)

Compared to soft cheese, semi-soft cheese has more tasteGrainy, The moisture content is about 36% to 45%, usually used in salads or bread.

Baby Swiss Cheese

Mini Swiss Cheese

I believe everyone is familiar with the appearance of this cheese, it is a cartoonThe kind of cheese that often appears in "cats and mice", Please look for the small holes on the top, the taste is slightly sweet, it is the more delicious of the semi-soft cheese.

Raw material characteristics:Cheese made from whole milk, with small round holes, is a mini version of Swiss cheese

Applicable food:Take bread and cakes (Croissant and muffin cakes are recommended), red wine, juice, and iced milk to eat separately

Taste status:Slightly chewy, light but slightly sweet

Edible calories:One cut is about 70 cards

Havarti Cheese

Raw material characteristics:Produced in Denmark, using pasteurized milk, there are many small holes in the cheese, and it melts quickly at room temperature

Applicable food:Slice into burgers and sandwiches, stir fry with macaroni and vegetables

Taste status:It is chewy, has a lighter taste, and is slightly sweet.

Edible calories:One piece (1 oz) 105 cards

Semi-hard Cheese (Semi-hard Cheese)

Semi-hard cheese is the most variety on the marketAmong them, Cheddar Cheese is the most classic and well-known cheese in this category. Semi-hard cheese takes longer to ferment, usually ranging from 1 to 6 months, so it has less moisture and is harder, with a moderate taste, mild and aromatic.

Cheddar cheese

Everyone must be familiar with this cheese.Many potato chips and snacks have a Cheddar taste, Usually after adding this cheese, the food is yellow and has a salty taste.Is the most popular cheese in the world!

Raw material characteristics:Cheddar cheese is a natural cheese. It is made by a series of complex processing techniques such as sterilization, fermentation, coagulation and maturation of raw milk. It is the raw material of many "reconstituted cheeses". It has high nutritional content and is usually light yellow in color.

Applicable food:After being shredded, sprinkle on food for consumption (with or without heating), and melt into food (muffin cake) when heated in the oven

Taste status:The taste is soft and fragrant after heating; the taste is harder when eaten cold, it needs1 to 1 hours in advanceTake it out of the refrigerator, the smell is relatively weak.

Edible calories:One piece (1 oz) 113 cards

Monterey Jack Cheese

This cheese is one of the cheeses that make you frown in Subway ordering. Native American cheese is produced in Monterey, California.

Raw material characteristics:Native American cheese, produced in the small town of Monterey, California, from David Jacks, a dairy farmer and businessman in the town in the 18th century. Although it is semi-hard cheese, it has a fine texture.It looks like yellow and white marble, easy to melt.

Applicable food:The slices are sandwiched between sandwiches and burgers, melted into cheese sauce, and used to make Mexican cuisine such as in Taco.

Taste status:The taste is soft, waxy and elastic, with a heavier milk flavor but slightly sour. In addition to the original flavor, it also has chili, vanilla and spice flavors. Generally speaking, this cheese has a pungent taste.

Edible calories:1 piece (1 oz) 106 cards

Gouda Cheese

Gundam Cheese

Gundam Cheese is also translated as "Gouda Cheese", which everyone is familiar withMac & CheeseThe Cheese in this American appetizer is this cheese!

Raw material characteristics:Originated from the Dutch city Gouda, it is a kind of light yellow cheese with a fat content of 48%. According to the maturity period, it is divided into: fresh high (4-8 weeks), medium high (2-6 months) and hard high (6 ~ 8 months), fresh and tender Gouda cheese is usually covered with a red or yellow wax coat

Applicable food:Cut into slices and add to sandwiches or biscuits, chopped and mixed with salad, or can be eaten alone with a lower red wine

Taste status:Xian Gao is relatively soft, has a creamy fragrance, and has a milder taste. Hard high is strong smell. Due to the different maturation periods of Gouda cheeseThe taste ranges from light to rich, so be mentally prepared before eating!

Edible calories:One piece (1oz) 101 cards

Hard Cheese

Fermentation time of hard cheeseFrom 2 months to 3 yearsVarying, extreme moisture content, usually strong flavor,Has a spicy salty aroma, The usual way of eating is to grind and put on food, seldom sliced and eaten.

Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan cheese

This cheese originated from Italy, so it’s no stranger to eat Italian food.Usually when ordering pasta, the waiter will ask you, "Do you want to add pepper and Parmesan?", And then your pasta will start to "snow".

Raw material characteristics:Originated from Italy, the appearance is hard and crystalline, or granular

Applicable food:Italian-style baked rice, pasta, bisque, chicken wings, can also be eaten alone as a snack

Taste status:It tastes grainy and harder, with a fruity aroma, and a strong taste. Some varieties have a bitter taste.

Edible calories:1 piece (1 oz) 111 cards

Blue Cheese

Blue cheese

This cheese can be said to beDurian in cheese, Has a unique smell, has a polarizing attitude towards it, and there are many people who like it and cannot accept it. Welcome to share your views at the end of the article.

Raw material characteristics:Made from cow's milk, cheese contains penicillium, which grows in cheeseBlue, blue-green or blue-graySpotsAnd texture to form a unique flavor

Applicable food:It is best eaten with biscuits, pears, raisins, fruit bread, walnuts, or grated and added to yogurt or mayonnaise to make a sauce

Taste status:Because it contains penicillium, it has a unique and pungent taste, and the taste is hard and salty

Edible calories:1 piece (1 oz) 100 cards

Other cheese

Washed-Rind Cheese

Dip cheese

This cheese is also called"Smelly" Cheese, A pungent smell. It is said that it was made by French monks in the early days, because they could not eat meat for a long time, so they producedA cheese that mimics "meat flavor" to relieve gluttons.

Raw material characteristics:This cheese will be washed repeatedly with salt water or mold-containing liquids (such as beer or wine) during the maturation stage to promote the growth of Brevibacterium and produce a unique flavor

Applicable food:Serve with fruit or baked fruit bread

Taste status:The smell is strong and pungent, the taste is granular, with a nutty taste,In short, not a hardcore cheese player, please don’t try it lightly

Edible calories:1 slice (1 oz) 80 calories

Processed/American Cheese

Remade cheese

To be precise, remade cheese is not cheese. It is made from the natural cheese mentioned in the previous article.After reprocessing, Endowed with characteristics that are not available in natural cheese, the biggest feature is the longer shelf life,Very common in American supermarkets and the first choice of consumers.

Raw material characteristics:Reconstituted cheese is a processed product of natural cheese. According to the US FDA,At least 51% of the raw materials of remade cheese are natural cheese, The remaining less than 49% of the ingredients include additives, water, and other milk ingredients, such as milk powder, anhydrous cream and whey ingredients

Remade cheese after processingLonger shelf life, The emulsification is better (even if it is heated at high temperature, the taste will not change), the flavor is richer,Better spreadability and spreadability (not easy to agglomerate)

Applicable food:The slices are sandwiched between burgers and sandwiches and melted into a biscuit dip

Taste state: It is chewy, the texture is fine after heating, the taste can be diversified, but the overall is relatively light and easy to accept

Edible calories:1 piece (0.75 oz) 59 cards

Common cheeses and brands in American supermarkets

After fully understanding the types of cheese, do foodies all have their own picks? Next, I will screen for everyoneCheeses and brands that are common in American supermarkets and suitable for Chinese tastes(The brands are ranked in no particular order)!