Cheese Admiration and Celebration
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Planed thin is how I love most (semi) hard cheeses as well, at least the ones with a good strong taste, like parmigiano or aged Gouda. I have never used crackers much, but my own self-baked bread, because most crackers/bread I bought contained too much salt for me and didn't taste so good. And of course, the smell of fresh-baked bread filling my room helped too ^_^.Splurge on a nice cheese plane. Seriously. It may well increase your enjoyment of almost any cheese. You get so much more surface area; you don't need crackers. Get a good one. If it doesn't work easily, it's just frustrating.
Once that goat gouda "style" cheese I had got too thin for the plane, I ate it in thicker chunks. No crackers. And it was so much better planed thin.
Cambozola.... I will often put that on a cracker. A nice plain cracker. I think it adds to it. I can also just cut off a chunk and... Mmmmmm.1 -
I use a planer for gouda type cheese though the direction of use was different in the Netherlands. We would cup off the pointy centre edge of the wedge, peel back some of the wax casing and plane along that first cut. This means consuming the wedge from the centre of the wheel (the best bit) to the rind (the dry bit).
For very hard salty cheese like parmesan, very mature cheddar and very old goat gouda, I prefer to use a pointy knife to break off irregular chunky crumbles to better enjoy the texture.
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Before investing money and drawer space for a planer, one could test if you prefer the thin slices with a mandolin. I can get paper thin slices with my sujihiki knife too but that is not a common kitchen tool.1
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Sorry to keep harping on about cheese planers, but keep in mind that the cheaper flat triangular metal ones slice at a fixed width. We ended up having two in the kitchen drawer because of different slice thicknesses.
Not as easy a grip, but i sometimes use the vegetable peeler for planing cheese when the thin planer is in the dishwasher.2 -
As a Belgian, using a planer was never really part of my culture, but I understand the process and I am all for it. I don't even remember my parents ever selling planers when they had they kitchen stuff store, but I have used a vegetable peeler to do the exact same thing for years. I used it mainly for old cheddar and parmigiano.I use a planer for gouda type cheese though the direction of use was different in the Netherlands.
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I find that vegetable peelers are great, but that the left/right edges are usually problematic. I "solved" that by cutting of a piece that was narrower than the peeler.Not as easy a grip, but i sometimes use the vegetable peeler for planing cheese when the thin planer is in the dishwasher.
The only real issue I have ever had, is that my slices were always more like shavings and never fully of consistent thickness, which led to a lot of smaller left-over pieces that could no longer be shaved. But then, that wasn't something my digestive tract had a particular problem with ^_^.1 -
BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »
As a Belgian, using a planer was never really part of my culture, but I understand the process and I am all for it. I don't even remember my parents ever selling planers when they had they kitchen stuff store, but I have used a vegetable peeler to do the exact same thing for years. I used it mainly for old cheddar and parmigiano.I use a planer for gouda type cheese though the direction of use was different in the Netherlands.
I don't have a planer myself (Or maybe I do, somewhere buried in a drawer) but my parents always had one. And it's used on one single brand of cheese they eat regularly: Maredsous.
They usually buy a square version of this kind of block:
And the difference between a thick slice/cube/... and a thin slice with the planer is enormous. To the point of not liking one and loving the other. And it would be worth buying a planer only for that.
Hm, memories, I might need to add a block of Maredsous to the shopping list next time!
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I have had cheese planes that were just awful. Years ago when visiting my mother, she had one that worked really well. She bought one for me.
Doesn't take much space in the drawer. I've had it for years and years and it's still sharp and works great. I wish I knew the model so I could tell you, but it's not marked other than "Made in Japan."
I have known people who use those cheese slicers that have a wire and a roller. I've never had much luck with those. I don't think it was expensive, it just works great for the cheeses that do well with a plane.
Now I want more cheese.0 -
Maredsous, that name brings back memories of busy, stressful but very Good Times. Not only of the cheese, but also of the beer. When I was working with my first customer, the principal always brought me a Maredsous beer before "ordering" me to bed.I don't have a planer myself (Or maybe I do, somewhere buried in a drawer) but my parents always had one. And it's used on one single brand of cheese they eat regularly: Maredsous.
They usually buy a square version of this kind of block:
And the difference between a thick slice/cube/... and a thin slice with the planer is enormous. To the point of not liking one and loving the other. And it would be worth buying a planer only for that.
Hm, memories, I might need to add a block of Maredsous to the shopping list next time!
I (used to?) love Maredsous cheese. It reminds me of a time when just slapping a label on something wasn't enough to attract buyers. There had to be a good reason for buying a product, like quality and a distinctive taste.
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I have seen them but have never bought them. They looked untrustworthy to me. The wire looked fragile and not all that straight, and the fact that some of them came with replacement wires was not inspiring confidence either.I have known people who use those cheese slicers that have a wire and a roller. I've never had much luck with those.
So do I. Unfortunately, it is a luxury my weight loss journey does not permit right now, perhaps never. But I'm sure as hell planning on having several types when my time has come to go into oblivion, preferably with a nice bottle of quality Pomerol.Now I want more cheese.1 -
I'm sure I could be more consistent with a plane, but I can easily and quickly slice firm cheeses into translucent-thin slices with my favorite knife, so I'm not highly motivated, TBH. I used to like kitchen gadgets, now not so much.
And y'all can have aaaallll the crackers, most times, if there's cheese. I like some crackers fine, in other contexts, but even then I'm picky, and they're not top of my yum list. If tasting multiple cheeses, as I did with the blue cheeses I posted about back on page 6, I might eat a very plain cracker on its own between cheeses as a neutralizer.1 -
Some of the really soft and runny cheeses just need something hard underneath for transportation. Instead of crackers, I sometime use apple slices. And homemade melba toast is elegant and easy.
Buy sliced white bread and toast in the toaster. Then slice off the crusts before using a long serrated knife to slice the bread between the two toasted surfaces. Easiest to lie the crustless toast on the cutting board, laying your non dominant hand flat on top and then sliding the serated knife between the toasted edges and sawing gently. Pop into an oven or air fryer, untoasted side up. If you don't want them to curl (which I find charming), lay silicon mesh on top. Keeps a while in an air tight cookie tin.2 -
Some of the really soft and runny cheeses just need something hard underneath for transportation. Instead of crackers, I sometime use apple slices. And homemade melba toast is elegant and easy.
Buy sliced white bread and toast in the toaster. Then slice off the crusts before using a long serrated knife to slice the bread between the two toasted surfaces. Easiest to lie the crustless toast on the cutting board, laying your non dominant hand flat on top and then sliding the serated knife between the toasted edges and sawing gently. Pop into an oven or air fryer, untoasted side up. If you don't want them to curl (which I find charming), lay silicon mesh on top. Keeps a while in an air tight cookie tin.
Good food advice, as usual from you!
I have to admit, with a glance around to make sure no one's watching, that since I live alone, I'm perfectly happy putting a chunk of soft cheese on a plate, cutting off bits with a table knife, and eating them off the (non-serrated!) knife. No, I don't do that when there're others present. Then, I'd use crackers.
I do like cheese with apples sometimes, though, and lately I almost always have apples in the house.
I rarely buy bread (are you sensing a theme here, meh to crackers, meh to bread?). I think I have a toaster somewhere in the house, but I haven't used it in years. I could, though. I could probably make a melba toast substitute from some of the bread I buy once a year or so from the local artisan bakery. I often don't use it up fast enough to keep it from drying out, even if frozen in a nice, tight protective way. Melba toast is a good idea. (I do use it sometimes for things like cheese strata, savory or sweet bread pudding, bread stuffing, etc.) Thanks!1 -
I used to bake my own very basic bread in a bread maker. I did that because I found the bread I bought at Lobaws to be quite disgusting: too sweet, too salty, too oily. So, I made my own 4-ingredient bread with flour, water, yeast and salt. For an extra crunchy crust, I added chickpea flour to the mix. That also made for a nice square shape. Even though I don't eat bread right now, because of my diet, I still have it. I got rid of the toaster a long time ago as I found I almost never used it. When I wanted something cracker-like, I bought rice cakes. Bulk Barn sells thin ones that are quite pleasant. But then, I haven't bought them in a long time, they are also not part of my diet.Buy sliced white bread and toast in the toaster.
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Same here. If the cheese is wrapped in paper. I eat it off the paper. If it is wrapped in cling wrap, I put it on a porcelain dish first. Saran wrap is really not appetising, and it doesn't cooperate anyway.I have to admit, with a glance around to make sure no one's watching, that since I live alone, I'm perfectly happy putting a chunk of soft cheese on a plate, cutting off bits with a table knife, and eating them off the (non-serrated!) knife.
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Hmmmmmm. Why do I have a sudden yen for a Brie and apple sandwich?4
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No takers for a pear and gjetost breakfast? Mmm it was yummy! Albeit a bit brown.
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Here is a random musing … I was making ramen last night with noodles bought from momofuko. It made me think of a NYT article I read years ago where I believe David Chang the chef of Momofuko said his favorite way to eat ramen noodles was with a slice of american cheese melted into it. I never eat american cheese and don’t think it can actually legally be called cheese - only cheese product - but he recommended it because of its melting qualities and wonderful unique taste and texture different from other cheeses. Maybe gjetost is just brown velveeta! Used to thicken stews and soups, not really a cheese, but cheese like and the Norwegians couldn’t figure out what other category to put it in, comes in a big rectangular block, weird gummy texture. . . I say all of this as someone who likes gjetost so not a dig at it, just an observation that what one culture finds pedestrian other cultures elevate to something exotic and sought after.
And while we are on the topic of ramen and momofuko, Chang has a recipe for caccio e peppe with ramen that makes so much sense since ramen (even good dried not fried ramen like his) only take about 4 min to cook …you can prepare the caccio peppe sauce, add a cup of boiling water and cook the ramen (obviously w/o other seasonings) in the mixture until ready. Obviously not an every day indulgence, but I think I will find a nice snowy evening when this will be just the perfect late dinner when you think there is nothing at home.5 -
I love cacio e pepe and used to use the dogmatic recipe where the sauce was only starchy pasta water, cheese and pepper. Getting the temperature just right, so that the cheese melts but does not turn into a gummy curdled mass was a bit hit or miss. I now use the cheat's recipe containing 2% sodium citrate.1
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Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »No takers for a pear and gjetost breakfast? Mmm it was yummy! Albeit a bit brown.
I’ll take that! Best way to eat Gjetost is with thinly sliced ripe pears! No idea what the food is at the far right of your picture but I’ll just stick with the Gjetost and pears! 😊1 -
Because of stuff I’ve read in this thread I bought a piece of Cambozola yesterday.
Deeply disappointed - it’s so mild, no tangy blueness at all. Almost flavourless. 😢 Dreadful waste of calories for me.
Also picked up a piece of Vintage Gouda which was better but I’ll not bother again. Tastes a bit like fridge dried Edam rind if I’m honest. Not a good cheese haul this week! 😂3 -
Farmstead goat quasi tomme - except full fat. This is an example of thin knife slices - just less than an ounce on the plate - knife works fine for me. I like this local cheese lots.
@BarbaraHelen2013, I'm sorry you didn't like the Cambozola. Yes, it's mild, not "deeply blue" - more like a mildly blue brie? I think my last serving was trying to send me a secret pictographic message.
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BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »Because of stuff I’ve read in this thread I bought a piece of Cambozola yesterday.
Deeply disappointed - it’s so mild, no tangy blueness at all. Almost flavourless. 😢 Dreadful waste of calories for me.
Also picked up a piece of Vintage Gouda which was better but I’ll not bother again. Tastes a bit like fridge dried Edam rind if I’m honest. Not a good cheese haul this week! 😂
Did you let it sit out and come up to temperature?
It is a mild blue for sure. The flavor comes out more if you give it some time to warm up to room temperature in my opinion. It's not a strong cheese, but it's really delicious when ripe AND warmed up.2 -
Ahh, I shall try letting it come to room temperature and try it again. It was straight out of the fridge. Thanks for the advice!
I’m also happy to leave it a week or more to ripen, I do love a Brie style cheese when it’s oozing!1 -
That was wise advice and something we should perhaps take into account (almost?) always. Stuff that comes straight from the fridge or the freezer usually has a lot less taste than stuff at room temperature or (slighly) warmer. Although... when I had durian from the freezer, that was just thawed enough to be sliceable, I felt like in heaven. It is a trigger food for me, and possibly one of the most cheese-like fruits there are. I used to buy it in Toronto's Chinatowns, and fully plan on doing it again when I have reached my ideal weight.BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »Ahh, I shall try letting it come to room temperature and try it again. It was straight out of the fridge. Thanks for the advice!
I’m also happy to leave it a week or more to ripen, I do love a Brie style cheese when it’s oozing!
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There's another dairy product that is inedible direct from the freezer if the freezer is a zero or -10F. Yep. Even ice cream needs to come up to temperature just a little bit in part so you can even serve it without breaking the scoop, but also because the flavor sort of "blooms." But not TOO warm because then it's sweet milk soup. Yuck.
There was some discussion of Gjetost and whether it was even cheese. I'm sure I'm not the only one who went looking. Answer is -- not really but sort of. It's made from a cheese byproduct - whey. Same thing that is used for protein supplementation. Same thing that's a waste disposal challenge from the production of Greek style yogurt. Seems they just heat up whey until it thickens when about 90% of the moisture is gone. The lactose (milk sugar) does caramelize in this process giving it color and flavor. It was a traditional food. I love it that it's a use of what otherwise would be come a waste product, but it's still edible! At some point they started adding cream to the whey and some of it has goat milk in addition to or instead of cream. Pretty neat stuff. I haven't had it in a while but I do remember liking it. Not as much as something like Cambozola or Humboldt Fog or even anything from the Flagship creamery, but still tasty. Maybe I'll get some.
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If you track back far enough in this thread you’ll find my (failed) attempt at making Gjetost from the leftover whey from making Skyr! 😂 Very bad..
On a positive note, inspired by @acpgee I decided to make a cheese soufflé to use up some less than palatable cheeses I had on hand. The Vintage Gouda, some quite old Edam and a scrap of Extra Mature Cheddar I wanted to finish up.
I didn’t get the crown cut quite right (wrong angle) but it was delicious with a simple salad of leaves and baby tomatoes.
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Again this year as a part of their seasonal fun, the amazing huge produce market I posted about on page 1 (the Horrocks mothership location in Lansing MI) - the one with a massive, varied cheese department - is working its way through an impressively gigantic cheese.
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Cooking with a scant amount of cheese. Starter tonight was salad of baby gem with ranch, halved seedless grapes, shavings of cabrales and croutons.
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A scant amount of cabrales will go a long way!!
A spanish chef I used to know once actually made ice cream with it. I enjoyed it about as much as the lobster ice cream I had in Maine one summer, I guess I must not like ice cream
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