For cooking purposes, some recipes prescribe cheese of special quality. In large markets, old Cheddar ripened carefully for two or three years is commonly purchasable for Welsh rabbit. (Ask for "rabbit" cheese.) An expert housekeeper familiar also with cheese ripening has demonstrated that almost any cheese, whether ripened to its best, part ripe or over-ripe, can be used in many cooking formulas without injuring the acceptability of the product to most consumers. In canning Camembert, it has been shown[151] that over-ripe cheese so strong as to be objectionable, when sterilized loses the objectionable flavor of the raw product. No cheese should be wasted; any not used when served the first time should be served at a closely following meal or used in cooking. No matter what the variety, it will add to the food value and palatability of some one of the common dishes served within forty-eight hours.
340. Care of cheese.[152]—"One of the best ways of keeping cheese which has been cut is to wrap it in a slightly damp cloth and then in paper, and to keep it in a cool place. To dampen the cloth, sprinkle it and then wring it. It should seem hardly damp to the touch. Paraffin paper may be used in place of the cloth. When cheese is put in a covered dish, the air should never be wholly excluded, for if this is done, it molds more readily.
"In some markets it is possible to buy small whole cheeses. These may be satisfactorily kept by cutting a slice from the top, to serve as a cover, and removing the cheese as needed with a knife, a strong spoon, or a cheese scoop. It is possible to buy at the hardware stores knobs which inserted in the layer cut from the top make it easy to handle. The cheese with the cover on should be kept wrapped in a cloth."
341. Food value and price.—There is little relation between the price and food value of standard varieties of cheese. The higher-priced varieties claim and hold their place because they possess particular flavors. These may or may not accompany high comparative food values. Even among low-priced varieties discrimination into grades is largely based on flavor. Of the low-priced cheeses, those made from skimmed-milk commonly command the lowest prices. As noted above, a choice may be based either on purpose or on price. If the purpose is fixed, the price should not change the selection. If, however, a particular quality of cheese is purchasable at a low price, some satisfactory form of utilizing it is clearly available to the housekeeper. Some standard recipes are given in the following paragraphs.
342. Methods and recipes for using cheese.—(1) As a meat substitute. Meat is wholesome and relished by most persons, yet it is not essential to a well-balanced meal and there are many housekeepers who for one reason or another are interested in lessening the amount of meat or to substitute other foods. The problem with the average family is undoubtedly more often the occasional substitution of other palatable dishes for the sake of variety, for reasons of economy, or for some other reason than the general replacement of meat dishes by other things.
Foods which are to be served in place of meat should be rich in protein and fat and should also be savory. Cheese naturally suggests itself as a substitute for meat, since it is rich in the same kinds of nutrients that meat supplies, is a staple food with which every one is familiar and is one which can be used in a great variety of ways. In substituting cheese for meat, especial pains should be taken to serve dishes which are relished by the members of the family. A number of recipes[153] for dishes which contain cheese are given below. They are preceded by several recipes for cheese sauces which, as will appear, are called for in the preparation of some of the more substantial dishes. In the first list of recipes, cheese means Cheddar.
Cheese Sauce No. 1
| 1 cupful of milk. | 1 ounce of cheese (¼ cupful of grated cheese). |
| 2 tablespoonfuls of flour. | Salt and pepper. |
Thicken the milk with the flour and just before serving add the cheese, stirring until it is melted.
This sauce is suitable to use in preparing creamed eggs, or to pour over toast, making a dish corresponding to ordinary milk toast, except for the presence of cheese. It may be seasoned with a little curry powder and poured over hard-boiled eggs.