If you ever travel to the Midwest of the United States or attain any Midwestern affair, you may come across this dairy product, cheese curds. These moist and soft pieces of goodness are a total delight for foodies. Cheese curds are typically premature cheese, made from pasteurized milk using cheese culture and an enzyme to separate milk solids from liquid whey – rennet. Legend has it cheese curds are Winsconsin’s delicacy which is being appended into top chef’s repertoire across the globe.
This absolute dairy delight is mainly made from cheddar cheese before the cheese is cut into blocks and aged for selling. In practice, most cheeses take around two months to solidify, and cheese curds are harvested much earlier than that. While most cheese curds you buy from your cheesemongers are cheddar cheese, some are Colby, Monterey Jack, or even Mozzarella cheese. This cheese by-product, just like cheese, has a myriad of applications as it can be eaten raw and fried. You can prepare tasty cheese nuggets using battered cheese curds and fry them to golden brown colour.
They taste great with salad when consumed raw and often are added with grilled and roasted meat to vegetables. In addition, soft and squeaky cheese curds are easy to snack options on a busy working day. Fry them, and they make for an ultimate topper for vegetable soup. Use them as toppings or seasonings on your ham; it’s so easy and simple. Good poutine is always consumed with great enthusiasm worldwide, especially in Canada and the United States.
Your household menu will be filled with endless possibilities with this dairy item; you can serve them as an appetizer, snack, or part of many dishes, such as pizza, mac and cheese, soups and many more. Cheese curds are enriched with a taste from cheese cultures added during the cheese-making process. It is a proper dairy product for those who prefer savoury over sweet, similar to Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
While cheese curds and cheese are almost similar, curds have a lower shelf-life than aged cheese. Ideally, you should consume cheese curds within one week of obtaining them. So, unlike cheese, they are preferred fresh. A good and economic practice will be to buy cheese curds in smaller quantities. Alternatively, if you cannot find cheese curds nearby, you can also order them online.
Cheese is a popular kitchen ingredient and flaunted as a staple by many food establishments on their menus. Cheese eating has come a long way, and the number of cheese by-products is continually growing. As much as we are fond of cheese, we want to try its by-products.
Cheese by-products are substantially growing in number and demand as they are readily available in any local dairy house. Most of them are ready-to-use, saving both time and effort. As more and more consumers relinquish the urge for cheese and its spinoffs, eateries find them a must for their menus.
