Shelf Life for Different Cheeses

When it comes to cheese, each one of them can sit on the shelf for a different period of time. There are a lot of factors that go into the shelf life of a certain type of cheese, and it is important to understand how long they can sit before they need to be used up. Make sure that you are familiar with the shelf life of cheeses and how they work, that way, you’ll always know if the cheese that you have laying around is good, or if it needs to go in the trash. Let’s explore the shelf life of cheese.

Different Shelf Life of Cheeses

There are generally three different categories of shelf life that are important to understand for cheese. Each of these shelf lives will be different and are very important because they will tell you if your cheese is good. So, there is going to be a room temperature shelf life, there is also going to be a refrigerator shelf life, and a freezer shelf life of many cheeses. Most cheeses can be classified into three different categories: hard, Swiss, and fresh or soft cheeses. Understanding the shelf life of these three groups will help you classify your cheese and know how long it is going to last and when it needs to be tossed.

Shelf Life of Cheese

For hard cheeses, which would be cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, and others that are in that classification, they have their own shelf lives. For room temperature, they shouldn’t be left out any longer than eight hours. For the refrigerator, they will generally last 14 to 21 days, and in the freezer it can be between 6 and 10 months. Hard cheeses last the longest, that is for sure.

For Swiss cheese, it is going to be very similar to hard cheeses. They can stay out at room temperature for about 6 hours, they can be in the refrigerator for 14 to 21 days and they can be frozen for between 6 to 8 months.

The soft cheeses, which are generally your fresh cheeses like Feta, Mozzarella, and others have the shortest shelf life of any cheese. They can be at room temperature for only two hours, they can be in the refrigerator for five to seven days, and they can be in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.

Know what the shelf life of your cheese is so that you know if it is good or bad and safe to be consumed, this is crucial to your well being.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

Locating Cheddar Cheese Online

There are many different places where you can order cheddar cheese online. Although cheddar is the most popular cheese that you can purchase in a store, you may look for online options to find great deals or types of cheddar cheese that may be a little different than the kinds that you find in the grocery store. Using online options to find specialty cheddar cheeses or cheddar that may not be readily available in the grocery store and something that may be extremely tasty or rare. Use the internet to get great cheeses that are out there in the cheddar variety.

A lot of people use online cheese shops to find rarer varieties of cheddar cheese. There are a lot of cheddars out there online that are aged longer and are harder to find. With cheddar cheese, the longer it is aged, the more of a sharp flavor it takes on, some people love this, but it can be hard to find in the store, so shopping online will help. When you use the online cheese shops, you may be able to find some varieties of cheddar cheese that you've never even heard of and some options that are from smaller cheese shops that may not be found in the grocery store.

Another reason for looking for cheddar cheese online is that you may find a lot of options that aren't in the grocery store. Aside from age, cheddar can have different flavors. It may be difficult to find a white cheddar cheese that is aged the way you like it in the grocery store. It may also allow you to find options like horseradish cheddar cheese and smoked cheddar. The great thing with looking online and locating cheddar cheese that way is that you will most likely find cheese that is unlike anything else you have ever found and is something that you can only find online.

The places where you can shop for cheese on the internet are unlimited; there are all kinds of great online cheese shops where you can find varieties of cheddar that you only dreamed of. Use what options you have online so that you can find cheeses that you’ve never tried before and give your taste buds an experience that will leave them buzzing. Finding cheese shops online isn’t difficult, look for one and you’ll find that there are a million others out there where you can find unique cheddar cheeses.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

Is Natural Cheese Better?

There are generally two different styles of cheese that people will eat, there is natural cheese and there is processed cheese. For some people, they enjoy natural cheese and others enjoy the processed cheese better. While there isn't really a way to say if one type of cheese is better than the other, some people prefer processed cheese and others like the natural cheese. There are places where processed cheese is better and situations where you may want to use natural cheese, it will all depend on the recipe and what you are doing with the cheese.

The first thing that is important to know if you are going to decide which cheese is better is what natural cheese is and what processed cheese is. Natural cheese goes through the process of aging and being made with rennet, the processed cheese does not go through this process, so it is a lot quicker and easier to make. Processed cheese is generally made from normal cheese and has ingredients added to it so that it gets the texture and creaminess that processed cheese takes on; there are many advantages and disadvantages to using processed cheese.

One of the best advantages that processed cheese has over natural cheese is that it has a far extended shelf-life, so it will last a lot longer than the natural cheese that is out there. Another reason that people like to use is because it doesn't separate when it is melted or used to cook with. Because there are emulsifiers in the processed cheese, it melts smoother, this is why people use it for hamburgers and other dishes because it will stay on the food and it doesn't change texture or taste when it is melted, which his great and a reason why processed cheese is created.

There are also some disadvantages to using processed cheese. Some people worry that processed cheese may have side effects because of the chemical preservatives that are used in it. It also has a lot of artificial colors and flavors in it. Some people just don’t like it because the taste is far inferior to natural cheese and what it has to offer.

But, if you are going to try to decide what is better, natural or processed cheese, it is going to be a hard decision to make. There are many reasons why people like natural cheese and many reasons why they like processed cheese. Deciding is really your own personal preference. Note that Golden Age Cheese does not produce any processed cheeses and all of our cheeses are 100% natural.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

How to Search for the Best Mozzarella Cheese

With so many choices out there for mozzarella cheese, how do you search for the best one? You’ll find that there are generally three kinds of mozzarella cheese out there; there is regular mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, and part skim mozzarella. There are situations where you will want to use each one of these or you may prefer to have one of these over the other. Knowing what foods and situations each of these mozzarellas are best in will help you in the search to find the best mozzarella.

There are a lot of different foods that mozzarella cheese is used in, this type of cheese is the base cheese for pizza and is used in lots of pasta dishes like lasagna and is sprinkled on a lot of other dishes. Mozzarella cheese is mild, it melts well, and it taste delicious, but it really depends on the type of mozzarella that you get to know the distinct taste that it will have.

Just your standard mozzarella cheese is made with whole cow milk. Generally, this cheese is a very low moisture cheese and it is the one that is used in most of the restaurant industry for more of the bulk foods and dishes that are made. This mozzarella cheese is great to eat and can be purchased easily in the grocery store either in ball form, sliced form, brick form, or shredded form. This is also the mozzarella that generally makes up string cheese that children love.
Part skim mozzarella cheese is another popular kind of mozzarella cheese. This cheese is made with part skim milk so that it has lower fat content and is better for you. If you love mozzarella cheese, but you are worried about the fat content, look at the part skim options. This mozzarella cheese still cooks up the same and has about the same texture, but you’ll save some major fat calories with the part skim option.

Buffalo mozzarella is a popular kind also; this mozzarella is more of the traditional Italian cheese. Buffalo mozzarella is made with water buffalo milk; it generally does not get pasteurized and is served fresh. It is this mozzarella cheese that is used in the tomato and mozzarella salad and it has a distinct flavor of deliciousness to it.

Mozzarella cheese comes in many forms, it really depends on what you like and what you need it for to decide which is going to be the best option for you. Decide what you are using the cheese for and understand if buffalo, part skim, or whole milk mozzarella is the best one for you.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

Super Bowl XLV Winner

Congratulations to John S of Little River, SC for winning our Super Bowl XLV contest. John Guessed Packers win 31-20 coming just 5 points from the actual score 31-25. Thanks for all those who participated in this years contest! We hope to hear from you again soon! Enjoy!

How to Choose the Best Cheese

When it comes to choosing a cheese, there are many different kinds out there that you can try out. When you are trying to pick the best cheese, you will find that generally it is situational, in one setting you may want one cheese and in another setting another cheese may be what you need. Know when you want what cheese and when another kind is what you are going to want to pick out.

A lot of people choose cheese by their taste preference, some people want cheese that is mellow and others want something that has a bite, what you want is really going to depend on you and what you like. There are certain drinks and foods where you will want one type of cheese over another, but if your taste buds like it you may as well buy it. If there is something that you prefer over another style, just get it.

One place where people are really picky about their cheese is with their wine. There are certain kinds of wine where you will want to have one cheese over another. For example, a merlot goes well with a sharp cheese like cheddar or brie. For a white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc, you will want a cheese like a gruyere or something that is a little milder in taste. There are all kinds of cheese and wine parings that you can make though.

Another key factor to choosing a cheese is that you make sure that it has aged. Good cheese, just like good wine has generally aged. When you look at cheddar, there are all kinds of different variations of it. The general difference between the cheddar cheese variations is how long they age before they are packaged and shipped off. So, extra sharp cheddar ages generally a year to a year and a half while sharp cheddar only ages for six to eight months. The longer it ages, the sharper the cheese gets.

There are situations where you will want to choose the best cheese and there are other situations where you will simply let your taste buds get the best of you. It doesn’t matter sometimes what cheese you pick, they are all delicious. But, in some cases, you are going to want to pair your cheese with the food or drink that you are having it with. Be sure you have the best cheese for the situation.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

Golden Age Cheese Mozzarella Stretching Curd Featured in Food Network Magazine!

If you haven't picked up the latest issue of Food Network Magazine (March 2011) yet, you definitely should! There is a wonderful article about stretching Mozzarella at home. In the article Chef Tyler Florence shows how to stretch fresh Mozzarella each step at a time, like we do here. In the article they also give Golden Age Cheese a big shout out stating "Order it online (GoldenAgeCheese.com)". We are so thrilled and honored to have been mentioned by Tyler Florence in Food Network magazine we just had to share it on the Cheesy Times!

To Order Fresh Mozzarella Curd Now Click Here

(click image to enlarge)

How Many Ways Are There To Make A Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

How Many Ways Are There To Make A Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

The grilled cheese sandwich. It’s one of America’s staples and one of the perfect comfort foods for any occasion. You eat it with soup, another comfort food. It goes well with a wide variety of sides and there’s a wide variety of ways that you can take this simple little sandwich and turn it into a gourmet masterpiece.

First of all, you can make grilled cheese out of anything—even American cheese. If you want to take it up a notch, one way is to simply switch your filling. Opt for Swiss instead of American or Meunster instead of Swiss. Keep in mind when you switch your filling that softer cheeses will melt faster than hard ones and that if you decide to mix them, you may want to heat up the harder one first and then proceed to add the soft cheeses after a minute or two once the harder kind melts more.

Then, you can add various meats to your sandwich. Prosciutto is a nice, light addition as long as you don’t add too much. You can even heat it before you put it on the sandwich so that any fat or grease is off. You can also do the same with large slices of pepperoni. Keep in mind that the more flavorful your meat is, the plainer your cheese should be. For example, provolone goes well with pepperoni because of how delicate its flavor is. The pepperoni doesn’t exactly overpower it, but is complemented. However, if you added gorgonzola or feta to the sandwich, it would be way too much.

You can also add condiments to your sandwich. If you want a very creamy, very delicious sandwich, you can add a tidbit of mayonnaise to it in order to add just a tiny bit of zing and to also make it soft and gooey. This works well with harder cheese and adds a little something-something flavor-wise also.

You can also add a bit of mustard and mayonnaise to your sandwich for even more zing—but keep in mind that it can over power it if you add too much. Try to add ¼ mustard and ¾ mayonnaise and see how it turns out.

You can also use different breads. White bread is normally pretty nice, but you have a variety of other interesting and nice bread choices. And you can even make a croque-monsieur! What’s this? A grilled cheese and prosciutto sandwich with bread that has been cooked the same way as French toast, except without any sugar. It’s France’s answer to grilled cheese!

How Many Different Cheese Products Are There?

When you try to break down the number of cheese products that are on the market, basically the number is endless and is probably one that cannot be quantified. However, what you can do instead is break it down into categories, cheese products come in a variety of products to please all of their customers and cheese lovers. You may enjoy specialty cheeses, mass produced cheese, pasteurized cheese products, or cheese curds.

Specialty Cheeses

Your specialty cheeses are the ones that you generally can’t find at the corner store or in the grocery store. They are the ones that aren't mass produced and generally go through a much more personalized process where they are generally handmade and put in a cellar to age. These cheeses are made with love and have very distinct flavors to them.

Mass Produced Cheeses

The mass produced cheeses are the ones that most of us eat every day. These are the cheeses that are made on large dairy farms, where they are making large quantities of cheese at a time. There are all kinds of cheeses that are mass produced. You have your cheddars which come in a big variety; you have your Swiss cheeses, mozzarellas, Colby, Monterey jack, and many others. These are the cheeses that we put on our sandwiches daily, that we cook with, that we cube up and eat, there are all kinds of these.

Processed Cheeses

There are some people that despise processed cheese products and others that eat them up. There are a large variety of processed cheese products on the market today. The most common are the ones that people buy that are pre-sliced and individually wrapped, they come in all flavor varieties, Swiss, cheddar, white cheddar, American, and many more. These cheeses use certain manufactured ingredients to give them a very creamy texture.

Cheese Curds

Cheese curds are their own cheese product. These are more of a delicacy that people really enjoy but that may not be available all over the United States. Cheese curds are made before the cheese is formed into a block and because it has not aged, it is generally squeaky. There are many different things that people will do with cheese curds, some will just eat them as is, others will flavor them, and some will batter or bread them and fry them. However you enjoy your cheese curds, there are many different ways to eat them.

-Written by Viktoira Carella