What Is A Natural Smoke On Cheeses?

There are many things to look out for in the increasingly health conscious world. Some food flavorings that were once commonly used have been found to be bad for many parts of your body. One of these is ‘liquid smoke flavoring’. This flavor substitute is made from either smoke byproducts, or chemicals made to replicate the flavor of smoke. This product has been found to be very harmful and it has been advised to avoid it when possible. However, many people love this smoky, rich flavor on their cheese. So how do you achieve that without using a smoke flavor substitute? A natural smoke!

What Is A Natural Smoke?

Natural smoking processes include flavors added through the use of wood chips. Some flavors include beech, cedar, and other woods that give the cheese a very distinct flavor. A natural smoking is when these chips are directly burnt beneath the cheese, rather than a chemical counterpart being added to it. A natural smoke also takes much longer than the liquid substitute, as it much be smoke for several hours, then wrapped and refrigerated to seal in the flavor. It is well worth it however, as a natural smoke tastes much better than the chemical variety.

So Why Do Companies Use Liquid Smoke?

The time it takes to naturally smoke a cheese is the primary reason many companies prefer liquid smoke. Although it is dangerous to the consumer, it is much more commercially sound for them to use this product to quickly flavor the cheddar, Swiss, or mozzarella cheese. The company may also get a reduced cost on bulk liquid smoke, where they may be paying a premium on good wood chips for a rich, natural smoke. It also takes skill to smoke a cheese, as it requires the smoker to be under ninety degrees during the process.

What Are The Other Benefits Of A Natural Smoke?

Aside from being much more flavorful, a natural smoked cheese have much less carcinogenic than liquid smoke additives. Cheese is also a common food for vegetarians, and liquid smoke often contains meat products. A natural smoke is just wood chips and a patient cook. There are some condensed smoke alternatives that are simply water and the smoke collected together. When you see natural smoke flavor on a label, this is usually what it means. While the carcinogens still have time to build in these, it is still better than most liquid smoke flavorings.