Can Your Pets Eat Cheese?

Anyone with a pet knows that not all “human food” is safe for pets to eat, with the classic example being chocolate. The good news, however, is that if you have a dog or a cat, it may be safe to occasionally give them a small piece of cheese. Most experts agree that as long as you do it correctly, it will be perfectly safe.

The Warnings

The biggest reason that you will sometimes find cheese on the list of banned foods for dogs and cats is that it contains milk, fatty components, and sugars which your furry friends can’t digest. The idea is that our pets simply don’t know how to digest milk and dairy products after they reach a certain age, making it unsafe to give them cheese. The reality, however, is that even if your dog eats too much cheese, he will probably just have gas, diarrhea, or vomiting and no life-threatening symptoms.

Lactose Intolerance

If cheese is safe for cats and dogs, you may be wondering why so many animal experts say it is on the banned list. That is because some pets, but not all, suffer from lactose intolerance. This means the same thing for dogs as it does for humans: that they lack the protein required to digest the lactose found in dairy products. This means that if you opt for a cheese with less lactose (like cheddar), your dog is less likely to have a reaction.

Cheeses To Try

There are two methods to follow when offering your dog cheese. You can either select a cheese that is extremely low in lactose or one that is easy for them to eat. Cheddar is commonly suggested because even an ounce has almost no lactose. Another popular suggestion is cottage cheese and although it has three grams of lactose in half a cup, it isn’t high in fat and still contains significantly less lactose than whole milk.

Serving The Cheese

When you are planning to give your dog some cheese, you can pick from a few options, just be sure not to ever give a pet cheese on a regular basis as the large amount of dairy can be harmful. You can give your furry friend a little bit of cheese as an occasional treat or a bribe for training. Cheese is also a great way to trick your pet into taking their medicine. Just put their pill in a spoonful of cream cheese or squish it into a cheese cube.

Things To Remember

Although cheese is safe for your pets, you do need to keep a few things in mind. Always give a small amount the first time and watch carefully for lactose intolerance or an allergic reaction so you know your dog or cat can handle the cheese. Also try to avoid cheeses with a high fat content for health reasons.

Creative Ways To Use Goat Cheese

It is not too hard to find someone who loves cheese, but has only tried the varieties made from cow’s milk in the past. This is simply due to the fact that cow’s milk cheeses are much more widely available than goat cheese, making them more affordable and easier to find. Whether you already keep goat cheese on hand or are looking for ways to start eating more of it, these creative ideas can help you enjoy more goat cheese in your life.

Enjoy It Plain

The easiest way to use goat cheese is to just enjoy it by itself, with some crackers, or spread on a baguette. It only takes a little bit of effort to find goat cheese with fun flavors so you may not even feel the need to add anything to it. You can choose whether you’d like to just have goat cheese and crackers as a snack or pair your favorite French goat cheese with some wine. When making a pairing, opt for sparkling wine for the best combination.

Make It Sweet

If you want to eat your goat cheese just with crackers or bread, but only have plain goat cheese on hand, you are in luck. Goat cheese is versatile enough where you can combine it with almost anything. To turn it into a dessert, spread a bit on top of a baguette and then add some honey on top of it.

Add To Soup

Although goat cheese doesn’t necessarily have the right melting properties to be cooked into a soup, it does taste delicious when sprinkled on top of them. Take your favorite soup, particularly a spring flavor, and sprinkle a bit of goat cheese on top to add a bit of flavor and protein.

Add To Salad

Adding goat cheese to salad is as easy as adding it to soup; simply make your favorite dish and sprinkle a bit on for texture, protein, and flavor. Try making a kale salad with goat cheese and sweet dried cherries or a delicious treat.

Sprinkle On Pizza

Most people stick to traditional mozzarella when making a pizza, but goat cheese can be a delicious alternative to give a different flavor. You can even make a pizza mostly out of mozzarella with a bit of goat cheese. One of the most popular goat cheese pizzas would include herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetables.

Cook Breakfast

Goat cheese is also the perfect addition to most breakfast dishes. If you are making a quiche, try adding a bit of your favorite goat cheese (preferably lightly aged). This cheese also goes well with omelettes, particularly when combined with spinach and ham.

Reasons To Love Cheese

You can find cheese around the world and it is no surprise considering how many people love this delicious food. This dairy dish is incredibly popular, both as a standalone snack and an ingredient in complex cooking and baking dishes. Here are just some of the reasons that people love cheese so much.

Variety

If you think there is a wide variety of cheese at your local grocery store, then keep in mind that this only represents a small fraction of the possibilities. In reality, there are hundreds of different types of cheese, some of which you can find in any store while others are only available from specialty retailers or online and yet others require traveling to their manufacturing location to get a taste due to the small scale of production and traditional practices. With all of these options, there is a cheese for everyone.

Health Benefits

Another great thing about cheese is its amazing health benefits. While it’s true that eating too much cheese can lead to weight gain or cardiovascular problems, eating a reasonable amount on a regular basis can actually improve your health. The calcium will strengthen your teeth and bones while the protein will keep you full, helping you lose weight.

Number Of Ways To Use It

Cheese is also popular and well-loved because of the large number of ways you can use it. This is partially due to the variety of cheeses available and partly because of its ability to melt. Cheese is delicious by itself or with some crackers, bread, and/or wine. It is also great sprinkled on top of salads, pasta, soups, and other dishes. You can even cook with cheese and it is a key ingredient in many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts.

Long History

When you are eating cheese, it is a way to connect with our ancestors. That is because people have been eating, and loving, cheese for at least 10,000 years. We know that both the ancient Romans and Greeks appreciated cheese, with the Greeks even saying that the god Aristaeus invented it.

You Can Make Your Own

A final reason to love cheese is that you can actually make it yourself. It is easy to find mozzarella stretching kits or you can be daring and make your own cheese from scratch without a kit. Fresh cheeses, such as ricotta, tend to be the easiest to make as you don’t have to age them. Until you’ve had fresh cheese, you don’t know what love for this delicious food truly is.

Happpy New Year: Cheese Can Help Your Hangover

As long as there has been alcohol, there have been hangovers, but believe it or not, cheese can actually help you get over your hangover. While you shouldn’t ever put yourself in a situation to get a hangover, if it does happen, it’s good to know that cheese will take care of you and speed up your recovery time. Because you probably always have some cheese in your house, you won’t even have to stock up on special supplies to feel better.

Health Benefits Of Cheese

Part of the reason that cheese can help hangovers is its large number of health benefits. Every bite of cheese is packed with protein, enzymes, and calcium, each of which have their own specific role in making sure your body is functioning properly. Cheese will also help soothe your stomach because it can coat things, such as food.

How It Helps Hangovers

Scientists still haven’t done any specific research on how or why cheese helps hangovers, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support its abilities. In fact, almost any cheese expert will be quick to recommend a slice or two of cheese after a night of drinking.

Picking Your Cheese

Because all types of cheese are packed with calcium, protein, and enzymes, you can select almost any type you want to help cure your hangover. If you want a cheese that is caramel-like and nutty, opt for a cow’s milk cheese since the milk is sweet and buttery. If you want a rich, floral cheese, try one made from goat’s milk as their milk is tangy, lush, and reminiscent of barns. Sheep’s milk cheese has more fat, offering slightly floral cheeses that are perfect for hangovers or any other time. Even buffalo milk cheese will help hangovers, such as fresh authentic mozzarella.

How To Eat The Cheese

When it comes to eating the cheese and taking care of your hangover, the possibilities are limitless. Before you have a bite, you will probably still be feeling down, so consider just having a bit of your favorite cheese with some crackers. If you are already on the road to recovery, but want to speed up the process, try making a dish with cheese, such as a grilled cheese sandwich or macaroni and cheese. No matter what you choose to make, you will have a delicious dish that will help you feel better in a short amount of time.

What To Do If You Find Mold On Your Cheese

Since cheese is a fresh item, it can be more prone to developing mold than other types of food. The good news, however, is that just because you found a bit of mold on your cheese, that doesn’t mean you have to throw the whole thing out. Sometimes you can still eat most of the cheese, giving yourself the chance to enjoy its flavors.

Intended Molds

Before worrying about the mold you found on cheese, take the time to consider whether it was intentional. Blue cheese, for example, is intentionally filled with mold; that is what gives the cheese its blue veins. Other cheeses come with molds or rinds around them, including Camembert and Brie. The trick for any cheese with intended mold is to know what it should look like. If you see additional mold that shouldn’t be there, then consider the following guidelines.

Soft Cheese

Soft cheese tends to be fresher than hard cheese and that sadly means that once it is moldy, you are done with the cheese. Another issue with soft cheese is that due to their texture and makeup, the mold can actually send threads in the cheese, meaning that mold in one spot can indicate mold all over. There may even be harmful bacteria in the mold, including E. coli, salmonella, brucella, or listeria. The bottom line is that if you see mold on your ricotta, cream cheese, or cottage cheese, or any cheese which is sliced, crumbled, or shredded, you will need to toss it.

Hard Cheese

If you prefer hard, or even semi-soft, cheeses, then you are in luck. Mold doesn’t have the ability to penetrate into these cheeses so if you see mold, you can simply cut it off and enjoy the rest. That means that if you see mold on your Swiss, Parmesan, Colby, cheddar, or something similar, just cut the moldy area as well as at least one inch in every direction. Take care not to let the knife touch the mold as that would contaminate the rest of the cheese.

Preventing Mold

Although you can keep most of your hard cheese even if it sprouts mold, you will always have to get rid of at least a square inch of cheese, if not the whole thing. This makes it very tempting to do your best to prevent mold growth in the first place, and luckily there are some easy things to do. Start by wrapping your cheese in cheese cloth, parchment paper, or wax paper instead of plastic wrap as the plastic will suffocate the cheese and encourage mold growth. Always swap out the cheese paper when you cut off a piece and change the brine for fresh cheese if it starts to get gross. Those steps will maximize the amount of time you have before your cheese gets moldy.