Hello everyone, I am Motor.

In 2017, in order to study things in the kitchen, I opened a new account called Beautiful Kitchen Diary, where I study ingredients, recipes, and everything in the kitchen. At the beginning of the year, I made two cheese buying guides, which I found very practical. I will share with you what is worth eating. I hope you will like it, and welcome to follow Beautiful Kitchen Diary (ID: madachufang).

In 2018, we completed preparations for the new kitchen, and the push was upgraded simultaneously with the kitchen. In addition to continuing to show delicious food recipes, it will also launch experimental and exploratory kitchen content, including not only food, but also kitchen utensils and tableware. You are also welcome to leave a message to tell us the topics you are looking forward to seeing.

When I was doing New Year shopping in the supermarket, I saw a lot of cheese on the shelves, more than a dozen different sizes, but some were very similar. In order to find out what these cheeses taste like, I decided to buy them all and try them.

I bought some cheese and cheese re-products from Carrefour, Fruits and Vegetables, and JD.com—mostly sauces and dried snacks. For ease of classification, today’s article introduces cheeses commonly used in cooking (Part 1), and tomorrow we will introduce cheeses suitable for desserts and snacks (Part 2).

Note:

From a professional perspective, cheese can be divided into soft, semi-soft, hard and semi-hard cheese according to texture and moisture content; it can be divided into milk according to raw materials Cheese, buffalo cheese, goat cheese, sheep cheese, etc.; according to maturity and craftsmanship, they are divided into fresh cheese, soft mature cheese, hard mature cheese, blue cheese, etc.

However, many cheeses are not common domestic varieties. In order to classify the common cheeses in supermarkets more clearly and practically, this article divides them into the following 4 categories:

Cheeses commonly used for eating pizza

Cheeses for eating pasta

Common cheeses for salads

Cheeses for sandwiches and burgers

Q1

Eating pizza What cheese to use?

Mozzarella

Mozzarella

Heavy mouth index

Practical index

Reference price 35.9 yuan/226g

Mozzarella cheese originates from the southern Italian cities of Naples and Campania. The original authentic mozzarella is made from buffalo milk, so it is also called buffalo cheese. But now it is also made with regular milk.

Mozzarella is commonly available in two forms on the market, one is in ball form and the other is in shredded form. In order to ensure freshness, the former is generally stored in whey and must be consumed within one week after opening; the latter is more common in supermarkets.

Mozzarella cheese will produce a stringy state after heating, which is the key to the attractiveness of pizza. When making your own pizza at home, you basically follow the four steps of pie base - base sauce - main meat and vegetables - sprinkle with cheese.

Mozzarella is pure white or slightly yellow in color and has a slightly sour and sweet taste. It is a relatively popular cheese.

In addition to mozzarella, some hard cheeses and cheeses with a stronger smell can also be added to pizza. There is a pizza in Italy called Quatro Formaggi (four cheeses), which is made of mozzarella, soft cheeses stracchino and fontina, and blue cheese gorgonzola. ) made with these 4 Italian cheeses.

Q2

What cheeses are sprinkled on pasta?

Parmesan

Parmesan

Heavy mouth index

Practical index

Reference price 25.8 yuan/85g

Parmesan cheese (Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano) is a hard cheese from Italy with a light yellow appearance. In order to protect the origin, Italian law stipulates that only cheese produced in designated areas can be named Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan cheese with a qualified mark

The production process of Parmesan cheese must go through layers of inspections, and the final qualified ones will be stamped with the place of origin, year, etc. information.

In addition to being eaten with pasta, Parmesan cheese is also the main ingredient in making pesto.

Grana Padano

Grana Padano

Heavy word index

Practical index

Reference price 59 Yuan/200g

We mentioned above that the name of Parmesan is protected by trademark. So what do you call cheeses that are produced in different places and have similar production processes? The answer is Grana, such as the Granna Padano we bought this time.

Although it does not have the name of Parmesan, it is similar in texture and taste.

Gruyere

Gruyere

Heavy word index

Practical index

Reference price 55 yuan/ 200g

Grüyère is a cheese produced in Switzerland, and its name is also protected by origin. Gruyère cheese is a hard cheese. Because local dairy farmers also mix in some local flowers and plants when raising cows, the cheese produced also has a fruity and sweet smell.

Gruyère is a great cheese to use as a culinary element, not only in pasta, but also in French onion soup, quiche, croque-monsieur and Swiss cheese fondue. main ingredients.

Q3

Which cheeses are used in salads?

Buffalo cheese

Fresh mozzarella

Heavy taste index

Practical index

Reference price 48 yuan/125g

Above we introduced the buffalo cheese (mozzarella) that is used for pizza slivers, and it is also very suitable for salads. One of the most representative is the Caprese salad, whose main ingredients are fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar.

The combination of the three fresh colors of red, white and green is also the symbol of the Italian flag.

If it is a large ball-shaped buffalo cheese, it is usually sliced, and small balls are added directly to the salad. Buffalo mozzarella adds a creamy, sour and sweet taste to salads.

Feta

Feta

Heavy mouth index

Practical index

Reference price 34 yuan/200g< /p>

Feta cheese is a soft cheese originating in Greece and made from sheep milk.

Feta cheese is pure white in color and soft and crumbly in texture.

It is usually placed in salads (and sometimes in Middle Eastern staple foods such as pancakes) and usually appears in finely chopped form, which not only adds a salty and milky flavor, but also enhances the color of the food.

Halloumi

Halloumi

Heavy mouth index

Practical index

Reference price 35 yuan/200g

Haloumi is a semi-hard cheese produced in Cyprus. It is generally made from a mixture of goat's milk and sheep's milk. It has a salty and sour smell and is especially popular in Europe.

Haloumi cheese melts at a high temperature, so it is suitable for frying or baking. Grilled halloumi cheese is often served in salads or on burgers.

Q4

Which cheeses are suitable for burgers and sandwiches?

Three cheeses: Cheddar, Gouda and Emmental

Cheddar cheese

Cheddar

Heavy taste index

Practical index

Reference price 31.5 yuan/250g

Cheddar cheese originates from Cheddar Village in the UK. It is a hard cheese with a white-yellow or orange appearance. . Cheddar is Britain's favorite cheese, accounting for 51% of the country's annual cheese consumption.

The British love for cheddar cheese is not only for direct consumption of cheese, but also for various snacks and potato chips to have cheddar flavor.

Cheddar cheese can be found in various forms in supermarkets. If you are going to eat it with a sandwich or a burger, it is best to buy it sliced. The picture above is the result after I put two slices of cheese in and heated it in the microwave.

There is only one kind of cheddar cheese in the supermarket. I saw truffle-flavored and pepper-flavored ones? If you are interested, you can buy them home and try them.

Gouda cheese

Gouda

Heavy taste index

Practical index

Reference price 35.8 yuan/200g

Gouda cheese is originally produced in the Netherlands and exported to all over the world. It is one of the oldest cheese varieties, with the earliest record appearing in 1184.

The name of Gouda cheese comes from the Dutch city Gouda, not because it is the place of origin, but because this city is the center of Dutch cheese trading. Gouda cheese is large in size and bright yellow in color. It is also called yellow wave cheese or wheel cheese. It is mainly made from milk and has a smooth taste. It is eaten as a sandwich and has the characteristics of being salty and melt-in-the-mouth.

Emmental

Emmental

Heavy mouth index

Practical index

Reference price 31.5 yuan/200g

Emmental is a large-hole cheese produced in Switzerland, and its appearance definitely matches the image of cheese in anime. Emmental is one of the largest cheeses in the world. A piece of cheese can weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the holes can be as big as golf balls.

Emmental cheese has a hard texture and rich taste, with a slightly nutty aroma. Sold in slices, Emmental is perfect as a sandwich filling.

Minor spoilers for tomorrow

I have introduced so many cheeses in the cooking section. I hope that next time you go to the supermarket, you can not only call these by their names, but also buy them back. Try some cheese dishes at home.

Tomorrow I will continue to update the cheese used in desserts and snacks, so stay tuned.

Thank you for reading this. This article is reprinted from Beautiful Kitchen Diary. In Beautiful Kitchen Diary, we explore the secrets of the kitchen and develop delicious recipes to broaden your food dimension.

Design: George