Hard cheese from Britain, method of preparation, calorie content and composition. The benefits and harms of Cheddar, recipes for dishes with him. The history of the variety.
Cheddar is a type of hard cheese that originated from Britain. The color is yellow, waxy, sometimes off-white, the taste of Cheddar cheese is creamy, with a pronounced sourness and aftertaste of nuts, the texture is dense, crumbling, there are no eyes. The crust is oily, covered with black wax. The heads are cylindrical. To give the pulp a characteristic color, annatto is used - a natural dye extracted from the seeds of the fondant tree. Half of all exported food products in England are cheese of this type.
Features of making Cheddar cheese
Pasteurized cow's milk is used for the production of Cheddar cheese, although until the middle of the 19th century, only a mixture of sheep and goat was used. Complex starter culture - a mixture of mesophilic cultures, liquid rennet and calcium chloride. A natural dye is used to give the pulp of Cheddar cheese a rich pumpkin color.
Thanks to the industrial preparation of Cheddar cheese, a new term "chedding" has appeared, which means one of the stages - heating the curd, pickling and cutting the curd. Due to the special conditions, the semi-finished product acquires the required acidity, and it becomes possible to obtain a dense texture in the future. The heads are placed under a press, left for a day, and then transferred to chambers with an optimal microclimate for maturation, which lasts from 5 months to 3 years.
Consumers are offered different types of cheese, differing in consistency and taste:
| Type of cheese | Characteristic |
| Mild | Soft, delicate, pronounced creamy taste |
| Medium | Medium, firm, with crumbling flesh, yellow |
| Strong | With pronounced sourness and nutty aftertaste |
| Tasty | With a balanced taste, no pungency |
| Mature and old | Ripe and seasoned, differing only in density, with a creamy-harsh taste and pronounced acidity |
| Extra sharp | Extra spicy, aged, vintage, aged over 18 months |
Since the name is not patented, under this brand various types of Cheddar are made around the world, not always similar to the original product. They may contain flavorings and artificial colors.
Let's take a look at how to make Cheddar cheese:
- Whole milk or a mixture of goat and cow is heated in a water bath to 30 ° C and calcium chloride is poured in and annatto, diluted in warm milk, is mixed.
- Dry mesophilic starter is poured in, allowed to stand to distribute itself over the surface, leave for an hour, and only then rennet is introduced. Stir from top to bottom with a slotted spoon. Leave for an hour for curdling.
- A very important step is chedding. The curd is heated to 38 ° C, cut into cheese cubes, stir, and all parts are allowed to settle to the bottom of the dish on their own. Leave for 20 minutes.
- Further, the preparation of Cheddar cheese at home is carried out according to a special algorithm. The whey is separated in a water bath, then it is compacted by placing it on a cutting board under a lid so that the temperature does not drop sharply, and cut into several layers. Reheat in a water bath to 38 ° C, transfer layers and cut into cubes. It is thanks to the double cheddarization that it is possible to obtain a dense pulp without eyes.
- The cubes are thrown into a colander to drain the whey, salted, wrapped, smoothing out all the folds to get a smooth surface of the head in the future, and put under a press. The weight of the oppression for each head is 4.5 kg. After 45 minutes, the load is removed, the gauze is unrolled and it is checked whether the blanks are tight enough. They change the gauze, increase the weight of the oppression by 3-4 times, leave it for a day.
- The prepared heads are wrapped with a special cheese cloth or covered with wax in 2 layers, put into a cellar with a temperature of 12-16 ° C.
Homemade Cheddar cheese must be aged for at least 60 days. It is quite difficult to create conditions for growing a vintage variety - in this case, you will have to maintain constant humidity and regularly ventilate the room. It takes 4 hours to form curd, 1.5 hours to cheddarise, 48 hours to mold, and up to 12 days for banding. Only then are the heads left to mature.
Composition and calorie content of Cheddar cheese
The nutritional value of this variety is low in comparison with other fermented milk products.
The calorie content of young Cheddar cheese is 360-380 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 23.5 g;
- Fat - 30.8 g;
- Ash - 4, 4 g;
- Water - 38.5 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin PP (niacin equivalent) - 6.1 mg;
- Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.6 mg
- Vitamin D (calciferol) - 0.7 mcg;
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - 1 mg;
- Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) - 1.4 mcg;
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - 19 mcg;
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.38 mg;
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.05 mg;
- Vitamin A (retinol equivalent) - 277 mcg;
- Beta-carotene - 0.16 mg;
- Vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid) - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin A - 0.25 mg
Minerals per 100 g:
- Manganese - 0.1 mg;
- Copper - 70 mcg;
- Zinc - 4 mg;
- Iron - 1 mg;
- Sulfur - 235 mg;
- Phosphorus - 545 mg;
- Potassium - 116 mg;
- Sodium - 850 mg;
- Magnesium - 54 mg;
- Calcium - 1000 mg
Other substances in the composition of Cheddar cheese per 100 g:
- Cholesterol - 94 mg;
- Saturated fatty acids - 17.6 g;
- Essential amino acids - 8.87 g;
- Essential amino acids - 14.28 g;
- Organic acids - 2, 8 g.
The calorie content of aged Cheddar cheese is already 403 kcal per 100 g, and the composition of the main substances is slightly different - carbohydrates appear in it (1.28 g). The amount of cholesterol (up to 105 g), saturated fatty acids (up to 22 g) also increases. The proportion of calcium (up to 1022-1062 mg) also grows - its crystals clearly appear on the cut.
Cheddar cheese is not suitable for people who have to control their own weight. It does not contain carbohydrates that provide the body's energy reserve, but it has a high amount of fatty acids. Fans of this particular variety, in order not to provoke the formation of a fat layer, will have to significantly increase physical activity. There is often not enough time for this.
Health Benefits of Cheddar Cheese
Despite the high fat content, you should not give up this product. With its help, it is possible to maintain weight for persons of asthenic constitution, to restore strength after exhausting physical exertion.
But these are not the only health benefits of Cheddar cheese:
- Restores bone strength and reduces the likelihood of early osteoporosis.
- Normalizes blood pressure levels, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Improves the condition of blood vessels and increases the tone of the walls.
- Stimulates the production of red blood cells and normalizes the functioning of the hematopoietic system.
- Helps to quickly form the required volumes of muscle mass, prevents it from decay and at the same time retains water in the body. It is recommended to be introduced into the diet of athletes on an ongoing basis.
- Has an antioxidant effect and prevents the formation of abnormal cells in the intestines.
- Has a beneficial effect on the organs of vision.
- It normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, improves impulse conduction, prevents insomnia and helps to maintain a good mood.
- Possesses immunizing properties.
There are no restrictions on the use of Cheddar cheese depending on the age or condition of the patient. If a woman loved this product before pregnancy and lactation, then she will not have to give it up. The only recommendation is to choose varieties that have matured no longer than 3-5 months. They are more gentle and do not irritate the digestive system. But if you want to restore your appetite, choose seasoned varieties - more spicy and salty.
Contraindications and harm of Cheddar cheese
Not everyone has the opportunity to feast on this variety, even from time to time. You cannot eat this product in case of renal and hepatic insufficiency, diseases of the cardiovascular system, the symptoms of which are a frequent increase in blood pressure and thickening of the blood, if there is a history of diseases of the urinary system with periodic exacerbations - pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, cystitis and the like. The harmfulness of Cheddar cheese can be attributed to its too high salt content.
Abuse should be avoided for varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, gout and arthrosis. Overeating can trigger an exacerbation.
For persons with chronic gastritis or colitis, peptic ulcer disease against a background of increased acidity, it is advisable to limit consumption to a small piece at a time.
In diabetes, a calculation should be made whether the product is combined with the others that are included in the daily menu, so as not to cause an increase in blood sugar levels.
Cheddar Cheese Recipes
This variety is combined with fruits and nuts, it is added to soups, pizza and fondue, it is added to salads and hot dishes. The only caveat: if heating is planned, the piece must be grated. If you do not do this, the slice will not melt. Grinding should be carried out just before adding to food - if the grated pieces stick together, they will not soften either.
Cheddar Cheese Recipes:
- Green salad … Iceberg lettuce, bunch, torn apart by hand, chicken fillet, 200 g, split into fibers, mix slicing 3 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, a glass of grated Cheddar and 6 chopped boiled chicken eggs. The dressing is chosen according to your own taste - olive oil or lemon juice with pepper and salt. You can use wine or apple cider vinegar. In this case, a few drops of vegetable bough will not be superfluous.
- Cheese lasagna from ready-made sheets … Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Fry 800 g of ground beef in vegetable oil, then remove the meat, and put slices of 1 onion, 3 canned chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, 2 stalks of celery, 1 tbsp. l. sugar and the same amount of Provencal herbs. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Milk sauce is cooked separately. In a clean saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. l. butter and fried 3 tbsp. l. flour, pour in 3 tbsp. milk and boil until everything thickens. A third of the sauce is poured into a lasagna dish, a leaf is laid out, milk sauce on top, and another leaf. So repeat the alternation until all the ingredients run out. At some level, at your discretion, grated Cheddar is poured on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Golden paste … Short pasta, better horns, 250 g, boil until tender, mix 2 cups of milk, 1 tsp. onion salt and a quarter cup of wheat flour. They rub the cheese, you need to make 3, 5 cups, pour it into the milk mixture, pour it onto a baking sheet, generously greased with butter. Spread pasta, cheese paste, level, top with a layer of bread crumbs - 1 cup, pieces of butter. Bake at 180 ° C until golden brown. You don't need to keep it longer, otherwise the casserole will burn.
- Kish … Set the oven temperature to 220 ° C. The finished shortbread dough, 500 g, is laid out in a mold, pierced in several places with a wooden stick and placed in the oven to brown. Whey ricotta cheese 90 g beat with 3 chicken eggs and 1/3 cup of cream, pour 300 g of chopped defrosted spinach, 6 stalks of chopped green onions, grated cheese of 2 varieties - 30 g of Parmesan and half a glass of cheddar, salt and pepper to taste … Pour the filling onto a chilled base and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Kish is served warm.
Interesting facts about Cheddar cheese
It is known for sure that already in 1170the British not only had the opportunity to feast on this variety, but also exported it. At least 5 tons of the product were sold per year.
But there is another version that for the first time this recipe was invented by the French living in the province of Cantal. The British only improved the cooking option and added a natural dye to the leaven.
But Cheddar cheese gained popularity only in the 19th century thanks to Joseph Harding of Somerset, who perfected the technology of all processes, modernized accessories and determined the optimal parameters for both separating and salting the curd, and for ripening.
This variety was included in the menu of the British army on an ongoing basis, and during the Second World War, all milk was used to produce this variety. Therefore, a lot of funds were spent on the restoration of the production of cheese of other varieties in the post-war period, which "drained blood" of the country's budget.
As already mentioned, the name "Cheddar" was not patented, so the cheese is made in the USA, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Belgium, Australia and even in Belarus and Ukraine. It is very difficult to understand by taste that it is one and the same cheese. It can be fat-free, spiced, tender. But the fat content of the original product is not less than 50%.
The most famous varieties that have won an international vocation are Quickes with a strict taste and high fat content, aromatic Keen's wrapped in a cloth soaked in melted interior lard, Montgomery's with a pronounced apple aftertaste. We should also highlight Gorge Cheese for gourmets, the raw material of which is milk that has not been pasteurized.
Cheese makers form the heads of the original product weighing at least a quarter of a centner. But in the 19th century, Ontario specially prepared a 3-ton gourmet product. After 30 years, it was already possible to form a head of 10 tons. But the record was recorded at a cheese fair in the USA, New York - a cheese weighing 16 tons was presented! To make it, they collected morning and evening milk from all over the country - from 16,000 cows.
After purchasing Cheddar, it should be stored in sealed packaging - foil or cling film, changed every 2 days. If you ignore the recommendations, the piece will turn sour and moldy. Cheese should not be left open either - it will not only be saturated with other people's smells, but will also give its own. This will negatively affect the taste of all the products that are next to you on the shelf.
Watch a video about Cheddar cheese:
