Features of cream cheese, home cooking. Calorie content, chemical composition, benefits and harms when consumed. Recipes for a cheese lunch and interesting facts about the product.
Cream cheese is a fermented milk product with a delicate consistency and moderate or neutral taste, which does not require ripening in its production. Other names: cream cheese, cream cheese. It can be made from milk of different types - cow, goat, sheep, buffalo. The taste is creamy, the color is white, matte, the consistency is dense, easily spreads on bread. Regardless of the raw material, additional processing during pre-sale preparation is not carried out - smoking or melting is not required.
How is cream cheese made?
At the initial stage, the preparation of the product resembles the industrial production of sour cream. Milk is pasteurized at 85 ° C. Starter cultures are introduced, consisting of a complex of several strains of aromatic cultures and lactic acid streptococci. Then the fermented raw materials are placed in boilers and special high-speed mixers are turned on.
The mixture is stirred at a temperature of 78–80 ° C until a stable emulsion of a uniform consistency is obtained. At this stage, citric acid and calcium chloride are added to the composition.
It is possible to add spices, flavors, herbs, nut mixture, raisins, dried apricots and similar seasonings.
The cream mass is cooled to 35 ° C and sent for packing. The finished product is placed in a refrigerator, where within 2 days it acquires the required consistency - density and viscosity.
There are several ways to make your own cream cheese:
- Classic recipe … 0.5 liters of milk (3.2% fat), 200 ml of cream (20%) are poured into a saucepan with high walls and a thick bottom, and 250 g of sour cream (20%) are spread. It is better to buy all products in the store - homemade ones are too fatty. Knead and leave at room temperature to ferment. It takes 6-9 hours to get a tight bunch that is springy when pressed. Carefully, so as not to destroy it, put the pan on low heat, heat until the whey separates. Do not bring to a boil. The pan is removed from the heat, set aside for another 12 hours. It is advisable to wrap up the container to ensure rapid ripening. Then the increased clot is suspended in gauze to drain the serum. You can taste the wine after 6 hours.
- Freeze-making … Packages with 4% fermented baked milk, 900 g, the same amount of fatty kefir and 800 g of 25% sour cream are placed in the freezer. Then the ice briquettes are laid out in a linen bag and hung. Shake occasionally while mixing the contents. After 10 hours, when the whey is completely drained, the cream cheese is placed in a saucepan or laid out in molds, put into the refrigerator. The cheese will be ready in 4-6 hours.
- How to make mascarpone cream cheese … This is a more complicated recipe. In the process, you will have to use a culinary thermometer. 2 types of cream of different fat content, 1 liter each - 25% and 30% are poured into an enamel pan. Heat to 85 ° C, pour in 90 ml of fresh lemon juice, mix. Remove from heat and wait until the mass thickens. The curd layer is transferred to a linen cloth, tied in a knot and hung in the refrigerator over a saucepan. Leave for 24-30 hours. The creamy, dense mass can be called homemade mascarpone.
- Homemade Philadelphia Cheese … Mix 1 liter of natural homemade yogurt with 0.5 liters of low fat sour cream (20%). Acidify with lemon juice (1-1, 5 tbsp. L.) And add salt. The difference from the rest of the recipes is that no heating is required, since the initial products are ready-made and pasteurized. The difference from other types of cheese is that the curd mass is not suspended, but placed under oppression. You can taste it every other day.
The easiest way to make cream cheese at home is from sour cream. Milk, about a glass, is mixed with fat sour cream, heated to the first bubbles and pour in a little lemon juice, no more than a tablespoon. Wait until the contents of the pan are curdled, muffling the heat to the minimum values. Stir constantly. Leave to stand until it cools down to room temperature - a dense clot rises to the surface, separating from the whey. Cover the sieve with gauze, folded in 4 layers, and turn the contents of the container into it. Whey can be used for pancakes or other doughs, and seasonings, salt or sweetener are added to the separated cheese mass if you plan to make a dessert. Wrap the cheese in a tight knot, hang it so that the whey separates, and after an hour, oppression is placed on the knot. Leave in the refrigerator overnight. Unfold in the morning and let dry. A delicious breakfast is ready.
Composition and calorie content of cream cheese
The nutritional value of a product depends on the composition of the raw materials and flavor-improving additives.
The calorie content of cream cheese made on the basis of cow's milk is 350 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 6, 15 g;
- Fat - 34, 44 g;
- Carbohydrates - 5, 52 g;
- Inorganic substances - 1, 27 g;
- Water - 52, 62 g.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Thiamine - 0.023 mg;
- Riboflavin - 0.23 mg;
- Nicotinic acid - 0.091 mg;
- Pantothenic acid - 0.517 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.056 mg;
- Folate - 9 mcg;
- Choline - 27.2 mg;
- Betaine - 0.7 mg;
- Vitamin B12 - 0.22 mcg;
- Vitamin A - 308 mcg;
- Retinol - 303 mcg;
- Lutein + Zeaxanthin - 7 mcg;
- Vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol) 0.86 mg
- Tocopherol - 0.45 mg;
- Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 2.1 mcg;
- Menaquinone - 48.7 mcg.
Minerals per 100 g
- Calcium, Ca - 97 mg;
- Iron, Fe - 0, 11 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 9 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 107 mg;
- Potassium, K - 132 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 314 mg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.5 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 0.018 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.011 mg;
- Selenium, Se - 8.6 mcg.
Sugar per 100 g
- Lactose - 3, 76 g;
- Starch - 0.35 g.
Fatty acids per 100 g:
- Saturated - 20.2 g per 100 g;
- Monounsaturated - 8, 907 g;
- Polyunsaturated - 1.483 g;
Cholesterol - 101 mg per 100 g.
Amino acids in cream cheese:
- Glutamic - without it, metabolism is disturbed, vitamins and minerals are not absorbed.
- Aspartic - normalizes the endocrine system and is a building material for protein structures.
- Leucine - without it, it is impossible to form a beautiful figure and maintain weight at the same level.
- Lysine - supports liver function and is involved in the hematopoietic system.
- Proline - Increases collagen production, which is essential for healthy cartilage and ligaments.
The cream cheese contains all types of milk protein
- Casein - the main component of cow's milk, contains the entire set of amino acids and normalizes blood sugar levels.
- Lactoalbumin - Dairy products owe it their nutritional value.
- Globulin - suppresses inflammation and helps to recover from debilitating diseases.
The protein content depends on the feedstock. If cream cheese is made from buffalo milk and whey of various types, globulin and albumin will prevail, bovine or goat casein will prevail.
The benefits and harms of cheese cream are determined by lactose, milk sugar. From this substance, lactic acid is produced, which creates an environment for the development of intestinal flora and is the main source of energy. However, in many people, lactose causes intestinal distress. It turns out a vicious circle: lactobacilli cannot exist without lactose, but if they do not exist, milk sugar is not absorbed. People have to switch to a special diet that allows them to maintain normal functioning. It is especially difficult for parents of children with lactose intolerance to cope with this problem.
Useful properties of cream cheese
The daily introduction of a small amount of a product into the diet allows you to normalize metabolic processes and gives you energy, which is enough for all types of activities.
The benefits of cream cheese are provided by a rich vitamin and mineral composition:
- Increases the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
- Prevents the formation of calculi in the bile ducts and kidneys, dissolves harmful cholesterol deposited in the lumen of blood vessels.
- Seals cell membranes.
- Stimulates the synthesis of antibodies, has anti-inflammatory and immuno-strengthening effects.
- Possesses antioxidant properties, isolates free radicals entering the liver.
- Normalizes the work of the nervous system.
- Supports visual function.
- Reduces the destructive effect of adverse environmental factors - ultraviolet radiation, viral and bacterial attacks.
- Restores the balance of intestinal microflora.
- Increases bone strength and improves ligament quality.
- It has a hepatoprotective effect.
- It speeds up the digestive processes, allows you to get rid of constipation.
Like all dairy products, cheese cream prolongs youth, improves the quality of the skin and hair. It is especially useful for pregnant women to eat soft cheese - it contributes to the formation of a healthy neural tube and bone tissue of the fetus. Introduction to the diet in old age allows you to maintain a stable heart rate.
Contraindications and harm of cream cheese
People who are lactase deficient should not introduce this product into the menu, even if the raw material is buffalo milk or whey. Albeit in small quantities, but milk sugar is present in it. The exception is cheese made from soy milk, but its quality and taste are different from real cheese cream.
The harm of cream cheese can be provoked by abuse in persons suffering from obesity, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, gout or chronic rheumatism. The product contains a high amount of purines, which can provoke another exacerbation.
With frequent bouts of tachycardia and impaired renal excretory function, preference should be given to unsalted or sweet cheeses, and with a diseased liver - low-calorie.
Young children and pregnant women are advised to consume plain foods or sugary options.
If unpleasant sensations appear after eating - heartburn, heaviness in the stomach, you should choose a different type of product or limit its amount.
Cream cheese recipes
In the diet of adults, you can introduce a soft fermented milk product by itself - use it in sandwiches, salads, make soup and desserts on its basis. But children are advised to make homemade cream cheese - a large amount of preservatives or flavorings are often introduced into the store-bought one.
To prevent possible harm, it is advisable to carefully read what is written on the packaging, or give preference to well-known brands. It should be borne in mind: the cost of a quality cheese cream cannot be low. For example, 125 g of Philadelphia can be purchased for 90-125 rubles.
Cream cheese recipes:
- Chicken liver in sauce … The liver is washed, the excess fluid is separated and cut in half. Lightly fried in butter under the lid. In the same frying pan, add red bell pepper, cut into strips, and remove from heat. Melt the butter, add a little flour, pour in the cream and lay out a few slices of cream cheese. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is homogeneous. Put the liver in the sauce, close the lid, stew until tender. Serve with peppers and any kind of garnish.
- Cheese soup … Prepare vegetables: 3 potatoes, carrots and onions. The carrots are rubbed and the onions are chopped, everything is fried in sunflower oil. The potatoes are cut into cubes and boiled - so much water is poured so that it does not work out too liquid after adding the rest of the ingredients. When the potatoes are practically cooked, pour the frying into the pan, a handful of fine vermicelli and spread 200 g of cream cheese. Boil, stirring constantly, to dissolve the cheese and give the soup a smooth consistency. Once the pasta is cooked, you can serve it. Sprinkle each plate with sliced greens.
- Cheese salad … Boil beets, peel, cut into cubes. Caramel is cooked from 4 tbsp. l. sugar, pour in 3 tbsp. l. wine vinegar, 2 tbsp. l. water and salt. As soon as it is possible to obtain a homogeneous consistency, pour in the beets, caramelize. Mix honey separately - 1 tbsp. l., 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar and mustard, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, beat and pour in another 100 ml of oil. Beets are mixed with soft goat cheese - 100 g, sliced root salad and crushed walnut kernels, seasoned with oil dressing.
- Universal cream for desserts … 400 g of any soft cheese cream (unsalted and not spicy) is whipped with the same amount of icing sugar, a packet of vanillin and melted butter - 100 g. Before decorating desserts with a fluffy mixture, it should be cooled for at least 30-40 minutes.
- Tiramisu … Yolks, 3 pcs., Beat with sugar - 6 tbsp. l., stir in 500 g of mascarpone cheese - injected in small portions so that lumps do not appear. When you manage to get a homogeneous mixture, add 3 proteins and beat again. In a baking sheet, which is covered with parchment, lay out a layer of broken savoyardi cookies (or any other, to your taste), sprinkle with freshly brewed strong coffee. Leave to soak, then apply a layer of cream. Put the cookies out again and pour over the coffee again. The layer of cream is repeated, generously sprinkled with cocoa on top and put into the refrigerator. You can taste the dessert no earlier than 3 hours later.
Interesting facts about cream cheese
It is believed that the ancient Greeks were the first to make a delicate dairy product. That is, the ancestor of all varieties is "Feta". And only then the recipes were improved, and each nation offered its own methods of making. New varieties are still appearing.
Before buying cream cheese, it is advisable to find out how the main types, made according to classic recipes, differ (see the table).
| Specifications | Feta | Philadelphia | Neuchatel | Mascarpone |
| Milk | Goat or sheep | Goat | Goat | Buffalo |
| Colour | White or light beige | White | Creamy, caramel | White |
| Structure | Soft, easy to crumble | Stretchable, can be spread on bread | Moderately dense, soft, elastic | Easy to spread |
| Taste | Brackish | Depends on additives | A little spicy, fresh | Creamy |
| Smell | Specific, not pleasant for everyone | Creamy | Mold | Delicate, milky |
Interestingly, the Philadelphia was invented by accident. The American milkman, Lawrence, tried to replicate the original Neuchâtel flavor, but failed. But it turned out a different cheese, softer, with a less pronounced smell. Later this recipe was bought by the Kraft Foods company, which registered the trade name.
When Neuchatel matures, a beautiful crust forms, which is almost completely overgrown with white mold. In addition, the variety differs from similar products by the addition of rennet during fermentation.
Italian cheeses - "Mozzarella" and "Ricotta" - can be combined into one group. Ricotta is made from whey left over from the preparation of the first product. Of course, it is less bold, the color is not so white, but rather yellowish or grayish. But the qualities and useful properties are similar.
In the photo, the cream cheese looks so appetizing that it is impossible to resist buying. But, before you go to the store, you should make your choice, because the assortment is huge. The taste changes depending on the additives. In order not to be mistaken, you can purchase "Assorted", which includes several varieties. Such sets are offered by Hochland, President, Cheese Gourmet.
After purchasing the cheese cream, it should be stored in a closed container - a glass jar with a tight lid, food-grade plastic container or foil. Some housewives put spicy cheeses in brine, where the taste is enhanced. Freezing is undesirable - the taste and consistency often change after long-term storage.
How to make cream cheese - watch the video:
