Good, Better, Best-Part 3

The next item on my “good, better, best” list is cheese. If you know me at all, you’ll know that there will never be less than 15 different cheeses in my cheese drawer. Up until the last few years, I was like millions of Americans who opted for the quick and easy out of grabbing a package of shredded cheese. I always noticed that it felt as though it had a cakey substance on it, but never considered what it might be. The bag said “cellulose” and although I knew it helped with moisture and kept the cheese from clumping together, I never questioned what it might be. 

Cellulose can be made of cotton, wood pulp and potato starch. There’s also an ingredient called “natamycin” used in most pre-shredded cheeses to prevent mold. According to our food agencies, these are “generally regarded as safe” and shouldn't concern you. Now this stuff might not bother you, but I personally want to try and keep our foods as low in preservatives as possible. Plus, these additives cause your cheese not to melt properly, especially in cheese sauces. So I know it’s easier to just grab the pre-shredded stuff, but I encourage you to buy your cheese in blocks and shred it yourself. Or do like I used to do and have your kiddos do it for you. There are multiple ways to do this for it to be easier on you. If I need to grate lots of cheese, I’ll pull out my food processor and within a couple minutes it’s all done! But now that we’re empty nesters we don’t use nearly as much shredded cheese, so I bought this handy little gadget on Amazon that works quickly and easily. And a side note, if you didn’t know, you can freeze your cheese–shredded or in blocks. 

And now for an even more controversial cheese conversation, I’m going to go out on a limb and will likely cause some of you to not like me, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take so that you are informed. Kraft and Velveeta are NOT cheese, but cheese products. Kraft is less than 51% real cheese, and therefore cannot be called cheese. I know they melt really well and we have nostalgic memories of our Kraft singles on a grilled cheese. Some of my most memorable Sunday nights was getting home from church for my dad to make us a grilled cheese sandwich. He knew just how much butter (or margarine) to slather on that cheap white bread and throw on the cast iron griddle. But I’ve learned too much to go back now and have traded Kraft slices for freshly shredded havarti or provolone. Havarti has THE BEST cheese pull if that’s something that excites you like it does me. 

I encourage you to start looking at ingredient labels, and especially for things like cheese, - if it’s not something you would have in your kitchen or you can’t pronounce it, leave it at the store and opt for the real deal. 

Now that we’ve discussed pre-shredded cheeses versus blocks of cheese, and cheese that’s not really cheese at all, let’s talk brands of cheese. For years I was perfectly fine with store brand cheeses, but once again, my palate has become more and more “bougie” as some of my friends would say. I like to say “refined”. Either way, please keep the store brand cheese away. One of my favorites for just everyday cheddar purposes is Tillamook. It ranks far superior to almost all other brands. I like to mix a block of sharp cheddar with a block of colby jack for most things. When we were in Georgia I couldn’t find Tillamook so I bought Cabot brand and it was ok. Not my Tillamook, but better than the store brand. 

For more specialty cheeses, my family loves a good smoked gouda, and the best I’ve found where I live is Boar’s Head. We also love Sartori brand and their BellaVitano selection is phenomenal. The cheese is rich and creamy with a nuttiness similar to a good parmesan. They offer different flavors that they've either soaked the cheese in or hand-rubbed with special ingredients. My favorites are the Merlot, Espresso, and Garlic & Herb. You can usually find these in the specialty cheese section at your grocery store. I know that Albertson’s, Kroger and Super One all carry those brands. 

Whole Foods has a truffle gouda that I LOVE to make mac & cheese with. In the words of all the dads, “it’s really gouda”. But for real, it’s one of the best mac & cheeses you’ll ever taste. And then if you’re lucky enough to live near an Aldi, they always have an amazing selection of cheese – some name brands and some not, but their “not” brands are still superior to most other cheeses. They carry a white cheddar cranberry that I can’t get enough of, and a special herb cheese that’s softer than my BellaVitano one.

And last but not least, if you are a cheese lover and you travel to Branson often, there’s a cheese shop just north of there called J&J Cheese factory that carries all sorts of different cheeses that are amazing. They carry Henning’s Wisconsin cheese and have an abundance of flavors, along with their  cheese curds. My favorites are the tomato basil, mediterranean, and cranberry orange. I encourage you to venture out and try something new! And if you need help, reach out to me.

Hopefully you guys aren’t too upset with me for messing with some of your favorite southern items the past couple of “good, better, best” posts. Last time your mayo, this time your cheese. But I encourage you to start somewhere, making a few changes here and there. I promise you your food will never taste better! 

All my love, 

Angie