The CookingBites Recipe Challenge: Cheddar cheese

[Windigo]

Good cheddar is hard to come by where I live, sadly. Specialty shops do sell it but due to Covid restrictions I am not currently close to a good specialty cheese shop. We've mainly got the red dyed variety of plastic 'cheddar' around here. I will see what I can do, I hope I can make a decent contribution.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

Good cheddar is hard to come by where I live, sadly. Specialty shops do sell it but due to Covid restrictions I am not currently close to a good specialty cheese shop. We've mainly got the red dyed variety of plastic 'cheddar' around here. I will see what I can do, I hope I can make a decent contribution.

Same here. We can’t get here a decent Cheddar, only the “hamburger version” - which by the way I don’t mind. I made few recipes with that one and it worked fine. Not like the ones I tasted in London of course but not even so bad (at least to me). Then it disappeared from the shelves. I’ll see later if I can find it again.

 

[Windigo]

Same here. We can’t get here a decent Cheddar, only the “hamburger version” - which by the way I don’t mind. I made few recipes with that one and it worked fine. Not like the ones I tasted in London of course but not even so bad (at least to me). Then it disappeared from the shelves. I’ll see later if I can find it again.

Oh the burger version as you say is fine for that - burgers . But for a more innovative recipe, good cheddar is better.

 

[Hemulen]

Wow, I can finally participate. I love cheeeeeeese. I guess I'll try to play with really mature cheddar to start with. They're selling quite a few brands in da corner shoppe (= in the local hypermarket).

I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I decided to graduate this semester, so I've been busy finalizing my thesis, rendering last images, filling the forms - and cleaning up the cabin, planting the seedlings and sowing the seeds at the countryside.

 

[Morning Glory]

Good cheddar is hard to come by where I live, sadly. Specialty shops do sell it but due to Covid restrictions I am not currently close to a good specialty cheese shop. We've mainly got the red dyed variety of plastic 'cheddar' around here. I will see what I can do, I hope I can make a decent contribution.

Can you possibly get Vasterbotten? Its Swedish but I thought maybe it would be available where you are. Its like a very mature Cheddar, the sort where you get salt crystals. I can get it here but its stupidly expensive. I used it once for a 'Swedish challenge' on another forum.

 

[Lullabelle]

Grated onto bread and toasted

 

[TastyReuben]

We used to have this little cheese shop not five minutes from the house. Two sisters, both in their 70's ran it, and it was set up in a 16-foot X 20-foot refrigerated shed. Sounds small, but they packed a lot of cheese in there.

One sister died, and the other was stone deaf, so no matter how much you asked for, she just nodded and whacked off a big hunk and that was that.

Then Covid hit, she shut down, and she hasn't been open since.

 

[JAS_OH1]

It's interesting how much people in the US and some other countries take cheddar for granted. It's a staple in my household. I love white sharp cheddar in particular. I get this one from Vermont, "Adam's Reserve" that is wonderful. I just made homemade mac and cheese last night with a blend of white cheddar, Havarti, and gouda (baked in the oven with chicken on the bottom of the casserole dish and crumbled bacon on top).

 

[MypinchofItaly]

It's interesting how much people in the US and some other countries take cheddar for granted. It's a staple in my household. I love white sharp cheddar in particular. I get this one from Vermont, "Adam's Reserve" that is wonderful. I just made homemade mac and cheese last night with a blend of white cheddar, Havarti, and gouda (baked in the oven with chicken on the bottom of the casserole dish and crumbled bacon on top).

Sounds delicious. I had the chance to taste several Cheddar cheeses in London and I was overwhelmed by their goodness.
I’ve brought some of them back to Italy.
Sadly the only Cheddar you can find here is the sliced packaged one hamburger version.
I also like so much Gouda cheese (brought it as well back to Italy).
I can find Stilton here, although not very often..

 

[JAS_OH1]

Sounds delicious. I had the chance to taste several Cheddar cheeses in London and I was overwhelmed by their goodness.
I’ve brought some of them back to Italy.
Sadly the only Cheddar you can find here is the sliced packaged one hamburger version.
I also like so much Gouda cheese (brought it as well back to Italy).
I can find Stilton here, although not very often..

We have American cheese that is sliced and individually wrapped here in the US that is typically used on burgers. My husband likes it, I don't. They have okay American cheese sold in the deli that's a little better, but why bother when there are other great cheeses like Gouda, Havarti, and a variety of cheddars available? I have always said "Gouda is good-ah on a burger than American cheese

One of my favorite burgers is with melted white sharp cheddar, bacon, greenleaf lettuce, ripe tomato, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. I don't even need any condiments with that.

 

[Morning Glory]

sharp cheddar

Interesting - I've noticed before that 'sharp' Cheddar is often mentioned in the U.S. We don't call Cheddar 'sharp' in the UK, so I'm not entirely sure what it means. Here we have mild, medium, mature/strong, extra mature, cave aged etc. The best to my mind is the seriously aged strong Cheddar with crystals. Like this one:

 

[MypinchofItaly]

One of my favorite burgers is with melted white sharp cheddar, bacon, greenleaf lettuce, ripe tomato, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. I don't even need any condiments with that.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Interesting - I've noticed before that 'sharp' Cheddar is often mentioned in the U.S. We don't call Cheddar 'sharp' in the UK, so I'm not entirely sure what it means. Here we have mild, medium, mature/strong, extra mature, cave aged etc. The best to my mind is the seriously aged strong Cheddar with crystals. Like this one:

View attachment 63326

View attachment 63327

Yes, sharp here just means very strong and tangy. That's beautiful.

 

[TastyReuben]

Interesting - I've noticed before that 'sharp' Cheddar is often mentioned in the U.S. We don't call Cheddar 'sharp' in the UK, so I'm not entirely sure what it means. Here we have mild, medium, mature/strong, extra mature, cave aged etc. The best to my mind is the seriously aged strong Cheddar with crystals. Like this one:

View attachment 63326

View attachment 63327

That's very similar to what's sold as NY cheddar. Very crumbly, very strong, and full of those hard little rocks. MrsT loves it, I'd sooner feed it to the trash bin.

I like a variety of cheeses on a burger, including American. I'm someone who does not look down on deli American cheese at all (now, the cellophane-wrapped bright orange stuff, that's a different story). Jacques Pepin is on record as saying his favorite cheese on a cheeseburger is American, so that's a pretty good endorsement. In one of his cookbooks, he gives a little shout out to it, and in pure Pepin manner, it's a very sweet little tribute.

 

[JAS_OH1]

That's very similar to what's sold as NY cheddar. Very crumbly, very strong, and full of those hard little rocks. MrsT loves it, I'd sooner feed it to the trash bin.

I like a variety of cheeses on a burger, including American. I'm someone who does not look down on deli American cheese at all (now, the cellophane-wrapped bright orange stuff, that's a different story). Jacques Pepin is on record as saying his favorite cheese on a cheeseburger is American, so that's a pretty good endorsement. In one of his cookbooks, he gives a little shout out to it, and in pure Pepin manner, it's a very sweet little tribute.

You and Mr. OH agree on that. But he will even eat that awful stuff in the wrapper over cheddar. I am more like Mrs. T in that respect. Give me a beautiful aged cheddar anyday!

Oh, except for when it comes to a charcuterie plate. He will eat nice cheese with salami, other meat, olives, and crackers or crostini.