Cheese Whiz

[Gravy Queen]

Thank you kindly GLC for educating me in the delights of jack cheese.

 

[CraigC]

So, how many have ever eaten anything that had achiote as an ingredient?

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I can't remember the restaurant names, but I saw on a tv show once (either food network or cooking channel) where they featured two places. The point of the show was to see who had the best philly cheesesteak, and they used cheez whiz.

I want to come out with a new product: Jeez Whiz! Their marketing campaign could be tag lined, "Oh Jeez! This is really good!"

I'm probably going to catch heck for this post...

 

[buckytom]

So, how many have ever eaten anything that had achiote as an ingredient?

lots of times in caribbean dishes, especially puerto rican. annato/achiote is mainly just for colour but some people say it has a slight nutty taste. i've cooked with it and couldn't taste it.

zooks, i couldn't disagree more. whiz is most certainly offered on cheesesteaks in philly. both pat's and geno's, the two most famous cheesesteak joints in philly offer it.

also in philly, mild provolone is more often put on roast pork and broccoli rabe sandwiches. if you order it or swiss on a cheesesteak, you might get mocked or beaten (it is philadelphia, afterall).

btw, there is a range of types of provolone, from mild and mozzarella like rubbery, to an extra sharp crumbly/crystally type much like an aged sharp cheddar.

and lol greg, about eating your bait. i've used cheese for carp and catfish bt never for trout. i'll have to try that. the season starts in just a few weeks.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

lots of times in caribbean dishes, especially puerto rican. annato/achiote is mainly just for colour but some people say it has a slight nutty taste. i've cooked with it and couldn't taste it.

I've had the same experience. I have tried using achiote in several recipes but all I get is color, perhaps from the annatto. Annatto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perhaps annatto is just for the color, and would be worth it for even that. I've always hoped it would taste more, but evidently my hopes are not taken into account.

and lol greg, about eating your bait. i've used cheese for carp and catfish bt never for trout. i'll have to try that. the season starts in just a few weeks.

Well at least eating 'veeta is better than eating 'urms.

 

[taxlady]

I don't eat things with "whiz" in the name.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

You are not familiar with provolone? I assumed that this would be a pretty universally available cheese. It is an Italian slicing cheese, similar in texture to mozzarella but with its own distinct flavor and aged a bit more.

If i recall correctly, Provolone is Mozzarella that has been aged in a saltwater brine. it is more firm than is Mozzarella, and saltier, with a little sharper bite. Great stuff.

As far as cheeses to be melted on a Philly go, other good candidates are Gouda, Gruyere, Aged Swiss, Muenster, Fontina, Pinconing Sharp, Raclette, Provolone, Butterkase, Bergenost (Yancy's Fancy), and there are others that are equally great. Look for nutty, or buttery cheeses, with a semi-firm or creamy texture, that melts well and is not too stringy.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[gadzooks]

lots of times in caribbean dishes, especially puerto rican. annato/achiote is mainly just for colour but some people say it has a slight nutty taste. i've cooked with it and couldn't taste it.

zooks, i couldn't disagree more. whiz is most certainly offered on cheesesteaks in philly. both pat's and geno's, the two most famous cheesesteak joints in philly offer it.

also in philly, mild provolone is more often put on roast pork and broccoli rabe sandwiches. if you order it or swiss on a cheesesteak, you might get mocked or beaten (it is philadelphia, afterall).

btw, there is a range of types of provolone, from mild and mozzarella like rubbery, to an extra sharp crumbly/crystally type much like an aged sharp cheddar.

and lol greg, about eating your bait. i've used cheese for carp and catfish bt never for trout. i'll have to try that. the season starts in just a few weeks.

When I lived in Philly, there was no such thing as a broccoli rabe sandwich. Pork would have gotten cabbage, either kraut or slaw.

 

[gadzooks]

So, how many have ever eaten anything that had achiote as an ingredient?

BBQed tuna steaks rubbed with achiote.

 

[taxlady]

So, how many have ever eaten anything that had achiote as an ingredient?

Why? Does it taste like Cheese Whiz? Does it look like it?

 

[buckytom]

When I lived in Philly, there was no such thing as a broccoli rabe sandwich. Pork would have gotten cabbage, either kraut or slaw.

i remember getting them from a catering truck when i was a kid in the 70's when we visited my eldest sister at college, and an ex-gf's mom made them for me when i was in college. she lived in astoria, queens.
they 're an italian american invention, as far as i can tell. they became much more widely known in the late 80's when the cheesesteak joints started selling them
i doubt you'd find sauerkraut in the italian section of south philly.

when did you live there? i don't doubt that you may not have heard of them since it would be like asking me if i knew every culinary treat available in nyc.

 

[CraigC]

Why? Does it taste like Cheese Whiz? Does it look like it?

The "yellow" color of cheddar and whiz come from annato/achiote. Many Caribbean countries color empanada dough with it.

 

[taxlady]

The "yellow" color of cheddar and whiz come from annato/achiote. Many Caribbean countries color empanada dough with it.

Okay, I have seen that. I don't think it's the only way cheddar gets that colour. The ingredients on cheddar here usually say food colouring, and I'm pretty sure they would write annato, which is natural, if they could. I don't eat that colour of cheddar. I have seen that colour used in Jamaican style patties, in the pastry.

 

[CraigC]

Okay, I have seen that. I don't think it's the only way cheddar gets that colour. The ingredients on cheddar here usually say food colouring, and I'm pretty sure they would write annato, which is natural, if they could. I don't eat that colour of cheddar. I have seen that colour used in Jamaican style patties, in the pastry.

What's in the food coloring to make it yellow?

 

[taxlady]

What's in the food coloring to make it yellow?

Who knows what weird chemicals. What's in other food colour?

 

[buckytom]

canadian geese...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

canadian geese...

Naw, the Canadian geese leave this brownish-green stuff all over lawns and parks. Looks like old avocado meat that has been squeezed out a piping bag (looks like old guacamole).

Annatto, on the other hand, comes from the achiote tree/shrub, located in South America. The red color comes from steeping the fruit pulp in water or oil to extract the color. The seeds are used in food preparations and are edible. Annatto is also known as "poor man's saffron. For more information, look here - What is Annatto?.

Now red lake 40, that's another story.

I thought this thread was about Cheeze Whiz. Hmmmmm. I think I like annatto better.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Longwind it sounds like the diff between guac and guano.

Annatto just doesn't have much taste for me, not just annatto and not achiote either. I want them to be more but I just can't figure how, except for coloring.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

So, how many have ever eaten anything that had achiote as an ingredient?

I have a big container in my spice cupboard. It's a major ingredient in the shrimp sauce that goes on pancit palabok, which is my favorite variety of pancit.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have a big container in my spice cupboard. It's a major ingredient in the shrimp sauce that goes on pancit palabok, which is my favorite variety of pancit.

Please share any pancit recipes you may have in a new post. I love Filipino food, but only know how to make lumpia.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North