Bad Brie?

[Robo410]

raw single cream brie can be quite runny when ripe and very "high" a distinct "nose" call it ammonia. Your pasturinzed bries and double and triple cream bries don't get this "stinky". those of us who like a "heady" cheese, love that intense brie, and it is hard to find.

[BreezyCooking]

I enjoy ripe unpasteurized Bries & Camemberts frequently, & a strong ammonia scent &/or taste shouldn't come into the equation.

For those who enjoy the scent & taste of ammonia in overripe cheese, all the more power to you. Call it whatever title ("high nose") you want. Enjoying spoiled cheese is definitely an acquired taste, as is the spoiled/rotten shark of Iceland, & other highly fermented dishes that are enjoyed by many. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying those tastes, but please don't make it sound like there's something wrong with the rest of us because ammonia just isn't our thing - lol!!!!!

For the rest of us cheese plebians, a strong ammonia scent, off-color rind, unpleasant (as in slightly rancid) taste in Brie, Camembert or similar soft-rind cheese means it's highly likely an overripe cheese, & any reputable cheese shop should take it back & refund your money.

[jpmcgrew]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

I enjoy ripe unpasteurized Bries & Camemberts frequently, & a strong ammonia scent &/or taste shouldn't come into the equation.

For those who enjoy the scent & taste of ammonia in overripe cheese, all the more power to you. Call it whatever title ("high nose") you want. Enjoying spoiled cheese is definitely an acquired taste, as is the spoiled/rotten shark of Iceland, & other highly fermented dishes that are enjoyed by many. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying those tastes, but please don't make it sound like there's something wrong with the rest of us because ammonia just isn't our thing - lol!!!!!

For the rest of us cheese plebians, a strong ammonia scent, off-color rind, unpleasant (as in slightly rancid) taste in Brie, Camembert or similar soft-rind cheese means it's highly likely an overripe cheese, & any reputable cheese shop should take it back & refund your money.

I agree with you 100 percent I once bought a large wheel of brie for a Bed & Breakfast I worked at and it was so fresh that when I cut a large wedge of it off a couple of days later the white mold grew right over the cut part. Amazing. The same goes for me with goat cheese I do not like old goat cheese it is too strong for me but fresh goat cheese is really lovely.

[GB]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

please don't make it sound like there's something wrong with the rest of us because ammonia just isn't our thing

I do not see where anyone made it sound that way.

I never used to like brie, but lately I have been learning to enjoy it. I have never noticed the ammonia smell though.

[auntdot]

I have never had a type of cheese I did not like, including stuff like Limburger and Gjetost, stuff that many find unpleasant. Actually a lovely wine with Gjetost is just great.

That aside, have never had a food product that smelled of ammonia without being 'off'.

Putrefication releases ammonia.

To me Brie is a lovely cheese, a whif of ammonia I think would put me off.

And if I had a cheese monger tell me that is the way the stuff is supposed to smell, I let him go out of business quietly.

[Saphellae]

I saw this thread, and the next day I chose our weekly cheese (we try a new one every week). Was supposed to be a nice Camembert. I opened it up and it stank just like ammonia. I had forgotten to check the date at the store. Stupid me, I ALWAYS check dates. It was 4 days from being due.

NASTY!!!

Anyways, if I hadn't read this thread, I would have probably tried to eat it, not knowing what Camembert smells / tastes like. And I STILL don't know!

[jlsrpierce]

Yep, cheeses can smell and taste of ammonia due to being overripe, it's called ammoniated and common in Brie and Camembert. But lightly ammoniated cheese is still safe to eat ! !

Of course not a nice introduction if it's your first Brie or Camenbert, which incidentally are basically the same cheese, just made originally in different parts of France and Brie is in large rounds and Camenbert is normally small rounds.

[crono760]

hm, that's interesting. I didn't know that Brie and Camembert where the same (ish).

I was reading a great book called "Last chance to eat: the fate of taste in a fast food world". The author devotes a quarter of the book to Brie, which is no longer being made in the traditional way. I was saddened to try the bad brie we bought, but I have to try again :-)

Mike

[buckytom]

Originally Posted by crono760

, and I thought that maybe I'd just been buying "Americanized" Brie. It's good to know that I was eating bad cheese, because...I can't imagine why anyone would eat what I bought

wow, good to know you were jsut getting poisoned by food, rather than being americanized.

cheese should never taste bad. like tatt said, it may have a funky nose, but it should never taste bad. that's mold and other creepy stuff (not americans) run amok.

[jlsrpierce]

crono760

Best way to choose a good Camenbert/Brie (normally buy brie in cut triangles):
Buy from a reputable store so you know it's been stored - matured correctly (OK that didn't work out for you.
Choosing and consuming one that is closest to it's best by date (this does not mean it expires on that date).

Of course you need to bring wither up to room temp before eating to bring out the aroma and fravor.

One quarter of a book just on brie! My understanding is that US laws only allow cheese made from pasteurized and homogenized milk, if you see merlin's post in the forum of website in my signature, he says French Brie's made from raw milk "completley blows our stuff out of the water".