How can I make mild cheddar taste sharper?

[pcharters]

There is an obvious answer - use sharp cheddar. However my wife is on medication that prevents her from eating any foods that have been fermented, smoked, etc. All cheese is out except mild cheddar, processed cheese slices, cream cheese and cottage cheese.
We have a lot of dishes we enjoy that use cheese. Is there any way of adding something to fake the taste of older cheddar?

Pete

 

[dave the baker]

You could try adding powdered cheese, but it seems to have a high sodium content and that might be another issue.

 

[Andy M.]

How about adding some sharper cheddar to your plate after your wife takes her portion.

 

[GB]

I think Andy's suggestion is the best you are going to get.

 

[pcharters]

Doesn't solve the problem in two ways

The cheese is in the dish - for instance scalloped potatoes. And it doesn't help my wife who misses her cheese badly. I am hoping someone knows a clever herb, spice or whatever that might be useful.

Pete

 

[GB]

OK just brainstorming here, but maybe a little lemon juice?

 

[miniman]

Personally, I would look to developing other flavours rather than try to recreate another flavour in a different way.

 

[PanchoHambre]

Hmm cheese is sort of like bacon hard to 'replicate' the taste...

My thoughts would be use the milder cheese for the texture factor and ramp up the other flavors in the dish to compensate for the milder flavor coming from the cheese.... it wont taste exactly like it did with the aged cheese but wont be bland as if you just subbed mild for sharp with no other accommodation.

Cream Cheese is particularly adaptable to mixing flavors in to so you can do about anything with it.... it can go spicy or sweet.

Mild Cheddar as well... you could add jalapenos for Mexican or something.

I would not try to "fake" the taste of sharper cheese because it will never be quite right.... but you can figure out how to work with the ingredients at hand and still make your dishes tasty.

 

[vyapti]

Are you looking for a permanent solution or just something to get through a temporary medication period?

For the short term, lemon juice will add a tang that may be missing in mild cheddar. Added salt in some form may also help. I use miso frequently, but that is also fermented. If it is a long term issue, there are ways around cheese. I used to be a huge cheese junkie until my triglycerides levels got too high for me to count. . . and I make do without.

 

[ChefJune]

The cheese is in the dish - for instance scalloped potatoes. And it doesn't help my wife who misses her cheese badly. I am hoping someone knows a clever herb, spice or whatever that might be useful.

Pete

for scalloped potatoes, try adding a small amount of fresh thyme. but there's no cheese in my scalloped potatoes. That's Au Gratin Potatoes, with the cheese.

 

[bowlingshirt]

Could she have sour cream ? That may add a little something back to the dish...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

To add a sharper flavor, you can add the following:

Salt brings out the flavor of cheese, but too much just makes it too salty so add a bit at a time.

Many cheese sauces use prepared mustard to add a sharper flavor. Remember, the sharpness comes from the acidity of the cheese. As a good cheese ages, the little creatures that turn milk into cheese ingest the milk sugars, and produce acids. These acids give the cheese is character. This means that aged cheese has more acid than does a young cheese, hence the sharper flavor (and yes I know, there are other flavors developing as well). The vinager in the mustard will add some of that acidity to a young, or mild cheese. The mustard flavor also adds zip.

Blending in other cheeses, such as swiss and jack cheeses will also help add flavor to your dish.

As was stated previously, lemon can be used to heighten the flavor of a cheese dish. Just make sure that the bright, citrus flavor compliments the other ingedients.

Hope that helps.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[pcharters]

Thanks, goodweed,

Your ideas will help. I will try adding acidic ingredients. But, don't forget, we can't add in other cheeses as they are also fermented. The culprit is tyramine, an amine that is normally metabolized by the body but this particular metabolism is blocked by my wife's medication.

I like the idea of adding lemon juice - a flavour I enjoy.
By the way, you can tell I am of the old school - the proper spelling is "flavour" despite the spell check on this site.

Pete

 

[Porthand]

I add a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce to my mac-n-cheese (2 qt casserole) recipe that gives it a little edge without making it hot.

 

[Katie H]

Somewhere I heard that adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce can perk up your dish.

 

[Jeff G.]

I think for something like scalloped potatoes I would add some leeks to bring the flavor up, perhaps Artichoke hearts. If she can have cottage cheese, blend it up and stir it in. It adds a surprising richness.

 

[PieSusan]

How about adding cream cheese and a touch of onion along with the mild cheddar. You can add sour cream and/or half and half, too.

Experiment.

 

[archiduc]

Hi,
Add a touch of smooth French mustard or, if you are making the classic Pommes Daupinoise then strictly speaking, they do not contain cheese but the interaction between the potates (starch) and cream makes them taste as though cheese has been added. Another alternative would be to add a little smoked or green (unsmoked bacon) to the mix.
Hope this helps,
Archiduc

 

[sunnysmile]

Dry mustard powder helps. I do this in my mac and cheese.

 

[Vanilla Bean]

I was going to say mustard... that really does the trick.