Most versatile cheese...

[Otter]

What would you consider to be the most versatile cheese - melts easy (as on cheeseburgers), and works well in a variety of other dishes? Or, can you at least narrow it down to a couple - I've got too many cheeses hanging around here - seems like each recipe calls for a different one.

 

[MJ]

I use cheddar in many dishes and on burgers. Swiss is a close 2nd.

 

[mudbug]

Too bad there's not a universal cheese, Otter. The harder ones won't melt well, and the softer ones are just too good to ignore. Can't help ya, bud. Buy some more ziplic bags.

 

[mudbug]

They say that ziplOc bags work well too.

 

[Audeo]

Badumpum, bug!

As usual, I would like to echo every word uttered by MJ.

By the way, Otter, I freeze my extra cheese.... Since I'm too cheap and too much of a control freak to buy the shredded stuff, I buy precisely the NY Cheddar I want and shred it in my Cuisinart. Toss into a HD Ziploc with about 1/2 a teaspoon of flour, seal with air inside, shake like crazy, remove the air and reseal, and straight into the deep freeze. Works like a charm. You'd never know it had been frozen. Works for all hard cheeses, but not the soft ones....

 

[debthecook]

Velveeta.

 

[Otter]

Ah yes, Velveeta, "the king of cheeses." I do have to admit to having an occasional craving for the stuff.

 

[middie]

deb said was i was gonna say

 

[GB]

Swiss and Jarlsberg for me. The both melt pretty well (Jarlsberg melts better imo). They can be used in a variety of dishes and are also great on their own. You can eat it in slices or chunks. Both are good on burgers and sandwiches.

 

[Juliev]

They say that ziplOc bags work well too.

yeah, they work pretty good.. never heard of the ziplic kind.

As far as cheese.. I love all kinds.. I think I used shredded moz and cheddar the most.

 

[jennyema]

Jarlesburg and Gruyere for me

A good aged gouda, too

 

[PolishedTopaz]

Brie is my favorite, but not on a burger. A nice peice of havarti sealed inside a burger is pretty darn good. [take a small chunk of havarti wrap meat around it and cook, when you bite into it it's all nice and melty]

 

[kitchenelf]

Since we're talking cheese they say the best way to store cheese is in a plastic container with a cube of sugar. It will keep for months. Frankly, we can' keep cheese that long - but I do have a piece of "something" left that I will go put in a small plastic container with a piece of sugar tonight - someone remind me in about 2 months, ok?

 

[luvs]

i say that if you would buy only one cheese, Hoffman's x-sharp cheddar sliced up from the deli (it comes in blocks, too) would be a good bet. it has a nice sharp flavor, is great on sandwiches, for just snacking on plain, or for a cheeseburger, in a white sauce for a cheese sauce, in macaroni and cheese, added to potatoes, etc. and it's relatively cheap. in retrospect, at least.
bleu cheeses are good, too. they add a salty tang to lots of things, are good in salads, melted into dishes, great just for snacking, in salad dressings, on lamb chops and burgers and steaks, on and on. Saga makes one that goes for only $5 per wedge and it is so creamy and balanced. i love it. but i use all kinds of varieties of blue cheeses with success. bleu cheese can add a lot to a dish, and if it's melted, even those who proclaim to despise the stuff always seem to love the food. as long as they don't know it's in there. baffling.
excellent cheese.

 

[Otter]

luvs, great minds run in similar channels! My favorite cheese is Hoffman's Smoky Sharp - I just love the stuff! Last time at the store I tried another one that was hickory smoked, and that one was good too, but the smoky is still my favorite.

 

[Audeo]

Since we're talking cheese they say the best way to store cheese is in a plastic container with a cube of sugar. It will keep for months. Frankly, we can' keep cheese that long - but I do have a piece of "something" left that I will go put in a small plastic container with a piece of sugar tonight - someone remind me in about 2 months, ok?

That's interesting, Elf! I wonder what the sugar does here??? Very interesting.

 

[Alix]

OK, I want to know why you put flour in Audeo. Just to keep it from sticking? I usually do mine in the food processor and then just smack it around when I take it out of the freezer. I am open to new ideas though.

 

[mudbug]

Love your techniques for doing things, Alix. Sounds like me.

 

[Alix]

Thanks mudbug, a higher compliment I cannot imagine.

Oh gad! Sorry about the grammar...I am getting more coffee.

 

[luvs]

luvs, great minds run in similar channels! My favorite cheese is Hoffman's Smoky Sharp - I just love the stuff! Last time at the store I tried another one that was hickory smoked, and that one was good too, but the smoky is still my favorite.