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Say cheese
It turns pizza into pizzazz, chili into cha-ching and desserts into delights
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- Colby , Closely related to Cheddar, with a similar flavor profile, the all-purpose cheese is softer and more open in texture with higher water content. Doesn't age.
- Feta , Tart and salty, with a crumbly texture. U.S. producers use cow's milk.
- Fortina , Danish-style cheese with a slightly tart, nutty, mild flavor that ranges from mellow to sharp with age.
- Gorgonzola , Ripens to yield a soft, creamy texture with flavor that's slightly piquant and more earthy than sharp.
- Gouda/Edam , Mellow, rich caramel. Semi-hard to hard. Edam is made with part-skim milk.
- Gruyere , Buttery and toasty. Hard with a firm, yet pliable texture.
- Mascarpone , It's a triple cream, with rich, buttery, slightly sweet flavor and thick, smooth creamy texture. It's made with 70 percent milkfat.
- Monterey Jack , Mild and slightly zesty, it becomes nutty with age. Semi-soft to hard. A popular variation, Pepper Jack, includes jalapeno peppers added to the curd during the cheese-making process.
- Mozzarella , Delicate and mild, milky. Soft to semi-soft. This is a Pasta Filata cheese, which refers to the process of dipping curds in hot water, stretching and kneading them into parallel strands, giving it its characteristic stretch.
- Muenster , One of the great melting cheeses, it is mild flavored and mellows with age.
- Parmesan/Romano , Sharp, yet savory flavor that intensifies with age. Hard with a granular texture. Romano tastes sharper and more assertive.
- Provolone , Slightly tart and salty. Semi-soft when young, hard when aged.
- Questo Blanco -- This low-acid, Hispanic-style cheese is a cross between cottage cheese and Mozzarella in appearance. It has a mild, fresh flavor and crumbly texture, which holds its shape when heated.
- Ricotta , Made in the U.S. with whole or part-skim milk, it has a mild flavor with a hit of sweetness and creamy, granular texture.
- Swiss , Dotted with eyes, is sweet to sharp, nutty. Semi-hard.
Source: Dairy Management Inc.
| Ethnic market opportunities Hispanics are the fastest-growing population , roughly 37 million people, according to the U.S. Census -- and their culture prefers the taste of authentic cheese varieties such as Questo Fresco, Panela, Cotija, Oaxaca and Monterey Jack, similar in profile to Questo Blanco. Asians number nearly 2.5 million in the U.S., and have a higher-than-average rate of lactose intolerance. Soft-ripened Brie and Camembert and other aged cheeses are low in lactose, opening the door for new applications. |
Sidebar:
Cheese trends for 2004
- Born in the USA , Domestically produced American-made, cow's milk cheeses are experiencing a renaissance. Competing in taste and quality with European cheeses, their popularity will continue to soar.
- Flavored and small-batch cheeses , Flavored ingredients are blended into the cheese during the cheese-making process. Small-batch cheeses offer a direct connection to the craftsmanship of cheese making and the product source.
- True blues , Creamy, robust Blue cheeses offer big, bold flavor and are showing up in everything from pizza to omelets.
- Quest for Questo , Hispanic or Latino cuisine is moving north. These cheeses, which provide unique combinations of flavors, textures and cooking properties, are found in an array of culinary delights from tamales to tostados.
- Low-fat craze , The obesity crisis will continue to spur interest in low-fat options and the technology is there.
- Convenience factor -- Convenience drives consumer demands in both cheese products and packaging.
Source: Midwest Dairy Association
Top Natural Cheese Brands
| Dollar Sales (millions) | % Change | % of Category | |
| Private Label (Not Shredded) | $1,151 | 14.5 | 20.6 |
| Private Label (Shredded) | 891 | 9.0 | 15.9 |
| Kraft (Shredded) | 496 | 2.0 | 8.9 |
| Kraft (Not Shredded) | 294 | 4.3 | 5.3 |
| Tillamook (Not Shredded) | 185 | 5.1 | 3.3 |
| Kraft (Grated) | 143 | -3.7 | 2.6 |
| Kraft Cracker Barrel (Not Shredded) | 103 | -0.2 | 1.8 |
| Sargento (Not Shredded) | 99 | 29.3 | 1.8 |
| Sargento (Shredded) | 93 | 4.3 | 1.7 |
| Precious Natural (Not Shredded) | 70 | 6.2 | 1.3 |
| Total Natural Cheese category | $5,597 | 8.1 | 100 |
Source: Information Resources Inc., InfoScan
(Total sales in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart, for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 25, 2004.)
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