Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and cheese

I just ate accidentally ate some cheese with pink bacteria growing on it, will I get sick?

CTORourke — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:53:03 -0800

I ate some cheddar cheese with a pink bacterial plaque growing on it, could this be something that'll make me sick? I cut up some cheese for my lunch, some of it having been in my fridge for awhile. I was munching on the cheddar when I noticed it had a bit more smell than usual. I looked closely and saw some pink bacterial plaques growing on the surface.

I'm a biologist, but not a microbiologist, and I know that sometimes the e.coli and other crazy bacterias (we grow for the Introductory Biology lab I teach) can be pink. I also know that not all bacteria is toxic, not even all e.coli bacteria, but the fridge at my apartment has never been cleaned out properly and I know some weird stuff has been in there over the years.

Does anyone think it might be just an outgrowth of the normal lactic acid bacteria of the cheese? The bag the cheese was in was a little damp, which probably encouraged the growth. I threw the rest away.

If it is a bad bacteria, how long would it take for me to start getting sick?

foodies of the world, unite!

Capri — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:40:53 -0800

For foodies: please suggest some of your favorite combinations of food. Of course, it's not quite that simple. But it's close. As I've grown older, I've found that I'm pretty much a red wine drinker, the heartier the better, although a good Suave paired with a seafood risotto is still just ethereal.

I've also always been fond of stouts and porters, and never liked particularly hoppy beers. Wheat beers, brown ales, and anything on nitro gets my love too.

I'm a sucker for hard cheese, and have sort of gone off soft cheeses lately, although, again, the cheeses coming out of Rogue River and Cyprus Grove are divine. And I've long had a soft spot for a decent blue of whatever hardness.

Finally, I hate olives. It's a serious character flaw, probably a birth defect.

So that's the background. If you're like me, can you swoon over some of your favorite foods and beverages, especially in combination, so that I can share the love?

I need a cheese education

Silvertree — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:15:55 -0800

Help me learn about cheese. My wife and I really like cheese. Or at least I think we do. So far our cheese experience is limited to what we can find in local grocery stores. I found a very nice cheese shop that I would like to explore, but I have no idea what to start with. Google seems to return a big mix between stores and sites.

On a really basic level, we have liked some extra sharp cheddar, monterey jack, and farmers. Colby seems pretty tasteless. Cheese to cook with, eat by itself, have on crackers, with bread, or anything else, no limits.

Any recommendations on good web sites, books, general advice, and whatever else you can think of would be great. Thanks!

Help me make a cheese plate.

hazyspring — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:34:15 -0800

Help me make a cheese plate for Thanksgiving. We are probably going to serve the cheeses as appetizers, and also after dinner for those who don't want dessert. I don't know too much about cheeses, and making cheese plates, but I'm adventurous and have been trying plenty lately. I would like to get three or four cheeses.

Two that I am thinking about are Cashel Blue (that I have tried and really enjoyed) and also Humboldt Fog which I have never tried, but a few people have suggested.

Let me know if you think it makes sense to put both of those on a plate and any other suggestions of cheeses I should try. I am thinking about variety, maybe including a cheddar and another hard cheese, maybe gruyere or something along those lines.

Should I Eat The Cheese? (Slight variation on past questions)

Kirn — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:08:11 -0800

I have some Spanish 'Queso Tetilla' cheese (a soft cheese completely surrounded by a hard rind). It's about a month old and got taken in a suitcase from Barcelona to the UK for about 16 hours - apart from that, it's been in the fridge the whole time. There are a couple of spots of blue mould on the rind, and a soft patch where a sticker was (through cellophane), but having cut into it the inside seems OK. Should I Eat It? Note: I realise variations on this question have been asked before, but the advice seemed to be 'eat hard cheese, chuck soft cheese'. Since the mould is on the hard rind (and as far as I can tell, not the soft innards) I thought the question was justified - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Plus, it's lovely, help me eat it.

Indulge my turophilia.

arianell — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:54:13 -0800

What was this divine cheese, and where can I find it again? At a party back in January, I had a few bites of the most delicious cheese I've ever tried (it might have even been the most delicious food I've tried, period). It was a semi-soft cheese with a delightfully nutty flavor, and a slight tangy/grassy aftertaste that I usually associate with sheep's milk.

On the cheese plate, it was labeled like this: "Nesa, sheep, Spain." I've looked for it everywhere... the cheese plate in question was purchased from Cheesetique in Alexandria, Virginia, but they no longer carried it when I went in to ask. Google doesn't turn up much, either.

Any idea what kind of cheese this is? And does anyone know where I can buy some? Preferably in the Phoenix metro area, but I'd be willing to purchase it online as well.

Help me convert an entire office into cheese fiends.

Xere — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:04:03 -0800

I've been put in charge of a workplace cheese lunch. Introducing the staff to the world of fancy cheese, hopefully to convert them away from the usual radioactive-orange ... stuff ... that's out there. But I have no idea what to prepare. French bread, I think? And sparkling cider because we can't have alcohol on the job? But the cheese? What cheeses are near-guaranteed winners, and won't be overpowered by sparkling cider? Help! I wish to go down in history as the awesomest cheese introducer ever. My work colleagues don't know much about cheese, and can't imagine what I could possibly come up with. They're telling me, Well, nacho cheese dips and mac-and-cheese are pretty ordinary, isn't it? WELL OKAY THEN LET ME BLOW YOUR MINDS.

So my idea is an expanded version of a fancy lunch basket. The wine/bread/cheese basket, except that I can't really have wine. Although I do think sparkling cider will kill the taste buds.

Workplace pays for this, so there's no budget!

Making a better broccoli cheese soup.

mattbucher — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:23:36 -0800

I am looking for some tried-and-true broccoli-cheese soup recipes that don't include canned soup or evaporated milk. What are some traditional ways to make this soup fresh and natural? What are some off-the-wall ways to spice up this dish or make it more summery?

Roasted chèvre, please

gentle — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:44:24 -0800

Mmmm... cheese. I went to a tapas restaurant the other day and one of the things we ordered was roasted chèvre — essentially a sticky warm blob of goat's milk cheese in a dish. The edges were brown, perhaps caramelized, and it tasted deliciously sweet. How do I make it? And do I need a butane torch to do it?

Help me select Spanish wine and cheese combinations.

slimepuppy — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:56:33 -0800

Help me select Spanish wine and cheese combinations. Help! All I know about Spanish wine and cheese is that most red Rioja is nice and that manchego goes down nicely as tapas with a cold Mahou.

I need recommendations for good Spanish wine & cheese combinations. One for red and another for white. I looked at some of the previous wine and cheese questions but most questions mixed and matched from different countries. I'm looking for individual wine+cheese combinations that would set me back around 50€ or less.

Bonus slimepuppy points if you can name a place in Madrid where I can get the aforementioned queso & vino.

¡Gracias por adelantado!

How to Stuff a Wild Panini

iconomy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:57:50 -0800

I have a Snackster. It makes yummy sandwiches that look like this. More yummy sandwiches are wanted. There have been a few sandwich posts here, but none that deal specifically with stuffed sandwiches and panini type sandwiches, which is what I'm after.

In addition to grilled cheese of every kind imaginable, I've made Reubens with great success, and have done a sort of Panera artichoke and turkey and caramelized onion sandwich, and have made mini calzones of sauces and cheese. What else can I try? Yep, I know how to google for recipes - I'm looking for sandwiches that you yourself have known and loved personally. My Snackster is hot and looking for action!

Oh how refreshing. A question about travelling to France.

Deathalicious — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:20:33 -0800

TravelinginFranceFilter: I know there have been loads of questions about France. We're looking for beautiful places in the countryside, great cheap food and reasonable accommodations. I'd love to have the perfect trip that matches my favorite things: We're spending 18 days in France during June. We're planning around a week in Paris which leaves another 10 days or so for just traveling the countryside.

We're both really into food. I love open air markets. I'm crazy for fruits and vegetables, so places where those are particularly fresh or delicious would be great (I'm sure that's all over France, but there must be some markets that knock you flat).

Also I love cheese. What are some places famous for their cheeses, especially cheeses which, for legal or logistical reasons, are difficult to get anywhere else?

I love cooking, so if anyone has a suggestion of a good place you can stay that has a kitchen -- or even, dare I say it, cooking lessons? -- that would be fantastic.

Speaking of food, I've heard that a lot of dishes are cooked with bacon or lard in France. As a non-pork eater, is there any way for me to make sure that there isn't pig in my food?

My friend is a music lover, both punk/indie and world music, so if there are any towns that are small but known for their music scene, that would be great too.

I'm quite into stuff that is underground, so suggestions of catacombs and caves and other underground areas would be great. We also like hiking so that would be very cool too.

Neither of us is that into wine. Don't worry, I will be drinking it with meals, it's just visiting a vineyard for its own sake does not appeal to me.

Also, we are not planning on renting a car so ideally the place would be accessible by train or other forms of public transportation.

Outside of Paris, we'd like to stick to a budget of $50-60 per person, per day (that is, $100-120 total). Is that at all possible? We care a lot more about the quality of our food than the quality of our room.

Sorry this post is so long, and I realize this is really a bunch of questions (although all of them are really the same question: What should we see and do in France? just made a little more specific). Thanks all!

Best way to slice fresh mozzarella?

rageear — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:16:21 -0800

What's the best way to slice fresh mozzarella? I love to use fresh mozzarella on pizza when I make it. You know the kind: big, white, round balls of cheesy goodness. The stuff you find on real, authentic pizza made by Italians and other folks who know what they are doing.

The problem is, every time I try to cut it thin, the slices aren't uniform and don't cook evenly the way I like. So far, I have tried a very sharp chef's knife and an alternate method using unwaxed/unflavored dental floss. The floss does an OK job, although it is hard to control for a uniform thin-ness.

Any suggestions?

Help my homemade cheese.

pithy comment — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:31:07 -0800

I'm looking for tips to add some excitement and variety to this homemade cheese. I made it once before and the basil kind of wilted and didn't look too nice, the sun-dried tomatoes were good. What else can I mix in? Are there better recipes? I'm going to make this next week for a Halloween pot-luck (so something gross sounding might be nice) and I'm planning on making several batches in December for holiday gifts, so 'winter' and 'holiday' suggested variations would be great, too.

What is saba?

rorycberger — Mon, 22 May 2006 09:10:30 -0800

What is the condiment "saba"? Last night at Delfina in San Francisco, I had a cheese tasting that included "Parmigiano Reggiano with saba" (menu). A little googling today has come up with nothing. It was a dark brown liquid (like soy sauce or balsamic vinegar) but had a very mild flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

So, what could opened, exposed processed cheese do to you if you ate it?

weston — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:53:24 -0800

I just ate some supposedly sealed processed cheese spread that I now have reason to believe has been open indefinitely. As in, quite possibly since leaving the packing place. What's the likely fallout? So we have snacks at work, including those kraft/ritz "handi-snacks" that are little sealed plastic packages with crackers in one segment and cheese spread in another. I popped one down earlier, and then, when I went to throw the package away, noted that there was a big crack in the end which had formerly contained the cheese. I don't think I created this on opening and consuming the contents. I checked the rest of the box of these things to see if the other containers had similar cracks, and pulled out at least one more that obviously did.

My assumption is that these could have been open for a long, long time.

If this were packaged meat or something, given my natural paranoia, I'd probably already be on my way to an after-hours clinic or emergency room to check that I'm not going to be violently ill or dead of food poisoning. But keeping my natural paranoia in check is the idea that this is cheese, a food which is made by letting spoiled milk sit out for a long time. It's *processed* cheese, no less.

On the other hand, it really does look like this was exposed to the open air for a long time, and clearly was not delivered in the manner it was supposed to be.

Ingredients: Whey, Whey protein concentrate, cheddar cheese, canola oil, water, mil protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, milkfat, salt, maltodextrin, lactic acid, sodium alginate, sorbic acid, natural and artificial flavor, apocarotenal, annato.

What are the possible and probable impacts on my innards?

Ricotta rotta! Fix my cheese, please

fourstar — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:21:37 -0800

I just tried to make homemade ricotta cheese with a gallon of whole milk (to avoid burning) and a quart of buttermilk. Nevertheless, the majority of the ricotta burned to the bottom of the stainless steel stock pot I used, and the cheese which didn't burn, had that burnt-flavor. What gives?

Is eating cheese made from unpasteurised milk dangerous?

unSane — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 22:19:34 -0800

Is eating cheese made from unpasteurised milk dangerous? If so, to whom? I just ate a whole load of Stinking Bishop and it was great. But I bought a bunch of other unpasteurised cheese for the family christmas, which includes women who aren't pregnant but may be trying, and someone whose immune system has been compromised. Should I warn them off the unpasteurised stuff?

How to get over food phobias?

gyc — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:39:53 -0800

How did you manage to get over your food phobias? Besides the mozarella cheese on pizzas, I really can't stand cheese. What turns me off are the (to me) unpleasant smells and the texture. I also don't particularly enjoy milk, cream, and other dairy products but at least I can tolerate them. I know I'm missing a whole world of culinary delights by my inability to enjoy cheese and other dairy products. How did you get past your food phobias and what strategies did you employ? Do you have any tips on how I can start to enjoy cheese?

Should I Eat This: Velveeta and colby cheeses

namespan — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 00:14:33 -0800

Food Poisoning Group Barometer: Do I eat the cheese? [more inside] Case #1: velveeta. I cracked it open at work, brought it home, left it in a sack for three days unrefrigerated.
Case #2: colby. My Dad brought it over, and put it away with the crackers, instead of the fridge. Never opened. Estimated unrefrigerated time: 12-16 hours.

Likely outcomes if I consume it? Potential dire consequences?

And while we're at it, is Velveeta dairy or petroleum based?