Cheese, Cheese, Glorious Cheese!
I love when one item has a MILLION different purposes, especially if all of those purposes are for eating! In related news: Cheese is the most magically delicious thing ever (second to bacon obviously). This gift from the cow gods is so multi-functional it can be used for sweet and savory dishes, and can be added to just about ANYTHING to make it better, (except coffee...DON’T ask me how I know this, I finally managed to suppress the memory). There are so many different textures, flavors, and types of cheese, which is wonderful news for us, because doing the Keto diet lends itself to exploring cheese in all its glory. Here are a few examples of how I use cheese:
As breading for when I fry or bake things, nothing beats that savory crunch!
Making crackers & bread
Desserts! (cheesecake, pudding, & so much more)
As a binder
On its own (obvs!)
Let’s start with the Do’s and Don’ts of choosing cheese. When picking out a cheese, the first thing to do is read the label, if available. Sometimes you are at a cheese counter with what seems like 5 thousand people behind you, and you just can’t read the small labels on all the shiny cheese in the case. In that case (pun intended), get the name of the cheese and look it up later, if at all possible. Try hitting those fancy cheese stores/shops at an off time to learn this information. The folks behind the cheese counters in those places tend to be knowledgeable and helpful.
Reading the Cheese Label: If it has sugar added, put it down and WALK AWAY. I know I know, it looks like such a fabulous cheese and you really, really want to try it, but trust me when I say there are other cheeses in the sea.
Other things you should probably avoid: anything soy-derived, potato starch (used to prevent clumping), corn starch (modified or otherwise).
Generally speaking, higher-quality stuff isn’t going to have fillers and thickeners, but things like carrageenan and guar gum aren’t necessarily deal-breakers.
Carbs and cheese: So this part has been the most difficult for me. It’s a little sketch because some cheese labels say no carbs; this is misleading because all cheese has some carbs. The better brands mention the carbs, which should always be in low amounts. Steer clear of any cheese that is more than 1 or 2 carbs per serving. If you do get a higher carb kind of cheese, make sure you measure exactly what you are eating (food scales are the bomb). In order to make some cheeses more spreadable, carbs are added so watch out for pub cheese and the like. Places like The Angus Barn in Raleigh NC, have their own amazing spreadable cheese, but they were able to give us the carb count so we knew exactly how much we could have. When in doubt, ask!
Finally, for the love of cheese DO NOT get any low fat or fat free cheese. First of all, ew! Second of all, in order to get any food item lower in fat or fat free, something needs to be added when the fat is taken out. In this case the added stuff is sugar/carbs. When I learned this tidbit, I was furious with my previous self. All the fabulous bries, cheddars, and goudas I could have had instead of that floppy, tasteless, supposedly better-for-me but actually worse-for-me “cheese”, flashed through my mind.
Do you feel like you are inexperienced but would like to become a cheese-aholic? That is not a problem. Most places will let you sample ANY cheese they have in their store, all you have to do is ask. Here are a few stores that I have been able to try whatever my cheesy heart desired: Wegmans, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and every Deli Cheese Counter I have ever been to.
Try whatever cheese you can so you know exactly what you like and don’t like, what the texture is like, and think about how you can use this type of cheese/what you would pair it with. In a future article we will cover what/ how to pair cheese on a charcuterie board.
Oh Cheesus, that was a lot of information about cheese. Hopefully it wasn’t so much that you camembert-it. I’m gonna stop writing before I get too cheesy.
Summary of the Do’s
Summary of the Don’ts
Cheese is just one of the 15 items you should keep in your house.
Click here to read the other 14!
As breading for when I fry or bake things, nothing beats that savory crunch!
Making crackers & bread
Desserts! (cheesecake, pudding, & so much more)
As a binder
On its own (obvs!)
Let’s start with the Do’s and Don’ts of choosing cheese. When picking out a cheese, the first thing to do is read the label, if available. Sometimes you are at a cheese counter with what seems like 5 thousand people behind you, and you just can’t read the small labels on all the shiny cheese in the case. In that case (pun intended), get the name of the cheese and look it up later, if at all possible. Try hitting those fancy cheese stores/shops at an off time to learn this information. The folks behind the cheese counters in those places tend to be knowledgeable and helpful.
Reading the Cheese Label: If it has sugar added, put it down and WALK AWAY. I know I know, it looks like such a fabulous cheese and you really, really want to try it, but trust me when I say there are other cheeses in the sea.
Other things you should probably avoid: anything soy-derived, potato starch (used to prevent clumping), corn starch (modified or otherwise).
Generally speaking, higher-quality stuff isn’t going to have fillers and thickeners, but things like carrageenan and guar gum aren’t necessarily deal-breakers.
Carbs and cheese: So this part has been the most difficult for me. It’s a little sketch because some cheese labels say no carbs; this is misleading because all cheese has some carbs. The better brands mention the carbs, which should always be in low amounts. Steer clear of any cheese that is more than 1 or 2 carbs per serving. If you do get a higher carb kind of cheese, make sure you measure exactly what you are eating (food scales are the bomb). In order to make some cheeses more spreadable, carbs are added so watch out for pub cheese and the like. Places like The Angus Barn in Raleigh NC, have their own amazing spreadable cheese, but they were able to give us the carb count so we knew exactly how much we could have. When in doubt, ask!
Finally, for the love of cheese DO NOT get any low fat or fat free cheese. First of all, ew! Second of all, in order to get any food item lower in fat or fat free, something needs to be added when the fat is taken out. In this case the added stuff is sugar/carbs. When I learned this tidbit, I was furious with my previous self. All the fabulous bries, cheddars, and goudas I could have had instead of that floppy, tasteless, supposedly better-for-me but actually worse-for-me “cheese”, flashed through my mind.
Do you feel like you are inexperienced but would like to become a cheese-aholic? That is not a problem. Most places will let you sample ANY cheese they have in their store, all you have to do is ask. Here are a few stores that I have been able to try whatever my cheesy heart desired: Wegmans, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and every Deli Cheese Counter I have ever been to.
Try whatever cheese you can so you know exactly what you like and don’t like, what the texture is like, and think about how you can use this type of cheese/what you would pair it with. In a future article we will cover what/ how to pair cheese on a charcuterie board.
Oh Cheesus, that was a lot of information about cheese. Hopefully it wasn’t so much that you camembert-it. I’m gonna stop writing before I get too cheesy.
Summary of the Do’s
- Check Labels for ingredients and carb count
- Ask to try cheese
- Ask for nutritional information
- Eat Cheese
Summary of the Don’ts
- No soy
- No sugar
- Watch the carbs
- Stay away from sketchy additives
- No Low Fat or Fat free Cheese
Cheese is just one of the 15 items you should keep in your house.
Click here to read the other 14!
