% Gouda Versus 50/50 Gouda/cheddar Mix
I decided to run a little experiment. I made two batches of mac & cheese. One using 100% red wax gouda and the other using a 50/50 mix of gouda and sharp cheddar cheese. Both of the cheeses I shredded myself. You really don’t find shredded Gouda in a bag and even if you did, I would avoid the already shredded cheese. You will find mold inhibitors and corn starch often added to shredded cheese – there is no reason to run the risk of those ingredients being harmful just to save you some time. A simple box grater or even your food processor gets the job done. That way you are not stuck with just using what’s offering in the bags.
For both recipes I made a simple roux with ½ stick of butter melted, then added 3 tablespoons flour and ¼ teaspoon mustard powder. Then added 2 cups of milk, and when it boiled, added 8 ounces of cheeses . The 100% Gouda mac & cheese took longer to melt, I had to stir it more to evenly melt the cheese. It produced a rich, creamy mac & cheese that I just wanted to gobble up on the spot! The 50/50 mix was good but not as flavorful as the 100% Gouda. My kids still prefer the 50/50 mix over just straight cheddar.
How Gouda Is Made
Immense attention to detail goes into the production of Gouda, all the way from the milking parlor to the creamery, with quality being ensured through comprehensive testing.
The process begins by pouring fresh milk into a large vat. Depending on the type of Gouda, the milk is either raw or pasteurized. Natural bacteria and rennet are then added to coagulate the milk and form the curd. When firm, the curd is separated and placed in a mold. The cheese obtains its characteristic density from being compressed by weights, and is then ready for brining. The salt from the brine slows down any unwanted bacterial activity and promotes the iconic Gouda flavor. A natural cheese coating is applied to help shield against contamination, before it is finally set to age. A steady lukewarm temperature encourages the flavors to flourish while simultaneously allowing the cheese to release moisture, resulting in a dense and consistent texture. Gouda can spend anywhere from four weeks to over 12 months maturing, resulting in vastly different outcomes.
Gouda comes in both pasteurized and unpasteurized variants. Similarly, production calls for either vegetarian or non-vegetarian rennet, resulting in cheeses suited for most preferences. Always be sure to check the label when in doubt.
Choosing The Right Gouda
First, you want to choose something that is going to have some flavor. A really young Gouda is great paired up with some crackers but often too mild for mac & cheese. Look for a red wax Gouda that has been aged. It should have a light tan color. I wouldn’t pick something too old either, you want a cheese that is going to melt nicely. If it shreds nicely it should work out just fine. Most of the time you will easily spot the red wax Gouda and that takes all the worries away. If you really want to up the flavor ante, go for a smoked Gouda. Most stores carry them. The smokiness won’t be as pronounced in the final dish as the cheese itself, so it should provide a nice flavor note without overwhelming your taste buds. I would still do light on the smoked first just to be sure you like it.
As it related to price, Gouda and cheddar are pretty comparable. You should be able to find Gouda for around $3.99 to $5.99 per pound. Of course there are more expensive Goudas but anything in the given price range should be just fine to produce a quality mac & cheese.
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Buying Aged Gouda Cheese
Every once in a while you meet someone who really, really knows their stuff about a particular food topic and a couple of weeks ago I meet this guy Jack at our local farmers market in the cheese area and we get to talking.
Jack is a colorful guy who tells it like it is and doesnt care if you like what he has to say or not. As soon as we started talking, I knew I could learn a boatload from him.
I sampled a taste of aged Gouda cheese at a charity event to benefit Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, an incredible group of people whose goal is to raise money to find a cure for childhood cancer one cup at time. Many of you may have heard of Alexs foundation but if not, I highly recommend you visit their site and read more about them and make a contribution.
It is a wonderful cause and I will write about the event in a future blog.
How To Eat Gouda
Gouda tastes delicious just by itself. However, if youre looking for some more creative ways to eat it, then here are some ideas.
First of all, how people use Gouda generally depends on the age of the cheese.
For the younger varieties of Gouda, the mild taste works in all kinds of different dishes and pairs well with many foods.
Here are some ways to use mild Gouda
- Cheese platters
- Melted on top of various dishes
- Omelets
- With crackers
- With fruit
For stronger, older varieties of Gouda, it is traditionally served alongside alcohol such as strong ales and red wine.
That said, it will also work well as part of a cheese platter and to make sharp and tangy fondue.
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Making Gouda Mac And Cheese
A Few Helpful Tips For Making This Fabulous Grilled Cheese With Gouda Roasted Mushrooms And Onions Sandwich:
- Roasting vegetables is such an easy step that adds so much flavor to vegetables and makes this sandwich so wonderfully tasty. Youll find easy instructions for roasting in this recipe for one of my favorite soups: White Bean and Roasted Mushrooms Soup.
- The mushrooms and onions can be roasted ahead of time and stored, covered in a refrigerator until ready to assemble sandwich. If desired, rewarm roasted mushroom and onions up a bit in a microwave for a few seconds or toss in a skillet on the stovetop to warm.
- Choose your favorite mushrooms to use. Baby Bella mushrooms are lovely but any mushrooms you can find will work just fine.
- Even though any sweet or yellow onion will work for this recipes, if you can find a sweet Vidalia onion to use for this sandwich, get it!
- Although I think Gouda is just perfect for this grilled cheese, a Gruyere, Jarlsberg or your favorite softer cheese even a brie would be fantastic. This article from Food & Wine describing different kinds of cheese may help understand the differences between cheese and assist in choosing some good options for the best grilled cheese.
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Grilled Cheese With Gouda Roasted Mushrooms And Onions
This Grilled Cheese with Gouda, Roasted Mushrooms and Onions recipe takes grilled cheese sandwiches to a new level of goodness.
A great classic grilled cheese sandwich is hard to beat. A grilled cheese sandwich jacked up with Gouda cheese and roasted mushrooms and onions? Well, thats a grilled cheese sandwich that is even harder to beat.
I could go on and waste your time rambling on about how so wonderfully scrumptious this Grilled Cheese with Gouda, Roasted Mushrooms and Onions sandwich was that it didnt even make it to the table. No joking. But Id rather just tell you to get you some bread, gouda, mushrooms and onions, and get to it.
Its really that good. Really.
I promise youll be pleased with this grilled cheese.
Provides Large Amounts Of Vitamin K2
There are two distinct types of vitamin K
- Vitamin K1
- Vitamin K2
Vitamin K1 is present in a large variety of plant-based foods, and green vegetables are an especially good source.
On the other hand, we can find vitamin K2 in animal foods and foods that undergo bacterial fermentation such as natto and sauerkraut. Among animal-based foods, aged hard cheese is particularly high in vitamin K2 .
Additionally, vitamin K2 is much easier for the human body to absorb than vitamin K1, and it has a longer half-life in the body. On this note, peer-reviewed research suggests that K2 may be up to 10x more bioavailable than K1 .
While research on vitamin K2 is still in its relative infancy, the compound is thought to be important for cardiovascular and skeletal health. Most notably, research indicates that higher vitamin K2 intake may reduce the risk of arterial calcification, which can lead to heart disease .
On the positive side, Gouda cheese is one of the best dietary sources of vitamin K2.
If vitamin K2 is of interest, then Jarlsberg cheese appears to provide the most concentrated source of this nutrient.
How Much Vitamin K2 Does Gouda Provide?
In recently published research on the menaquinone content of cheese, we can see that Gouda provides more vitamin K2 than most other cheese varieties.
Based on the data from this research, the table below shows the vitamin K2 content of various types of cheese .
Vitamin K2 Content of Gouda vs. Other Types of Cheese
| Type of Cheese |
|---|
Key Point:
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Gouda Cheese : Nutrition Taste And How To Eat It
Last Updated on September 29, 2020 by Michael Joseph
Gouda is one of the worlds most popular varieties of cheese.
With a delicious taste and some unique nutrition benefits, this traditional cheese has a lot to offer too.
In this guide, we examine the distinctive profile of Gouda, its full nutrition values, potential benefits, and some tasty ways to eat it.
Ways To Eat Properly Aged Cheese While You Still Can
In a new ruling, the Food and Drug Administration is prohibiting cheese makers from aging their creations on wooden boards. Supposedly because the wooden boards are not adequately cleanable. According to the cheesemonger and author Gordon Edgar, the FDA has not had an issue with wooden boards for decades, not to mention that cheese makers have been using them for centuries. He says that without appropriate aging on wooden boards, some cheeses will lose their distinctive character, texture and flavor. Whats worse, some cheeses will cease to be available in this country entirely. Comté, for example, cannot actually be Comté without wood aging, due to name protections and production requirements. Issues over name protection are another problem entirely, but this ruling by the FDA could affect the cheeses you eat every day. So while its still available, here are some ways to make use of well-made cheese.
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How Gouda Cheese Is Made
The regions of the Netherlands known for producing Gouda are North and South Holland, North Brabant, and Friesland. North and South Holland have lush, grassy pastures that produce especially rich, high-fat cow’s milk. This milk is used for making what is considered the best Gouda in the Netherlands.
After the milk has thickened into curds, the curds are rinsed with warm water. The temperature of the water, even by a few degrees, can affect the flavor of the cheese. The water thoroughly removes whey from the curds and along with it, lactose sugar. Removing the lactose means the bacteria has nothing left to feed on and will stop producing lactic acid. Less lactic acid means the cheese will have a sweeter flavor.
Because the curds are rinsed to remove lactose and because many types of Gouda are aged for so long, Gouda tends to have less lactose than other types of cheese.
Gouda is colored orange by adding the natural plant-based colorants annatto or carotene. When you see small holes in Gouda, that’s because lactic bacteria cultures that produce CO2 are added to the milk. The CO2 produces bubbles that create little holes, or eyes, in the cheese.
Gouda Is A Great Source Of Calcium And Protein
Per the National Post, vitamin K is found in high quantities in leafy greens, natt , and also in some cheeses, like Gouda, made in the Netherlands. Additionally, some researchers are studying whether or not vitamin K may have a role in fighting COVID-19. But why is vitamin K important? As Harvard Health explains, vitamin K is critical for building proteins to help our bodies when it comes to blood clotting properly, and helps strengthen bones. The adequate amount of vitamin K to consume each day is 120 micrograms for men and 90 micrograms for women. InnovixLabs notes that while Dutch Gouda is high in vitamin K, American Gouda, not so much. Still, this tasty cheese has other benefits to consider beyond its vitamin K contributions to your daily diet.
Jake’s Gouda Cheese points out that Gouda is also a great source of calcium and protein. Boasting 198 milligrams of calcium, or 20 percent of the daily recommended intake, per a single ounce, and 7 grams of your daily protein needs, eating Gouda cheese can help contribute to healthy bones, building and repairing cells, and providing you with energy to fuel your body. Eating Gouda cheese is clearly an effective and delicious way to get many of the nutrients needed to keep us strong and healthy.
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What Is Gouda Cheese Good With
Gouda cheese is a perfect match with fruits, crackers, bread and mustard. If you enjoy Goudas complex nutty flavor, you can it an aged Gouda cheese on its own.
Depending on Gouda cheese age, it can be paired with beer, wine or whiskey. For beer, Gouda goes well with brown or amber ales, which have nutty and caramel flavor. Aged Gouda cheese pair well with doppelbock, Belgium dubble, or a stout that has roasted coffee and chocolate flavor.
Gouda cheese goes well with a single malt scotch from Speuside. An aged Gouda pair well with an aged bourbon or rye whiskey or a Highland scotch. A smoke Gouda cheese is good with a peated scotch or whiskey.
See more:
What Is Gouda Cheese
Gouda cheese is one of the most popular cheeses and it is originated more than 800 years ago in the Netherlands.
This cheese has many forms. A young Gouda is smooth and creamy. Older one is hard and crumbly. Gouda cheese is a versatile cheese that can go well with all kinds of flavors.
Goudas have a pale-yellow hue. Some of them have very small holes which have a nuttier flavor. Some have rinds, and some dont.
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What Is Camembert Cheese
Camembert cheese is a soft cheese. This is a typical French cheese. More specifically, it is known for its first appearance in the Normandy area in northwestern France.
This is a type of cheese made from fresh cows milk to ferment. So, its understandable that this cheese reminds you of the barren fields covered with snow, along with the yellow crust of Camembert.
When it comes to Camembert, do not forget to mention the cheese color is white and pearly, soft and retains a transparent consistency.
Eating Uncooked Camembert Cheese
Before finding any ways on how to eat Camembert cheese, you need to know that you can eat uncooked camembert cheese if you are not in a special group.
Lets dive into how to eat Camembert cheese which is uncooked in the right way.
First, keep in mind to let the cheese come to room temperature on the counter. You know, the typical French cheese often tastes the best at room temperature, instead of getting straight from the refrigerator.
Its better to take the cheese out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you want to eat it, so it has time to warm up.
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What Do You Eat With Gouda Cheese
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. Furthermore, what goes well with gouda?
Gouda with its mild nutty flavor and fruity taste is a good pairing with Champagne, Cava, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Merlot. A slightly smoked Gouda, will enhance the pairing experience and also complement a Zinfandel or Shiraz.
Furthermore, can you eat the red part of Gouda cheese? So long as the cheese coating in question was not made by man alone the rind is safe to eat. Depending on your palate, you may find that a little rind complements the cheese and enhances its flavor. You may also find it too strong, bitter, moldy or textually unpleasant.
People also ask, what meat is good with Gouda cheese?
Salami and GoudaSalami is a charcuterie crowd-favorite and honestly, you really can’t go wrong with this cheese pairing. Try pairing it with gouda, a semi-hard cheese with roots in the Netherlands. Gouda comes in multiple varieties aged, smoky, or flavor-infused to suit whichever mood you’re in.
Is Gouda good for grilled cheese?
These Are the 3 Best Cheeses for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich According to Science. Basically, the gooeyness level of cheese when melted is ultimately based on its pH. Cheeses with an acidity in the range of pH 5.3 to 5.5 such as gouda, gruyére or manchego are best for being heated up in a sandwich.
