Do you know which cheese that doesn’t melt? And why doesn’t it melt? We often use different types of cheese in our dishes and with their help a variety of dishes are prepared. Which are delicious and have a great flavor.
With the help of cheese, we make both sweet and salty dishes. So it is important to know which cheese that doesn’t melt and why it does not melt.
To know these questions, you have to read this article till the end. After reading this article in its entirety, you will be familiar with the answers to these questions.
So What Cheese Doesn’t Melt?
Most cheese that doesn’t melt are white cheese. White cheese is bit squeaky when eaten or heated.
This is because of how the cheese is being prepared. It is divided into two basic types.
- Food-grade acid curdled cheese
- Rennet enzyme cheese
- Cheese Food-grade acid curdled cheese
It does not melt, but it does fry well. There is no need to worry about the word acid. Cheese that is made from milk naturally contains acid due to milk.
When milk turns into curdles, many of its components are separated. Natural light acid is one of these ingredients. That helps the milk to make more curdles.
These curdles stay together inside the container for hours or days. It all depends on what kind of cheese you are going to make.
The end result is white cheese and you will read many examples of white cheese in this article.
Examples of Non-Melting Cheese
The list of non-melting cheeses is long, but here are some common types of cheeses that do not melt.
I’m trying my best to include most of these cheeses, maybe some cheeses are left.
Cheese That Doesn’t Melt
Most white cheeses don’t melt like that
- Paneer
- Cottage cheese
- Ricotta
- Queso Blanco
- Feta
- Quark
- Mascarpone
- Halloumi
Brined cheeses include mostly Eastern European and Mediterranean cheeses. White cheese does not age in terms of purpose.
Mozzarella is a white cheese but it is not made from food grade acids. It is made of rennet. So it can mature and it melts.
Brie, Camembert and other white-looking cheeses are actually moldy and aged cheeses. They melt during baking if there is too much heat.
Blue cheese while curdled cheese and white are also aged cheeses. Mold can grow on their surface, which can cause changes in their chemical structure. And these cheeses don’t melt either.
Why Doesn’t the Cheese Melt?
Some cheeses melt and some do not melt. There is a science behind this. There is ambiguity in them but I will try my best to explain things here.
Remember that cheese is a very wide topic and there are many types of it. What we are going to focus on here is what is the way to get cheese?
We will not discuss the age of cheese, brined, moldy or anything else. The way curds cheese is made is one of two ways.
Food-Grade Acid Made Cheese
To make cheese you need acid, vinegar or lime / lemon juice or lactic acid that is left over from the previous cheese. The main purpose of using these things when making cheese is to separate the milk into curds and whey.
When you make cheese this way, it is usually very soft and can be easily broken. It does not have the texture of rennet-made cheese and if you do not take proper care of it, it will spoil after a few days.
Examples include cottage cheese, ricotta and feta cheese.
The only reason these cheeses don’t melt is because the curds contain protein in the form of plain milk. Protein does not melt or spread.
Rennet Made Cheese
Rennet is a type of enzyme obtained from the fourth stomach of a calf. This product is obtained by slaughtering animals.
This is a very old way of making cheese. When cheese is made with this method, these enzymes help to grow a complete culture of bacteria.
These are yellow orange cheeses. They have a strong smell and are one of the most expensive cheeses on the market.
Here are some examples of this cheese. Parmesan, Cheddar, Provolone, Gruyere, Mozzarella, and the famous Raclette.
Rennet cheese is aged cheese even if it is a few weeks old. They melt due to enzymes and the protein changes its structure.
Sometimes very old cheese melts poorly due to lack of moisture.
These cheeses are considered to be the most expensive cheeses in the market, but there are also cheaper types of cheeses in the market.
That are slightly different from them. But you notice the difference when you are melting them and they do not melt as you wish.
The most common example is fake, Permian cheese. It starts to get harder when you try to melt it.
The cheeses that you usually see in advertisements actually melt quickly. And these are aged cheeses that we like to use in different dishes.
Pay Attention to Pre-Shredded Cheese
This is not a type of cheese and this type of cheese rarely melts. The reason they don’t melt is that when these shredded cheeses have to be packed, non-stick powder is added to them so that they don’t stick to the wrapper.
The same powder does not melt shredded cheese. And these powders eliminate the purpose of buying shredded cheese.
The process described above, which is repeated with shredded cheese during packing, destroys the chances of it melting or does not allow it to melt properly.
That’s why even a small piece of chopped cheese can annoy you during cooking.
Most professional chefs advise not to buy shredded cheese to add cheese to anything you are cooking.
Because it will destroy the texture of your whole dish. If you want to melt parmesan cheese in your pasta, you should buy expensive but real parmesan cheese, and use it when needed.
It won’t take you long to melt and is guaranteed to have a Maltese / Salty Parmesan texture inside your pasta.
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully, after reading this article in its entirety, you will know which cheeses melt and which cheeses do not melt. You may also know why cheese does not melt.
All the information is now in your hands. Whenever you want to make any cheese dish, you will know which cheese to buy.
If you are interested in food or want to know more about different foods, stay tuned to our website.