Processed cheeses are considered not the most useful product, and the controversy around it does not subside. However, it appears on every table from time to time. Is processed cheese good for you?
This type of cheese appeared in the Swiss town of Thun shortly before the First World War. Cheese makers of that time produced too much hard cheese, and naturally there was a reason to dispose of it.
Processed cheese belongs to the group of dairy products. It contains natural fatty and low-fat cheeses, cottage cheese, milk powder, cream, butter, sour cream and other dairy products. Also, for a homogeneous consistency for the production of processed cheese, melting salts are used: sodium citrate, sodium, potassium, calcium phosphates. Cheese may also contain starch, hydrocolloids, dyes, flavors, preservatives and antioxidants.
For a variety of tastes, sugar and various flavors are added to the cheese.
Thus, processed cheese is the result of the disposal of various dairy products. For its preparation, cheeses and butter are used, with deviations from the established norms for the mass fraction of moisture, fat, table salt, as well as in appearance, consistency and taste. Products with rancid, rotten, putrid, pronounced greasy and moldy taste and smell, with the smell of oil products, chemicals, and also with the presence of foreign inclusions are not allowed for processing.
Processed cheese is stored for a long time, since it is produced using heat treatment and sealed packaging, in which the cheese can be stored for up to 180 days.
There are many “cheese-like” products on store shelves, and not all of them are natural processed cheese. Such products are made cheaper by using cheaper vegetable oils, hard cheeses and dry ingredients. Therefore, choose processed cheese for your table, give preference to proven brands and a high price.
Recall that earlier we told who should not eat processed cheese, and also shared a recipe for how to make processed cheese at home.