Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <indian-cuisine><raw><paneer>
Title: Does paneer have to be cooked?
Question: I want to just toss it into some indian food I have. Does it need to be cooked first or is it ok if it just warms up a bit when I throw it in the sauce?

Answers:
sents: text: Paneer can be used as is.
text: Sometimes it is fried to extend shelf life.
text: Cooks will also sometimes fry paneer until it is slightly brown and then put the fried cubes of paneer in hot water for a few minutes.
text: This makes paneer very soft.
text: If you do cook paneer, it will not melt, like most other cheese varieties, because it's an acid-set cheese.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4817/Avinash Bhat
score: 18
sents: text: Well, I am Indian, so let me tell you this: in traditional North-Indian cooking (and this is where paneer is widely used),
text: paneer is almost always cooked.
text: Yes, no problem with not cooking it, but uncooked paneer is not a good dish.
text: It is more a dry and stingy (for lack of a better word) cheese.
text: So you see paneer or cottage cheese is best served cooked and well seasoned.
text: That is where the real magic of cheese lies!
text: P.S. Google "paneer pakoda".
text: This is a unique dish which will show you the versatility of the item.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/6197/Chani
score: 13
sents: text: It does not have to be cooked.
text: It's cheese!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4777/Doug
score: 5
sents: text: I didnt think paneer melts.
text: You can boil it and boil it in a curry and it still maintains its shape.
text: But you can eat it raw! :-)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/13956/Richard
score: 4
sents: text: It could be eaten raw, but is generally heated or cooked.
text: Personally, I find that pouring piping hot sauce over room-temperature paneer cubes works wonders for delicate sauce-based dishes, while cooking them gives best results and texture in dryer style dishes.
text: I have only used fresh homemade paneer, so I am not sure if differences in taste or texture with the store-bought stuff would yield different recommendations.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/6198/mtone
score: 1
sents: text: You have to prepare paneer in boiling water.
text: Remove paneer from refrigerator.
text: Cut it into cubes.
text: Place it in boiling water and keep it for 5 minutes.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22986/Chandu
score: 0
sents: text: Uncooked Paneer tastes like putty.
text: No taste.
text: Paneer aught to be fried to a golden crust.
text: Best is to fry the Paneer and let it soak in hot water for some time.
text: That gives the best Paneer.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/25009/APS Dhillon
score: 0
sents: text: It depends on which dish you are using it in.
text: In some you can fry and put in the sauce, in some you can put after the sauce is ready, in some you might have to marinate it for a few hours before you use it and in some you are required to cook it in the sauce for last few minutes before the dish is ready.
text: Generally in the last case you need to be careful not to cook it too long else paneer cubes might break or crumble.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/64234/user9162379
score: 0
sents: text: There is no black and white reply to that question.
text: All depends on the dish being cooked or the chef.
text: Some chef might put paneer before serving in shahee paneer or butter paneer but some might like to cook it in the sauce for last five minutes before serving.
text: Generally it is cooked for very short time.
text: The chances that it will be eaten raw is a little less but not impossible.
text: It is put raw in salads and it is grated on several dishes.
text: At the same time chances that it will be cooked for long is also less but not impossible.
text: Like in some dishes it is deep fried or roasted.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/64234/user9162379
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
Paneer can be eaten uncooked, but the taste is much better when boiled or slightly browned before use in a dish.
It can be eaten raw but it is better to cook it for taste.