Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-13
Table and Kitchen.
uheess varaetaes IA COOKING.

Oneo0o vex1ot100 IN OVo11oB.
Cheese 10 q foodstuff remarkable a. pre-
sentins large amount Of nutrient In small,
compact bulk. II, a. stated BY some att
thorities. one pound OF cheese contains a.
much heterogeneous food as two pounds OF
meat and az much fat az three pounds OF
flesh food. we must offset this statement
with the fact that cheese 10 not a food
readily digested by every one. especially the
skim milk variety. AS a valuable addition
to the diet Of men working in the open air
and engaged In occupations which demand
great output Of muscular energy. az in
mechanical work, It IL OF great worth and
far more serviceable as a convenient and
available form Of food than meat.
Much of the indigestibility OF cheese is
Que to imperfect preparation in cooking or
masticatfon; also owing to the absence Of
the natural salts Of milk. especially potash.
OF sodium Is added, but soda salts do not
replace those of potash in the animal
economy
Grating cheese before cooking obviates
the mechanical difficulty to a certain de-
gree. but even then bad cooking will him
der the result aimed at Even with care
full cooking the cheese may be made very
fnddgest1ble If 1t is poor in fat. as the
enect OF heat Is to harden the casefn and
transform 1t into horny, indigesttble mass
similar to an overfried egg.
Cheese cannot truthfully be said to aid
digestion. although 1t Is quite true that
the difficulty of disposing Of 1t may so
stimulate the digestive functions to action
that other less indigestible food materials
are more easily disposed Of. But 1t is poor
economy and certainly culpable waste to
consume foods rendered fndigesttble Cheese
owes its savoriness to the decomposition
OF its casein, and the especial and various
f1avors most undoubtedly depend on the
particular species of germ which has found
- rtx H.
each species producing definite chemical
bodies which give to that particular kind
of cheese Its special and peculiar charac-
terfstics. Cheesemaking Is rapidly becom-
ing such a science that no doubt the manu-
facturers will soon be able to produce from
the same casein cheeses very unlike In
flavor and character, just as different
yeasts will produce In the juice of same
grape wines quite dissimilar in character
and bouquet. The cheesemaker of the fu-
ture will probably produce under the same
roof the Stilton, which now comes from
one locality; Gorgonzola, from another;
Gruyere, from a third, etc.
Fat in cheese Is not essential for the de-
composition, but its presence is convenient
in retarding the process so that it does not
become excessive. We may regard cheese
as consisting whole of one-third water.
one-thfrd heterogeneous matter, and one-third
fat, with no inconsiderable amount of min
eral matter present, consisting chiefly OF
salts Of lime, and In some varieties of
The heterogeneous matter present is mainly
though not entirely, in the form of proteids.
The proportions of these different proper
ties vary considerably in the different kinds
Of cheese.
AS cheese consists essentially Of the case
in and fat in milk 1t must always be an
article of diet somewhat trying to delicate
stomachs. as first the digestive juices must
penetrate the waterproof coating" formed
of the fat before 1t can have access to the
casein.
When persons OF weak digestion indulge
in cheese they should masticate 1t until IT is
reduced to a state of exceedingly fine par
ticles before swallowing. Hard or dry
cheese Is more easily pulverfzed and not SO
apt to be swallowed In humps as the softer
kinds. Grated cheese obviates the danger
OF it's being swallowed before its particles
are properly and thoroughly separated, but
a better way is to dissolve the cheese mixed
with other foods. The fatty acids produced
in the process Of cheese ripening, although
small in quantity, are irritating, and may
possibly be the cause of cheese disagreeing
in some instances. The difficulty Of digest
ing cheese is In the stomach: once properly
disposed of there and transferred to the In
testine 1t Is absorbed as easily and COM
pletely as meat.
Adopting cheese as a cheap and valuable
substitute for expensive meat, we must first
consider it's relative food value, and there
can be no reasonable doubt Of its high nu-
tritfve value when one remembers that
pound Of such cheese as cheddar should rep
resent the total casein and most of the fat
of a gallon of rich milk.
In choosing cheese as a cheap substitute
for meat we must take into consideration
the varieties and know whether we are
paying for flavor or actual food value
estimated at the actual cost OF a pouno
of proteid and fat contained In the
cheese with all water excluded. A very
interesting table Is given for those who
wish to study the relative merits or dit
ferent kinds of cheese. whether they oe-
sJra 70 br1y and ada0uat6 ENbStf-
tute for meat or simply as savory ap-
pendage to an ample meal
The table shows. for example, that
American cheese contains rather more nu-
triment than the same quantity of
Parmesan, and at half the price. Stilton.
again, costs twice as much as the Amer
lean and contains about the same pro-
portion of real food. The man who wishes
to buy a cheese that Is cheap and rich
in nutriment is advised to purchase the
American or Dutch-the former pre-
ferred. In this way he gets the best re-
turns for money spent IL he desires actual
bodily sustenance and building material.
Hard and Soft Kinds.
The chief examples of hard cheese are
Parmesan, Gonda, Edam, Chester, Ched-
dar and Roquefort
Among the soft cheeses the most COM
mon are Brie, Camembert, Neufchatel
Gorgonzola, Limberg. Stilton and Cream.
made from milk to which cream has been
added The soft cheeses are made for i'm
mediate use and do not keep we'll.
Rich ripe cheese can rarely be used in
cookery unles for the production of cheese
straws and fingers; for these almost any
kind may be used. often green Stilton, Gar
gonzola or even Roquefort.
Round Dutch cheese might be used more
frequently in cookery, as it CRATES we'll
although 1t has less flavor than Cheddar
or Glocester.
Filled cheese-those made of SKINNED
milk with lard or some cheap fat added to
them-are to be avoided. They do not keep
well, have little flavor and when placed IN
a warm temperature they become oily. as
the lard and casein refuse to blend COM
pletely. Place a slice piece of filed
cheese on a plate and stand in warm
place for several hours and the lard will be
found nearly all melted out on the plate.
Cheese lovers can usually detect the filled
cheese by taste and smell, If not by APP
pearance
Filled cheeses are the most indigestible of
all for delicate persons.
American cheesemakers very successfully
initiate the highly esteemed foreign cheeses.