Part 1

Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_

Issued February 26, 1912. 1434 Reprinted with slight changes, June, 1916.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

FARMERS’ BULLETIN 487.

CHEESE AND ITS ECONOMICAL USES IN THE DIET.

BY

C. F. LANGWORTHY, PH. D., _Chief of Office of Home Economics, States Relations Service_,

AND

CAROLINE L. HUNT, A. B., _Expert in Nutrition, Office of Home Economics_.

WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1916.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, STATES RELATIONS SERVICE,

_Washington, D. C., June 10, 1916_.

SIR: Since cheese is one of the important agricultural products of the United States and a foodstuff used in a larger or smaller quantity in nearly every American home, it seemed desirable to study its relative nutritive value and the ways in which it may be prepared for the table.

Although it is so generally liked, there seems to be a widespread belief that it is not well digested and that it is a cause of physiological disturbances. Neither of these beliefs is substantiated by the results of the extended series of digestion experiments undertaken as part of the nutrition investigations of the Office of Home Economics. Indeed, cheese was found to be very thoroughly digested, ranking with other staple foods in this respect. Moreover, experiments made with the respiration calorimeter did not indicate that it was less easy of digestion than a comparable amount of meat.

In the studies of the digestibility of cheese the Bureau of Animal Industry cooperated with the States Relations Service and was also of great assistance in securing, for experimental purposes, cheese made and cured under controlled conditions. Supplementing the experiments as to the nutritive value of cheese, many tests were made of methods of preparing cheese for the table, the main purpose being to suggest dishes and combinations of such a character that the cheese might replace other nitrogenous material and fat when this seemed desirable.

The bulletin was prepared by C. F. Langworthy, chief of the Office of Home Economics of the States Relations Service, and Miss Caroline L. Hunt, who has had wide experience in the study of both scientific and practical problems in nutrition. The recipes were collected from many sources and in the majority of cases were studied experimentally by Miss Hunt.

Acknowledgement should be made to teachers of home economics in agricultural colleges and other educational institutions, to housekeepers, and others who have supplied data of great value in preparing the bulletin.

Respectfully, A. C. TRUE, _Director_.

Hon. D. F. HOUSTON, _Secretary of Agriculture_.

CONTENTS.

Page.

Introduction 5

Cheese making 7

Kinds of cheese used in American homes 8

Cheddar and American full-cream cheese 8

English dairy cheese 9

Soft cream cheeses 9

Neufchâtel cheese 9

Parmesan cheese 10

Sap Sago 10

Gorgonzola and Roquefort 10

Potted or sandwich cheeses 10

Swiss cheese (Emmentaler, Gruyère, etc.) 10

Edam cheese 10

Brie and Camembert cheese 11

Cottage cheese 11

The care of cheese in the home 11

Cheese as a food 11

The flavor of cheese 12

Composition of cheese and some other foods compared 12

Nutritive value and cost of cheese and some other food materials 14

Amounts of protein and energy obtained for 10 cents expended for cheese and other foods at certain assumed prices per pound 14

The digestibility of cheese 15

The use of cheese in the diet 16

Bill-of-fare making with cheese as the central food 17

Homemade cheese 19

Curds and whey 19

Cottage cheese 19

Sour-cream cheese 20

Uncooked curd, or French cottage cheese 20

Junket 20

Buttermilk cheese 20

Buttermilk cream 21

Devonshire cream 21

Cheese dishes and their preparation 21

Cheese dishes which may be used in the same way as meat 22

Cheese sauce No. 1 22

Cheese sauce No. 2 23

Cheese sauce No. 3 23

Cheese sauce No. 4 23

Cheese fondue No. 1 24

Cheese fondue No. 2 24

Boiled fondue 25

Rice fondue 25

Corn and cheese soufflé 25

Welsh rabbit 25

Tomato rabbit 26

Green corn, tomato, and cheese 26

Macaroni and cheese No. 1 26

Macaroni and cheese No. 2 26

Macaroni and cheese and tomato sauce 26

Italian macaroni and cheese 26

Cheese and macaroni loaf 27

Baked rice and cheese No. 1 27

Baked rice and cheese No. 2 27

Baked crackers and cheese No. 1 27

Baked crackers and cheese No. 2 28

Cheese rolls 28

Boston roast 28

Pimiento and cheese roast 28

Nut and cheese roast 28

Cheese and spinach roll 28

Vegetable and cheese rolls 29

Cheese used in the stuffing of meat 29

Creamed cheese and eggs 29

Baked eggs with cheese 29

Scrambled eggs with cheese 29

Swiss eggs 29

Cheese omelet No. 1 30

Cheese omelet No. 2 30

Cheese omelet No. 3 30

Breakfast cereals with cheese 30

Oatmeal with cheese 30

Cheese with mush 31

Fried bread with cheese No. 1 31

Fried bread with cheese No. 2 31

Roman gnocchi 31

Cheese soufflé 31

Cheese soufflé with pastry 31

Cheese croquettes 32

Fried cheese balls 32

Cheese soups and vegetables cooked with cheese 32

Milk and cheese soup 32

Cheese and vegetable soup 32

Scalloped potatoes with cheese No. 1 33

Scalloped potatoes with cheese No. 2 33

Scalloped cabbage or cauliflower with cheese 33

Cheese with potato puffs 33

Potatoes with cheese sauce 33

Cheese salads, sandwiches, and similar cheese dishes 33

Cheese with salads 33

Plain cheese salad 34

Olive and pimiento sandwich or salad cheese 34

Cheese and tomato salad 34

Cheese and pimiento salad 34

Cheese jelly salad 34

Cheese salad and preserves 34

Deviled eggs with cheese 34

Cheese and celery 35

Buttermilk cream salad dressing 35

Buttermilk cream horseradish salad dressing 35

Cheese sandwiches 35

Cheese and anchovy sandwiches 35

Pimiento, olive and cheese sandwiches 35

Cuban sandwiches 35

Toasted cheese sandwiches 35

Cheese pastry, cheese sweets, and similar dishes 35

Cheese pastries and similar dishes 36

Cheese biscuits No. 1 36

Cheese biscuits No. 2 36

Cheese drops 36

Cheese wafers 37

Cheese relish 37

Cheese straws 37

Salad biscuit 37

Cheese gingerbread No. 1 37

Cheese gingerbread No. 2 37

Cheese custard 37

Cheese cakes 37

Brown Betty with cheese 38

Conclusion 38

CHEESE AND ITS ECONOMICAL USES IN THE DIET.

INTRODUCTION.

Cheese is believed to be the oldest of the dairy products and the first form in which milk was preserved for future use. One may conjecture that it owes its origin to the accidental storing and ripening of sour milk curd. Although it has been a staple food with many races for uncounted years, there is a widespread belief that it is suitable for use chiefly in small quantities as an accessory to the diet, and that in large quantities it is likely to produce physiological disturbances. We are inclined, therefore, to think of those who make cheese one of the chief articles of their diet as being driven to this course by necessity rather than being led to it by choice.

Because of these opinions extensive studies have been carried on as a part of the Department Work in Home Economics, of the food value, thoroughness of digestibility, ease of digestion, physiological effect, and special character of cheese as food as well as of methods which are followed in preparing it for the table. The conclusion drawn from this extended study is, in brief, that cheese properly prepared and used is not generally a cause of physiological disturbances, and that it may easily be introduced into the bill of fare in such quantities as to serve as the chief source of nitrogenous food and may be made a substitute for other nitrogenous foods when such substitution is desired.[1] The results of these studies have been brought together in this bulletin with a view to making them helpful to all interested in the subject, but particularly to housekeepers.

From the standpoint of the housekeeper, cheese is of importance because of its high nutritive value, particularly its high percentage of protein or muscle-forming materials, because of the ease with which it can be kept and prepared for the table, and because of its appetizing flavor and of the great variety of ways in which it can be served.

From the point of view of agriculture cheese is an important commodity. The latest census figures available show that considerably over 300,000,000 pounds are made yearly in the United States, the value of the product being nearly $29,000,000, and the amount of money invested being over $6,000,000. The figures quoted are from the census report which first separated the details of the cheese industry from those of the butter and condensed-milk industries. From earlier statistics available, however, it is fair to judge in a general way of the development of any one of these industries from the figures given for the three industries combined. In general, these figures show that there was a great leap forward in the three industries in the decade between the years 1880 and 1890, and that since that time there has been a continuous, steady, healthy growth in the business of cheese making.

As might be expected, the amount of the product and the amount of money invested have increased more rapidly than the number of men employed, indicating that, as in most manufacturing industries, labor-saving devices and other improvements have reduced the proportion of physical labor required.

As regards the kind of cheese made in the United States, the figures show that of the amount produced in 1905 approximately three-fourths was what is known to the trade as standard factory cheese, or what is usually known to the retail purchaser as American cheese. A very small per cent—1.1 per cent—was skim-milk cheese, the remainder being American modifications of certain important foreign brands, Neufchâtel, Camembert, and others.

From the standpoint of the retail dealer, cheese is important because it is a convenient article to handle. Its percentage of nutrients being high and its percentage of water low, it is not bulky. It is comparatively easy, too, to preserve in good condition. The difficulty of cutting exact amounts called for by customers may be considered the chief inconvenience. Efforts have been made to obviate this difficulty by making small cheeses. Experiments have been reported from the Oregon Experiment Station[2] on the canning of cheese in pound lots; and from the Wisconsin Experiment Station[3] in making cheese prints like those in which butter is commonly sold. In some of the factories cheeses weighing about 5 pounds and having the same shape as the larger cheeses are made. These are convenient for use in families where a large amount of cheese is eaten, and furthermore cheese in such form dries out and spoils less quickly and easily than cheese cut in wedge-shaped slices, as it usually is when sold by the pound. A convenient way of keeping and using such cheese is given on page 11.

The sale of cheese in pots is another way of overcoming the difficulty of cutting exact amounts. Cheese thus prepared is, as a rule, softened by the addition of butter fat or other fat, with the idea of making it of such consistency that it can be used like soft cheeses.

There is something to be said also of the value of cheese to that not inconsiderable number of individuals who must occasionally cater for themselves—those men and women in business life, for example, who find it convenient neither to carry lunches nor to go to restaurants. For these, cheese offers a convenient way of supplying the necessary protein, for it can usually be obtained in good condition in any neighborhood. Combined with crackers, some of the ready-cooked cereals, or bread, and with fruit, it makes a fairly well-balanced meal.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] U. S. Dept. Agr., Yearbook 1910, p. 359.

[2] Oregon Sta. Bul. 78.

[3] Wisconsin Sta. Rpt. 1901, p. 132; U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers’ Bul. 156.

CHEESE MAKING.

Though the chief points in the manufacture of cheese are well known, and are discussed in detail in other publications[4] of this department, it may not be out of place to review them here. Cheese is made ordinarily from whole milk, and most of the kinds best known in the United States from cows’ milk. In every 8 parts of milk by weight there is approximately 1 part of solid nutrients, the remainder being water. For our present purpose we may think of the nutrients as being equally divided into three groups—protein substances (casein and albumin principally), fat, and milk sugar. In the process of cheese making the casein, which constitutes more than three-fourths of the proteids of the milk, is precipitated by rennet, forming a curd. Most of the fat attaches itself to this curd. The curd is broken up, and the whole is heated to a temperature between 96° and 108° F. The whey is drained off and carries with it most of the milk sugar and the albumin. The curd is salted and pressed. It is kept for several weeks or longer in a cool place, where it “ripens,” developing flavors through the action of bacteria or other microorganisms, and also undergoing certain other marked changes.

The average cheese while fresh and moist contains proteids and fat in much the same ratio as that in which they are found in the milk. More than one-fourth its weight is proteid, about one-third fats, and one-third water. There are always present small amounts of albumin and sugar which have clung to the curd. Owing to the addition of salt, the percentage of mineral matter is high compared with that of most other foods.

In ripening, cheese changes in texture and its original pastiness gives away to a somewhat granular consistency in some types, or to a waxy or a buttery consistency in others.

The above brief outline refers only to the essentials of cheese making. In practice, there are many variations with respect to the kind of milk used, the proportion of butter fat or cream retained in or added to the milk, with respect to the methods followed in separating, preparing, seasoning, and handling the curd, and to the handling and ripening of the cheese. It follows that there is an almost endless number of cheeses with different names and of different appearance and flavor.

Cheese making was formerly a home or farm industry, but is now, in the United States at least, very largely a commercial enterprise carried on in factories. It differs from many industries in that the factories are almost always located in the country or in the smaller towns rather than in large cities, this being more true of cheese making than of the manufacture of potted cheeses or other special articles, which has become a large industry. It is worthy of mention in this connection that the making of cheese crackers and other bakers’ goods in which cheese is an ingredient has developed into an important part of the baking trade.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers’ Buls. 166, 225, 244; Bur. Anim. Indus. Buls. 105, 146.

KINDS OF CHEESE USED IN AMERICAN HOMES.

The American factory cheese—the so-called American cream cheese—is of the English Cheddar type, and as it is the most commonly used of all the commercial varieties in the United States, may be taken as a standard. Other types are, however, well known, particularly in cities and large towns where there are well-stocked markets and stores, and it is interesting to note also, at least briefly, the characteristics of some of them. Full descriptions of a very large number of cheeses (about 250 in all) may be found in an earlier bulletin of this department.[5]

CHEDDAR AND AMERICAN FULL-CREAM CHEESE.

Cheddar cheese—named from the English village where it originated—is a comparatively old type of cheese, very popular in England and also in the United States. The name is now more fitly applied to a process than to any particular shape.

Cheddar cheese is made from sweet cows’ milk, which may be skimmed, partly skimmed, or unskimmed. If made from unskimmed milk the cheese is called “full cream.” If cream is removed the cheese is designated “part-skim” or “skim,” as the case may be.

Cheese of Cheddar type as made in the United States is perhaps most often marketed in large, flat, round forms, 13 to 16 inches in diameter, about 5 or 6 inches in height, and weighing 26 to 32 pounds each, though other shapes and sizes are also fairly common. It is usually pale to darker yellow in color, though it may be white when uncolored. When fresh it is mild in flavor, but when well ripened has a characteristic and sharp taste. The new cheese is soft, though not waxy, in texture, and may be easily shaved or broken into small pieces. When well ripened it may be finely grated.

These characteristics, together with its distinctive and peculiar flavor and its wide distribution in the markets, are qualities which help to make it the variety most commonly used in the United States.

Sage cheese is a variety of Cheddar cheese, which is flavored with sage and is further characterized by the green mottled appearance formerly due to bits of sage leaf but now generally obtained in another way.

ENGLISH DAIRY CHEESE.

From the standpoint of the cook who frequently wishes to use grated cheese this variety is important. Though made in much the same way as Cheddar, it differs from it, in that the curd is heated to a somewhat higher temperature, and the cheese is therefore harder. It commonly sells for somewhat more per pound than the standard or American factory variety and is likely to be found only in the larger markets.

SOFT CREAM CHEESES.

Cream cheese true to name is made from rich cream thickened by souring or from sweet cream thickened with rennet. The whey is removed by draining. It is then covered, salted, and turned occasionally, being ready for market in 5 to 10 days. A variety is also made with rennet from cream of low fat content, as well as a number of other special sorts much more common in France than in the United States.

The term “cream cheese,” however, is an elastic one and includes many varieties which are sold under special trade names. Such cheese is common in most markets.

Soft cream cheese differs from standard cheese, so far as composition is concerned, in having more water and fat and less protein, water usually making up about one-half of the total weight. It differs also in being much more perishable. These cheeses commonly sell for 10 or 15 cents each, which is about 40 to 50 cents a pound.

Of late there have been on the market varieties of such cheese or of Neufchâtel, made by combining the cheese with chopped pimiento. These bring a relatively high price in market and may be easily prepared at home if this seems more convenient. (See p. 34.)

NEUFCHÂTEL CHEESE.