Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Quite a few recipes require tossing cheese with some hot ingredient until it melts (like pasta), or melting cheese into something (sauce, soup, etc.). Sometimes this works ok, but sometimes the cheese "seizes", where it balls up into hard, rubbery curds, and won't melt or break down for anything.

I've had this happen both with commercial cheeses and with my own homemade cheeses.

Does anyone know what causes this? Ingredient or process in making the cheese? Type or degree of heat? Something else?

Heat is typically a factor. As is the type of cheese, and the amount/type of liquid. But, you know all this. What's giving you problems?

Amy

Hmm, my wife has this problem with chocolate and I'm always turning the heat down, even with a double boiler. FineCooking.com says, "Even if you’re using the perfect cheese for a dish, too high a temperature or too much heating time can make its proteins tighten up, squeezing out both water and fat. Result: rubbery globs of protein awash in a pool of grease." and they suggest along with choosing the right cheese, that you bring it to room temperature, shred it, and heat it gently. No using the propane powered weed burner on it. I mention this simply because I need to learn it too. My two recent attempts for cheese sauce have been in the edible failure category.

One of the great tips CI had for making caprese when using 'regular' mozza was to lightly freeze the cubes before tossing. It really works, and is an excellent demo of how to head off the problem. I've failed to do it a couple of times and had trouble. With 'fresh' mozza, which seems to have a higher moisture content, you don't need to do the freeze.

So, too much heat? Yeah, I can believe that.

Channeling Shirley......try adding a little lemon juice.

Lemon juice? Interesting.

FWIW, I make mac and cheese all the time with semi frozen cheese (as thawed as it gets while waiting to be added to the roux/milk mix and never (touch wood) have had this problem.

I remembered reading it in Cookwise. Here's a link to a short article. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2005-11-03/news/0511010286_1_cheese-dish-proteins-love-cheese

Thanks for the link, Crystal. It's so good to have you back!

Crystal,

Thanks for link!

Actually, that article says to add starch to prevent curdling (seizing), and add acid to prevent stringiness. It also reinforces the "too much heat" diagnosis.