Cream Cheese Glossary |Health Benefits, Nutritional Information + Recipes with Cream Cheese

Description
Soft with a texture of creamy resistance, this cheese is mild, fresh-tasting, and sweet, but with a pleasing tang. Cream cheese is un-ripened and often contains emulsifiers which lend it firmness and lengthen its shelf-life. Indulgent cheesecakes, frosting, bagel-toppers, dips and wonderfully light and flaky pastry crusts, all owe their taste-lift to cream cheese. This cheese works best at room temperature and is the hero ingredient in as many savoury dishes as desserts.

Cream cheese cube strips

Place the cream cheese cube flat on a surface. Using a sharp knife start cutting strips from any one long diagonal side vertically of desired thickness. Use as required.

How to Select
• Fresh cheeses are highly perishable, and cream cheese is no exception. It should always be kept refrigerated.
• This is one cheese that you do not want aged. The fresher the cheese, the better the flavour.
• Cream cheese should be opened within the package dating code period and used within one week after opening.
• Be sure to keep it tightly wrapped or sealed in the container until completely used. If mould forms on the cheese, do not scrape it off and consume the rest. Unlike some cheeses, any mould on cream cheese makes it unsafe to eat, and it should be discarded.
• Freezing of cream cheese is not recommended. The cheese suffers a drastic change in texture when thawed.

Culinary Uses
• It adds textural volume to cheesecakes. It's important that the cheese be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth, creamy result.
• Herbed and fruited cream cheeses are widely available in pre-packaged form, but it's very easy to cream the cheese and add your own favourite herbs or fruit jellies and jams.
• For a quick party dip, bring a block of cream cheese to room temperature and top with salsa, chutney, or fruit preserves. Serve with savoury crackers, vegetables, fruits, or cookies.

How to Store
• Refrigerate cream cheese, tightly wrapped, and use within a week after opening.
• If any mould develops on the surface, discard the cream cheese immediately.

Health Benefits
• High in fat, lower in protein and calcium than other cheese.
• Other than vitamin A, its vitamin content is fairly scarce.
• Overweight people need to avoid it.

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