Cheese in Cooking

Dishes that are cooked with cheese form an important part of the cook’s repertoire. Cooked cheese has four basic uses: as a flavoring, as a filling, as a topping, and as the basis for some desserts.

Cheese has one disadvantage in cooking: if overheated, its protein coagulates and separates from the fat, forming strings. If adding grated cheese to a sauce, heat it just until melted. Never boil cheese sauce and do not reheat. If a cheese topping forms strings with globules of fat, it has been browned too fiercely. Hard, well-aged cheeses can tolerate higher temperatures than softer types, which is one reason why Parmesan, Gruyère, and their cousins are so valuable in the kitchen. Well-aged cheese must be used for the famous Swiss fondue, and the wine used when melting the cheese helps to prevent strings from forming.