Cooking with Cheese 101

Before cooking with cheese, it's helpful to know which cheeses are best suited to high and low temperatures as well as mechanical manipulation, such as shredding and grating. Following these guidelines will help you cook old recipe favorites as well as concoct new creations using Wisconsin Cheese.

  • High heat is the enemy of cheese. Hard cheeses tolerate high temperatures better than soft cheeses. However, exposing any cheese to high heat for too long can cause it to curdle toughen and separate. Keep cheese warm over low or indirect heat.
  • When cubing, shredding or grating, remember cheese is best handled cold. Semi-soft and hard cheeses are best for these methods, while soft cheeses should be used for spooning or spreading.
  • When broiling foods with cheese toppings, place the pan so the food is about 4 to 6 inches from the heat and broil until the cheese is just melted.

Cheese is best measured by weight

  • 4 oz of natural cheese = 1 cup shredded
  • 6 oz of softer cheeses, like Blue and Feta = 1 cup crumbled
  • 3 oz of hard cheese = 1 cup grated