FoodNet

Foods, their selection and preparation

1935

Page 119

Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Cheese Spreads. The term ' 'cheese spread” is applied to any packaged form of cheese which may be easily spread with a knife at ordinary room temperature. These include: (1) soft cheeses, such as cream cheese, usually mixed with olives, pickles, pimiento, and onions; (2) process cheeses of such con¬ sistency that they will spread, usually with additions; and (3) cheese foods, which are usually process American Cheddar cheese to which concentrated whey, dried skim milk, cream, etc. are added and the mixtures made to a spreading consistency with liquid or fat or both. These latter products cannot be sold as cheese under the Federal Food and Drug regulations, and so are sold under trade names. Their spreading qualities are due to the moisture content, the fat content, or both. Standards for cheese are set in terms of fat and water content. Cheese must contain the minimum amount of fat specified for the variety and not more than the maximum amount of water permitted. COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE Cheese is a concentrated and highly nu¬ tritious food. Approximately 10 pounds of milk go into every pound of cheese that is [128] manufactured. Five ounces of American Cheddar cheese are usually accepted as the equivalent in food value to one quart of whole milk. Proximate Composition. The different kinds of cheese vary in composition, but the ripened cheeses made from whole milk con¬ tain approximately one-fourth protein, one- third fat, and one-third water. American Cheddar cheese contains approximately 20 to 25 per cent protein, more than 30 per cent fat, about 39 per cent water, the re¬ mainder being made up of salt, milk sugar, lactic acid, and minerals. High-Quality Protein. Like meat and eggs, the protein of cheese is excellent for building body tissue. It is chiefly casein with a small amount of albumin. In ripened cheese, much of the casein has been changed to soluble proteins and even to proteoses, peptones, and in some cases to amino acids and ammonia. Energy Value. The amount of energy sup¬ plied by cheese varies with the fat and water content. A one-inch cube of American Ched¬ dar' cheese furnishes approximately 100 calories. Minerals. Cheese is high in calcium and phosphorus and, therefore, is an excellent food for building strong bones and good teeth and for keeping them in repair. Vitamins. Full-fat cheese is a good source of vitamin A. Cheese, like other milk prod¬ ucts, is an excellent source of riboflavin. Digestibility. On the average, about 95 per cent of the proteins and over 95 per cent of the fat in cheese are digested and absorbed. This compares favorably with the body’s utilization of other foods. The compact texture and high fat content may in some instances interfere with the ease of digestion unless the cheese is prepared properly and used correctly in the meal. The compactness may be taken care of by grating and by using the cheese in combina¬ tion with other foods. The high fat content may be diluted by appropriate combinations of the cheese with carbohydrate foods. The fat tends to increase the length of time that it takes the cheese to digest and thus stave off hunger. The fat is in a finely divided con¬ dition, though not as perfectly emulsified as it was originally in the milk.