Chapter I: Part 1

Transcriber’s Note
Italic text displayed as: _italic_

Issued February 26, 1912.
1434 Reprinted with slight changes, June, 1916.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

FARMERS’ BULLETIN 487.

CHEESE AND ITS ECONOMICAL
USES IN THE DIET.

BY

C. F. LANGWORTHY, PH. D.,
_Chief of Office of Home Economics, States Relations Service_,

AND

CAROLINE L. HUNT, A. B.,
_Expert in Nutrition, Office of Home Economics_.

WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1916.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
STATES RELATIONS SERVICE,

_Washington, D. C., June 10, 1916_.

SIR: Since cheese is one of the important agricultural products of the United States and a foodstuff used in a larger or smaller quantity in nearly every American home, it seemed desirable to study its relative nutritive value and the ways in which it may be prepared for the table.

Although it is so generally liked, there seems to be a widespread belief that it is not well digested and that it is a cause of physiological disturbances. Neither of these beliefs is substantiated by the results of the extended series of digestion experiments undertaken as part of the nutrition investigations of the Office of Home Economics. Indeed, cheese was found to be very thoroughly digested, ranking with other staple foods in this respect. Moreover, experiments made with the respiration calorimeter did not indicate that it was less easy of digestion than a comparable amount of meat.

In the studies of the digestibility of cheese the Bureau of Animal Industry cooperated with the States Relations Service and was also of great assistance in securing, for experimental purposes, cheese made and cured under controlled conditions. Supplementing the experiments as to the nutritive value of cheese, many tests were made of methods of preparing cheese for the table, the main purpose being to suggest dishes and combinations of such a character that the cheese might replace other nitrogenous material and fat when this seemed desirable.

The bulletin was prepared by C. F. Langworthy, chief of the Office of Home Economics of the States Relations Service, and Miss Caroline L. Hunt, who has had wide experience in the study of both scientific and practical problems in nutrition. The recipes were collected from many sources and in the majority of cases were studied experimentally by Miss Hunt.

Acknowledgement should be made to teachers of home economics in agricultural colleges and other educational institutions, to housekeepers, and others who have supplied data of great value in preparing the bulletin.

Respectfully, A. C. TRUE,
_Director_.

Hon. D. F. HOUSTON,
_Secretary of Agriculture_.

CONTENTS.

Page.

Introduction 5

Cheese making 7

Kinds of cheese used in American homes 8

Cheddar and American full-cream cheese 8

English dairy cheese 9

Soft cream cheeses 9

Neufchâtel cheese 9

Parmesan cheese 10

Sap Sago 10

Gorgonzola and Roquefort 10

Potted or sandwich cheeses 10

Swiss cheese (Emmentaler, Gruyère, etc.) 10

Edam cheese 10

Brie and Camembert cheese 11

Cottage cheese 11

The care of cheese in the home 11

Cheese as a food 11

The flavor of cheese 12

Composition of cheese and some other foods compared 12

Nutritive value and cost of cheese and some other food materials 14

Amounts of protein and energy obtained for 10 cents expended for
cheese and other foods at certain assumed prices per pound 14

The digestibility of cheese 15

The use of cheese in the diet 16

Bill-of-fare making with cheese as the central food 17

Homemade cheese 19

Curds and whey 19

Cottage cheese 19

Sour-cream cheese 20

Uncooked curd, or French cottage cheese 20

Junket 20

Buttermilk cheese 20

Buttermilk cream 21

Devonshire cream 21

Cheese dishes and their preparation 21

Cheese dishes which may be used in the same way as meat 22

Cheese sauce No. 1 22

Cheese sauce No. 2 23

Cheese sauce No. 3 23

Cheese sauce No. 4 23

Cheese fondue No. 1 24

Cheese fondue No. 2 24

Boiled fondue 25

Rice fondue 25

Corn and cheese soufflé 25

Welsh rabbit 25

Tomato rabbit 26

Green corn, tomato, and cheese 26

Macaroni and cheese No. 1 26

Macaroni and cheese No. 2 26

Macaroni and cheese and tomato sauce 26

Italian macaroni and cheese 26

Cheese and macaroni loaf 27

Baked rice and cheese No. 1 27

Baked rice and cheese No. 2 27

Baked crackers and cheese No. 1 27

Baked crackers and cheese No. 2 28

Cheese rolls 28

Boston roast 28

Pimiento and cheese roast 28

Nut and cheese roast 28

Cheese and spinach roll 28

Vegetable and cheese rolls 29

Cheese used in the stuffing of meat 29

Creamed cheese and eggs 29

Baked eggs with cheese 29

Scrambled eggs with cheese 29

Swiss eggs 29

Cheese omelet No. 1 30

Cheese omelet No. 2 30

Cheese omelet No. 3 30

Breakfast cereals with cheese 30

Oatmeal with cheese 30

Cheese with mush 31

Fried bread with cheese No. 1 31

Fried bread with cheese No. 2 31

Roman gnocchi 31

Cheese soufflé 31

Cheese soufflé with pastry 31

Cheese croquettes 32

Fried cheese balls 32

Cheese soups and vegetables cooked with cheese 32

Milk and cheese soup 32

Cheese and vegetable soup 32

Scalloped potatoes with cheese No. 1 33

Scalloped potatoes with cheese No. 2 33

Scalloped cabbage or cauliflower with cheese 33

Cheese with potato puffs 33

Potatoes with cheese sauce 33

Cheese salads, sandwiches, and similar cheese dishes 33

Cheese with salads 33

Plain cheese salad 34

Olive and pimiento sandwich or salad cheese 34

Cheese and tomato salad 34

Cheese and pimiento salad 34

Cheese jelly salad 34

Cheese salad and preserves 34

Deviled eggs with cheese 34

Cheese and celery 35

Buttermilk cream salad dressing 35

Buttermilk cream horseradish salad dressing 35

Cheese sandwiches 35

Cheese and anchovy sandwiches 35

Pimiento, olive and cheese sandwiches 35

Cuban sandwiches 35

Toasted cheese sandwiches 35

Cheese pastry, cheese sweets, and similar dishes 35

Cheese pastries and similar dishes 36

Cheese biscuits No. 1 36

Cheese biscuits No. 2 36

Cheese drops 36

Cheese wafers 37

Cheese relish 37

Cheese straws 37

Salad biscuit 37

Cheese gingerbread No. 1 37

Cheese gingerbread No. 2 37

Cheese custard 37

Cheese cakes 37

Brown Betty with cheese 38

Conclusion 38

CHEESE AND ITS ECONOMICAL USES IN THE DIET.

INTRODUCTION.

Cheese is believed to be the oldest of the dairy products and the first form in which milk was preserved for future use. One may conjecture that it owes its origin to the accidental storing and ripening of sour milk curd. Although it has been a staple food with many races for uncounted years, there is a widespread belief that it is suitable for use chiefly in small quantities as an accessory to the diet, and that in large quantities it is likely to produce physiological disturbances. We are inclined, therefore, to think of those who make cheese one of the chief articles of their diet as being driven to this course by necessity rather than being led to it by choice.

Because of these opinions extensive studies have been carried on as a part of the Department Work in Home Economics, of the food value, thoroughness of digestibility, ease of digestion, physiological effect, and special character of cheese as food as well as of methods which are followed in preparing it for the table. The conclusion drawn from this extended study is, in brief, that cheese properly prepared and used is not generally a cause of physiological disturbances, and that it may easily be introduced into the bill of fare in such quantities as to serve as the chief source of nitrogenous food and may be made a substitute for other nitrogenous foods when such substitution is desired.[1] The results of these studies have been brought together in this bulletin with a view to making them helpful to all interested in the subject, but particularly to housekeepers.

From the standpoint of the housekeeper, cheese is of importance because of its high nutritive value, particularly its high percentage of protein or muscle-forming materials, because of the ease with which it can be kept and prepared for the table, and because of its appetizing flavor and of the great variety of ways in which it can be served.

From the point of view of agriculture cheese is an important commodity. The latest census figures available show that considerably over 300,000,000 pounds are made yearly in the United States, the value of the product being nearly $29,000,000, and the amount of money invested being over $6,000,000. The figures quoted are from the census report which first separated the details of the cheese industry from those of the butter and condensed-milk industries. From earlier statistics available, however, it is fair to judge in a general way of the development of any one of these industries from the figures given for the three industries combined. In general, these figures show that there was a great leap forward in the three industries in the decade between the years 1880 and 1890, and that since that time there has been a continuous, steady, healthy growth in the business of cheese making.

As might be expected, the amount of the product and the amount of money invested have increased more rapidly than the number of men employed, indicating that, as in most manufacturing industries, labor-saving devices and other improvements have reduced the proportion of physical labor required.

As regards the kind of cheese made in the United States, the figures show that of the amount produced in 1905 approximately three-fourths was what is known to the trade as standard factory cheese, or what is usually known to the retail purchaser as American cheese. A very small per cent—1.1 per cent—was skim-milk cheese, the remainder being American modifications of certain important foreign brands, Neufchâtel, Camembert, and others.

From the standpoint of the retail dealer, cheese is important because it is a convenient article to handle. Its percentage of nutrients being high and its percentage of water low, it is not bulky. It is comparatively easy, too, to preserve in good condition. The difficulty of cutting exact amounts called for by customers may be considered the chief inconvenience. Efforts have been made to obviate this difficulty by making small cheeses. Experiments have been reported from the Oregon Experiment Station[2] on the canning of cheese in pound lots; and from the Wisconsin Experiment Station[3] in making cheese prints like those in which butter is commonly sold. In some of the factories cheeses weighing about 5 pounds and having the same shape as the larger cheeses are made. These are convenient for use in families where a large amount of cheese is eaten, and furthermore cheese in such form dries out and spoils less quickly and easily than cheese cut in wedge-shaped slices, as it usually is when sold by the pound. A convenient way of keeping and using such cheese is given on page 11.

The sale of cheese in pots is another way of overcoming the difficulty of cutting exact amounts. Cheese thus prepared is, as a rule, softened by the addition of butter fat or other fat, with the idea of making it of such consistency that it can be used like soft cheeses.

There is something to be said also of the value of cheese to that not inconsiderable number of individuals who must occasionally cater for themselves—those men and women in business life, for example, who find it convenient neither to carry lunches nor to go to restaurants. For these, cheese offers a convenient way of supplying the necessary protein, for it can usually be obtained in good condition in any neighborhood. Combined with crackers, some of the ready-cooked cereals, or bread, and with fruit, it makes a fairly well-balanced meal.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] U. S. Dept. Agr., Yearbook 1910, p. 359.

[2] Oregon Sta. Bul. 78.

[3] Wisconsin Sta. Rpt. 1901, p. 132; U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers’ Bul. 156.

CHEESE MAKING.

Though the chief points in the manufacture of cheese are well known, and are discussed in detail in other publications[4] of this department, it may not be out of place to review them here. Cheese is made ordinarily from whole milk, and most of the kinds best known in the United States from cows’ milk. In every 8 parts of milk by weight there is approximately 1 part of solid nutrients, the remainder being water. For our present purpose we may think of the nutrients as being equally divided into three groups—protein substances (casein and albumin principally), fat, and milk sugar. In the process of cheese making the casein, which constitutes more than three-fourths of the proteids of the milk, is precipitated by rennet, forming a curd. Most of the fat attaches itself to this curd. The curd is broken up, and the whole is heated to a temperature between 96° and 108° F. The whey is drained off and carries with it most of the milk sugar and the albumin. The curd is salted and pressed. It is kept for several weeks or longer in a cool place, where it “ripens,” developing flavors through the action of bacteria or other microorganisms, and also undergoing certain other marked changes.

The average cheese while fresh and moist contains proteids and fat in much the same ratio as that in which they are found in the milk. More than one-fourth its weight is proteid, about one-third fats, and one-third water. There are always present small amounts of albumin and sugar which have clung to the curd. Owing to the addition of salt, the percentage of mineral matter is high compared with that of most other foods.

In ripening, cheese changes in texture and its original pastiness gives away to a somewhat granular consistency in some types, or to a waxy or a buttery consistency in others.

The above brief outline refers only to the essentials of cheese making. In practice, there are many variations with respect to the kind of milk used, the proportion of butter fat or cream retained in or added to the milk, with respect to the methods followed in separating, preparing, seasoning, and handling the curd, and to the handling and ripening of the cheese. It follows that there is an almost endless number of cheeses with different names and of different appearance and flavor.

Cheese making was formerly a home or farm industry, but is now, in the United States at least, very largely a commercial enterprise carried on in factories. It differs from many industries in that the factories are almost always located in the country or in the smaller towns rather than in large cities, this being more true of cheese making than of the manufacture of potted cheeses or other special articles, which has become a large industry. It is worthy of mention in this connection that the making of cheese crackers and other bakers’ goods in which cheese is an ingredient has developed into an important part of the baking trade.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers’ Buls. 166, 225, 244; Bur. Anim. Indus. Buls. 105, 146.

KINDS OF CHEESE USED IN AMERICAN HOMES.

The American factory cheese—the so-called American cream cheese—is of the English Cheddar type, and as it is the most commonly used of all the commercial varieties in the United States, may be taken as a standard. Other types are, however, well known, particularly in cities and large towns where there are well-stocked markets and stores, and it is interesting to note also, at least briefly, the characteristics of some of them. Full descriptions of a very large number of cheeses (about 250 in all) may be found in an earlier bulletin of this department.[5]

CHEDDAR AND AMERICAN FULL-CREAM CHEESE.

Cheddar cheese—named from the English village where it originated—is a comparatively old type of cheese, very popular in England and also in the United States. The name is now more fitly applied to a process than to any particular shape.

Cheddar cheese is made from sweet cows’ milk, which may be skimmed, partly skimmed, or unskimmed. If made from unskimmed milk the cheese is called “full cream.” If cream is removed the cheese is designated “part-skim” or “skim,” as the case may be.

Cheese of Cheddar type as made in the United States is perhaps most often marketed in large, flat, round forms, 13 to 16 inches in diameter, about 5 or 6 inches in height, and weighing 26 to 32 pounds each, though other shapes and sizes are also fairly common. It is usually pale to darker yellow in color, though it may be white when uncolored. When fresh it is mild in flavor, but when well ripened has a characteristic and sharp taste. The new cheese is soft, though not waxy, in texture, and may be easily shaved or broken into small pieces. When well ripened it may be finely grated.

These characteristics, together with its distinctive and peculiar flavor and its wide distribution in the markets, are qualities which help to make it the variety most commonly used in the United States.

Sage cheese is a variety of Cheddar cheese, which is flavored with sage and is further characterized by the green mottled appearance formerly due to bits of sage leaf but now generally obtained in another way.

ENGLISH DAIRY CHEESE.

From the standpoint of the cook who frequently wishes to use grated cheese this variety is important. Though made in much the same way as Cheddar, it differs from it, in that the curd is heated to a somewhat higher temperature, and the cheese is therefore harder. It commonly sells for somewhat more per pound than the standard or American factory variety and is likely to be found only in the larger markets.

SOFT CREAM CHEESES.

Cream cheese true to name is made from rich cream thickened by souring or from sweet cream thickened with rennet. The whey is removed by draining. It is then covered, salted, and turned occasionally, being ready for market in 5 to 10 days. A variety is also made with rennet from cream of low fat content, as well as a number of other special sorts much more common in France than in the United States.

The term “cream cheese,” however, is an elastic one and includes many varieties which are sold under special trade names. Such cheese is common in most markets.

Soft cream cheese differs from standard cheese, so far as composition is concerned, in having more water and fat and less protein, water usually making up about one-half of the total weight. It differs also in being much more perishable. These cheeses commonly sell for 10 or 15 cents each, which is about 40 to 50 cents a pound.

Of late there have been on the market varieties of such cheese or of Neufchâtel, made by combining the cheese with chopped pimiento. These bring a relatively high price in market and may be easily prepared at home if this seems more convenient. (See p. 34.)

NEUFCHÂTEL CHEESE.

This very popular variety—named from a town in northeastern France—is similar in appearance and in the way it is marketed to soft cream cheese. It is made either from whole or skim milk curdled with rennet. After draining and pressing, it is kneaded thoroughly, formed into small rolls or blocks, and then ripened until special molds develop, which requires about four weeks. It is then wrapped in tinfoil and marketed.

PARMESAN CHEESE.

This is a name given outside of Italy to a very hard cheese which in that country is said to be known as Grana, a name given because of the granular appearance which it has after it has been broken. It is sometimes sold in grated form and brings a relatively high price, but is more commonly sold ungrated. When well made it will keep for years and may be easily broken and grated. It is very generally used in Europe for serving with soups, for seasoning macaroni, and for other similar purposes, and is quite common in American markets.

SAP SAGO.

This is a skim-milk cheese made in Switzerland, which is suitable for grating. It contains, for every 4 pounds of cheese, 1 pound of a clover (_Melilotus cæruleus_) grown in Switzerland. It is greenish in color and has an unusual flavor. It is not high-priced.

GORGONZOLA AND ROQUEFORT.

These are highly flavored cheeses characterized by the presence of molds through their entire mass. Roquefort is made from the milk of sheep; Gorgonzola, from cows’ milk.

POTTED OR SANDWICH CHEESES.

Ordinary cheese is often mixed with butter or oil in the proportion of 5 parts of cheese to 1 of butter or oil, by weight. The mixture is sometimes seasoned with mustard or with curry powder. Such cheeses, unseasoned or seasoned, are on the market in great variety. Potted cheese may be easily prepared at home if the housekeeper wishes to take the trouble.

SWISS CHEESE (EMMENTALER, GRUYÈRE, ETC.).

This term as used in America is somewhat vague. Different names are given to the varieties according to the districts of Switzerland in which they are made, but they are all similar and characterized by a mild, sweetish flavor and the presence of large holes or “eyes.” Foreign and domestic brands are to be found in most markets. They are suitable for cooking purposes, as well as for use without being cooked, and are much used in this way in Europe and well known and liked in the United States.

EDAM CHEESE.

This is a cheese made in Holland. It is molded in spherical form, and the outside is usually dyed red. It is usual in this country to cut off a section of the top, which serves as a lid, and to scoop out the inside as needed. In Holland it is frequently served in slices, particularly when it is fresh. Edam cheese is seldom used in cookery in American homes, though thrifty housewives, after the greater part of the cheese has been removed, often stuff the hollow shell with cooked and seasoned macaroni, rice, or something similar and bake.

BRIE AND CAMEMBERT CHEESE.

These are very soft rennet cheeses of foreign origin and of somewhat smaller nutritive value than standard cheese, and of strong flavor and odor. They are not often used in cookery, but are used as an accompaniment to other foods. The Bureau of Animal Industry and the Connecticut Storrs Experiment Station in cooperation have experimented with the making of Camembert cheese with marked success, and have published a full account of the work.[6]

COTTAGE CHEESE.

Cottage cheese and other sour milk and cream cheeses, junket, Devonshire cream, and a number of other cheese-like products are described in the section which deals with homemade cheese.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Bul. 146.

[6] U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Buls. 71, 98, 109, 115, 120, Circ. 145; Conn. Storrs Sta. Buls. 35, 46, and 58.

THE CARE OF CHEESE IN THE HOME.

One of the best ways of keeping cheese which has been cut is to wrap it in a slightly damp cloth and then in paper, and to keep it in a cool place. To dampen the cloth, sprinkle it and then wring it. It should seem hardly damp to the touch. Paraffin paper may be used in place of the cloth. When cheese is put in a covered dish, the air should never be wholly excluded, for if this is done, it molds more readily.

In some markets it is possible to buy the small whole cheeses mentioned on page 6. These may be satisfactorily kept by cutting a slice from the top, to serve as a cover, and removing the cheese as needed with a knife, a strong spoon, or a cheese scoop. It is possible to buy at the hardware stores knobs which inserted in the layer cut from the top make it easy to handle. The cheese below the cover should be kept wrapped in a cloth.

CHEESE AS A FOOD.

Cheese is used in general in two ways—in small quantities chiefly for its flavor and in large quantities for its nutritive value as well as for its flavor. Some varieties of cheese are used chiefly for the first purpose, others chiefly for the second. Those which are used chiefly for their flavor, many of which are high priced, contribute little to the food value of the diet, because of the small quantity used at a time. They have an important part to play, however, in making the diet attractive and palatable. The intelligent housekeeper thinks of them not as necessities, but as lying within what has been called “the region of choice.” Having first satisfied herself that her family is receiving sufficient nourishment, she then, according to her means and ideas of an attractive diet, chooses among these foods and others which are to be considered luxuries.

Those cheeses, on the other hand, which are suitable to be eaten in large quantities and which are comparatively low priced are important not only from the point of view of flavor, but also from the point of view of their nutritive value. Among such cheeses the one which, as noted above, is known to the trade as standard factory cheese and to the housewife as American cheese stands out pre-eminently. Therefore when the word “cheese” is used without specification in the following pages it may be taken to refer to this particular variety.

THE FLAVOR OF CHEESE.

Cheese owes its flavor to the fatty acids and their compounds which it contains and to ammonia-like bodies formed during ripening from the cleavage of the casein, to salt added to the curd, and in some varieties, like Roquefort, to bodies elaborated by molds which develop in the cheese. In the highly flavored sorts some of the fatty acids of a very marked odor are present in abundance, as are also the ammonia-like bodies. Indeed, in eating such cheese as Camembert a trace of ammonia flavor may often be plainly detected.

The cleavage of the nitrogenous material of the cheese and other changes are brought about chiefly by the action of enzymes originally present in cheese or by microorganisms and are to be regarded as fermentative and not as putrefactive changes.

The liking for highly flavored cheeses of strong odor is a matter of individual preference, but from the chemist’s standpoint there is no reason for the statement often made that such cheeses have undergone putrefactive decomposition.

COMPOSITION OF CHEESE AND SOME OTHER FOODS COMPARED.

In the present state of our knowledge concerning dietetics it seems best to give the housekeeper general rather than absolute rules with respect to the kind and amount of food which should be eaten at any meal or at any given time by persons in normal health living under usual conditions. It is not necessary, therefore, for the housekeeper to know the exact composition of food materials in order to cater well for her family, a rough approximation being sufficient for the purpose. In the case of cheese she will be near enough to the fact if she thinks of it as composed approximately of equal parts by weight of proteids, fats, and water. This rough conception is sufficient to associate it in her mind with the foods of high proteid value, a point which is important in connection with the making of bills of fare. It should lead her to class it also with the foods which are rich in fat and prevent her from combining it unnecessarily with other fatty foods.

In order, however, that the question of the use of cheese in the diet may be adequately discussed, knowledge of its composition in comparison with other foods is desirable, and there is an abundance of data available on this subject, since the composition of cheese and other foods has often been investigated at the Department of Agriculture, in experiment station laboratories, and in many other places where nutrition problems are studied. An extended summary of analyses of cheese of different sorts is included in an earlier publication of this department.[7]

Data regarding the composition of cheese and a few other common foods are summarized in the following table:

_Average composition of cheese and some other common foods as purchased, and also on the basis of edible portion._

----------------------+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------
| | | |
Food materials. | Refuse. | Water. | Protein. | Fat.
| | | |
----------------------+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------
|_Per |_Per |_Per |_Per
| cent._ | cent._ | cent._ | cent._
Cheese | | 34.2 | 25.2 | 33.7
Beef of average | | | |
composition as | | | |
purchased | 18.6 | 50.5 | 15.2 | 15.5
Edible portion | | 62.2 | 18.8 | 18.8
Porterhouse steak | | | |
as purchased | 12.7 | 52.4 | 19.1 | 17.9
Edible portion | | 60.0 | 21.9 | 20.4
Loin steak, broiled, | | | |
edible portion | | 54.8 | 23.5 | 20.4
Dried beef | | 53.7 | 26.4 | 6.9
Eggs as purchased | 11.2 | 65.5 | 13.1 | 9.3
Edible portion | | 73.7 | 13.4 | 10.5
Milk | | 87.0 | 3.3 | 4.0
Bread | | 35.3 | 9.2 | 1.3
Potatoes as purchased | 20.0 | 62.6 | 1.8 | .1
Edible portion | | 78.3 | 2.2 | .1
Apples as purchased | 25.0 | 63.6 | .3 | .3
Edible portion | | 84.6 | .4 | .5
----------------------+---------+-----------+-----------+-----------

----------------------+--------------+------------+-----------
| | | Fuel
Food materials. |Carbohydrates.| Ash. | value per
| | | pound.
----------------------+--------------+------------+-----------
|_Per cent._ |_Per cent._ |_Calories._
Cheese | 2.4 | 3.8 | 1,950
Beef of average | | |
composition as | | |
purchased | | .7 | 935
Edible portion | | .9 | 1,145
Porterhouse steak | | |
as purchased | | .8 | 1,110
Edible portion | | 1.0 | 1,270
Loin steak, broiled, | | |
edible portion | | 1.2 | 1,300
Dried beef | | 8.9 | 790
Eggs as purchased | | .9 | 635
Edible portion | | 1.0 | 720
Milk | 5.0 | .7 | 310
Bread | 53.1 | 1.1 | 1,215
Potatoes as purchased | 14.7 | .8 | 295
Edible portion | 18.4 | 1.0 | 385
Apples as purchased | 10.8 | .3 | 190
Edible portion | 14.2 | .3 | 290
----------------------+--------------+------------+-----------

It will be seen from the above table that cheese has nearly twice as much protein, weight for weight, as beef of average composition as purchased and that its fuel value is more than twice as great. It contains over 25 per cent more protein than the same weight of porterhouse steak as purchased, and nearly twice as much fat.

As shown by the figures in the above table, cheese contains 3.8 per cent ash. Of this a considerable part may be salt added in cheese making. Like the milk from which it is made, cheese ash is characterized chiefly by the presence of calcium (lime), magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, the average values as given in earlier bulletins of the department[8] being 1.24 per cent calcium oxid, 0.049 per cent magnesium oxid, 1.49 per cent phosphorus pentoxid, and 0.0015 per cent iron.

The total amount of the mineral matter needed per day by the body is relatively small, yet mineral matter is very important. It is commonly assumed and is probably true, that a mixed diet reasonably varied and reasonably generous will supply all the ash constituent which the body requires. If for any reason calcium and phosphorus are lacking in the diet, the amounts may be readily increased (as pointed out in one of the publications just cited) by a free use of milk and such milk products as cheese and junket, without decreasing the palatability of the diet or materially increasing its cost.

FOOTNOTES:

[7] U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Bul. 146.

[8] U. S. Dept. Agr., Office Expt. Stas. Buls. 185 and 227.

NUTRITIVE VALUE AND COST OF CHEESE AND SOME OTHER FOOD MATERIALS.

Since the market prices of foods vary, it is difficult to compare the amounts of nourishment secured for a given sum, 10 cents say, in buying different food materials. We may, however, suppose that foods have certain prices and make the comparison on this basis. In the following table the amount of cheese obtained for 10 cents when cheese costs 22 cents a pound is shown, together with the protein and energy value of this quantity, this value being compared with similar values for a number of other common foods at certain assumed prices per pound.

_Amounts of protein and energy obtained for 10 cents expended for cheese and other foods at certain assumed prices per pound._

--------------+---------------------+----------+----------------------
| | | 10 cents’ worth will
| | 10 cents | contain—
Food | Price. | will |----------------------
materials. | | buy— | | A fuel
| | | Proteid. | value of—
--------------+---------------------+----------+----------+-----------
| |_Ounces._ |_Ounces._ |_Calories._
Cheese | 22 cents per pound | 7.3 | 1.9 | 886
Beef, average | 20 cents per pound | 8.0 | 1.2 | 467
Porterhouse | | | |
steak | 25 cents per pound | 6.4 | 1.3 | 444
Dried beef | do | 6.4 | 1.6 | 315
Eggs | 24 cents per dozen | 10.0 | 1.3 | 198
Milk | 9 cents per quart | 38.3 | 1.2 | 736
Wheat bread | 5 cents per pound | 32.0 | 2.9 | 2,400
Potatoes | 60 cents per bushel | 160.0 | | 2,950
Apples | 1½ cents per pound | 106.7 | | 1,270
--------------+---------------------+----------+----------+-----------

Since cheese is ready to be eaten when it comes from the market, it may be more interesting for some purposes to compare its composition with that of cooked beef, freed from bone and from superfluous fat, such a piece as would be served to a person at the table. Weight for weight, cheese has appreciably more protein than such cooked beef, and 50 per cent more fat.

So far as its composition is concerned, then, cheese is entitled to be considered as directly comparable with meat. The possibilities of using cheese and some other food materials in the same way as meat is discussed in some detail in an earlier publication of this department.[9] It is so used by the peasants of some parts of Europe, and was formerly so used among many other groups of people. The fact that it is not more commonly so used in this country is probably due to several causes. One cause is habit, which makes the meal seem incomplete unless it includes meat; another is the fact that since cheese has a more pronounced flavor than meat, it is not so likely to be generally acceptable as the chief food of a meal. There is always likely to be at least one member of the family who does not relish it in quantity. Another cause is the fact that it is commonly believed to be indigestible, and still another is the fact that housekeepers, through lack of experience, are much less skillful in the arrangement of bills of fare in which cheese is the central food than they are in arranging bills of fare in which meat is thus used. These last two causes will be considered in sections which follow.

FOOTNOTES:

[9] U. S. Dept. Agr., Yearbook 1907, p. 367.

THE DIGESTIBILITY OF CHEESE.

As was stated above, cheese has been thought a cause of digestive disturbances, but work recently done by the Office of Experiment Stations, in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry, and briefly summed up in a recent publication tends to disprove this.[10]

In the large number of experiments which were conducted, young men in good health were fed on a diet consisting of bread and fruit combined with American factory cheese which was made with different amounts of rennet and in different stages of ripening. The results showed that over 90 per cent of the nitrogenous material of the cheese was digested—that is, retained in the body—and nearly 90 per cent of the energy it supplied was available. In other words, cheese compares favorably with other foods in thoroughness of digestion—that is, in the percentage finally digested. Furthermore, it did not cause constipation or other physiological disturbances.

The above statement refers to full-cream cheese. Experiments made at the same time gave practically the same values for the digestibility of skim-milk cheese, of Swiss cheese, of Roquefort and Camembert cheese, and of cottage cheese.

Artificial digestion experiments made at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station[11] indicate that cheese protein is digested by the ferments of the intestines rather than by those of the stomach, and this is suggested as a reason for its reputation as a “hearty” food, the belief being that some foods which remain in the stomach longer than the average time, or are not digested by the stomach, are “hearty.” Cheese protein (casein) is intimately associated with fat, and there is experimental evidence to show that this condition has an effect upon the progress of digestion in the stomach.

The burning sensation or similar sensations sometimes experienced after eating certain sorts of cheese has been attributed to the presence of small amounts of free fatty acids.[12] It is commonly said that cheese is difficult to digest, the idea being that the body expends more labor in assimilating it than is required for other comparable foods. Experiments recently carried on by the Office of Experiment Stations in which the respiration calorimeter was used to study the energy expenditure during the period of active digestion, do not indicate that cheese differs materially in ease of digestion from a comparable amount of meat.[13] Uncooked full-cream cheese was used in these experiments. Another series recently begun by the Office of Experiment Stations with cooked cheese, though not yet sufficiently advanced to be conclusive, indicates that cheese thus eaten does not differ materially from raw cheese in this respect.

In connection with the use of cooked cheese in the diet, one fact should always be kept in mind. This is that, in common with all other fatty foods, cheese which has been overheated in cooking is likely to contain burned—that is, decomposed—fats. Disturbances from this cause, however, should be laid to poor cooking and not to the composition of this special food.

The use of potassium bicarbonate has often been recommended for increasing the digestibility of cheese, the amount suggested being a level teaspoonful to a pound of cheese. That the bicarbonate renders the cheese soluble in any appreciable degree, as has been claimed, is not apparent from a number of experiments which have been made. It does, however, neutralize some of the free fatty acids of the cheese, thus destroying some of the characteristic flavor. To some people this may be an advantage, but to others it would be counted a disadvantage.

FOOTNOTES:

[10] U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Circ. 166.

[11] Minnesota Sta. Bul. 74.

[12] Hutchison’s “Food and the Principles of Dietetics,” London, 1901, p. 145.

[13] U. S. Dept. Agr., An. Rpt. Sec. 1910, p. 149; Rpt. Office Expt. Stas. 1910, p. 35; Yearbook 1910, p. 359.

THE USE OF CHEESE IN THE DIET.

It has been the purpose, in preparing this discussion of cheese, to consider ways in which mild-flavored sorts may serve as staple articles of diet, rather than the use of highly flavored varieties as appetizers and as accompaniments of other foods. The use of highly flavored cheese as a condiment is customary and may profitably be extended, since it offers a simple way of adding to the attractiveness of the diet. The variety of the cheese selected is a matter of choice, some persons preferring such kinds as well-ripened American full-cream cheese or the potted cheeses, and others such sorts as Roquefort, Camembert, and other varieties. From the physiologist’s standpoint, cheese used in this way for its flavor should really form a part of a well-balanced meal rather than be added to a meal which already supplies an abundance of nutritive material. In other words, condimental cheeses may better accompany a moderate than a very generous menu.

In considering the use of cheese in quantity as an integral part of the diet there are many possibilities from simple combinations like bread and cheese to elaborate dishes in which cheese is used as a flavor and as a principal constituent.

As has been pointed out, cheese, being rich in both protein and fat, would logically replace such foods as meat, fish, and eggs when taken in quantity, rather than cereal foods characterized by a large amount of starch, or succulent foods, such as vegetables and fruits. In planning menus of which cheese forms a large part the housekeeper should bear these facts in mind.

BILL-OF-FARE MAKING WITH CHEESE AS THE CENTRAL FOOD.

Since meat has so generally been the chief protein food of a meal, and the kind selected usually has determined the choice of vegetables and condiments, it is not strange that very many housekeepers should be inexperienced and consequently unskillful in planning meals in which cheese is substituted for meat when for any reason they may desire to make such a change. In seeking skill they might take a suggestion from the experiments to which reference has been made, and also from a case investigated and reported by the Office of Experiment Stations, of a man who lived for months upon a diet of bread, fruit, and cheese, and who remained in good health and active, and did not weary of the monotony of the diet.

The first two articles of the diet mentioned, namely, the bread and the cheese, could have been taken in such amounts as to constitute what is usually considered a balanced ration, i.e., in such amounts as to supply the right quantity of muscle-forming foods in comparison with the energy value. The bread and cheese taken with the fruit, however, make a ration which is well balanced not only in the older and more widely accepted sense, but also in the more modern sense that it makes an attractive and palatable combination of foods, as well as a balanced ration, and thus favors digestion. The watery and refreshing fruits or succulent vegetables with their large supply of cellulose are a pleasant contrast to the concentrated and fatty cheese.

Housekeepers would probably find that if in planning menus of which a cheese dish is the chief feature they were to take pains to supply also crisp, watery vegetables, water cress, celery, lettuce served with a dressing or with salt alone, or simple fruit salads, and would give preference to refreshing fruits, either fresh or cooked, rather than to what are known as heavy desserts, they would in general be more successful in pleasing those who are served.

There is another point also to be considered in combining cheese with other foods. Whether it is raw or cooked it is likely to be somewhat soft, and so seems to call for the harder kinds of bread—crusty rolls or biscuit, zweiback, toast, pulled bread, rye bread, the harder brown breads, or crackers, and some of the numerous crisp ready-to-eat cereal breakfast foods. Brittle cookies, too, seem more suitable than rich soft cakes or puddings for the dessert in such meals.

A few bills of fare are given below which experience has shown to represent combinations of dishes which are palatable and which, if eaten in usual amounts, will supply protein and energy in proportions which accord with usual dietary standards. Menus such as these are more commonly served at lunch or at supper, but they might equally well be served for dinner, the selection of dishes for any meal being of course chiefly a matter of custom and convenience for those who have any range of choice.

_Suggested bills of fare in which cheese dishes are the chief source of protein and fat._

MENU NO. 1.

Macaroni and cheese (p. 26 or p. 27).
Raisin bread or date bread.
Orange and water-cress salad.
Baked apples.
Sugar cookies.
Cocoa.

MENU NO. 2.

Cheese fondue (p. 24 or p. 25).
Toast, zwieback, or thin and crisp baking-powder biscuit.
Celery.
Potatoes, baked, boiled, or fried in deep fat.
Peas, or some other fresh vegetables.
Coffee.
Fruit salad with crisp cookies or meringues.

MENU NO. 3.

Clear soup.
Baked eggs with cheese (p. 29) or Boston roast (p. 28).
Baked potatoes.
Lettuce salad.
A sweet jelly, crab apple or quince for example, or a preserve.
Rye bread.
Orange or banana shortcake.
Tea.

These bills of fare should be taken as suggestive merely and not as a solution of the problem. In fact, the whole art of making bills of fare needs developing. There is abundant evidence that overeating, where it exists, is frequently due to the fact that meals are not skillfully planned. People often continue eating after they have taken enough in total bulk because they have not had all they want of some particular kind of food. The meal has contained too large a percentage of proteid or too much starch; has been too moist or too dry; too highly flavored or not sufficiently flavored. Bill-of-fare making calls not only for knowledge of food values but also for skill in combining flavors and textures.

In this discussion of menu making, and of the use of cheese as an integral part of the diet, the aim has been to suggest ways of using cheese to add to the palatability of meals made up of usual dishes, and to suggest dishes containing cheese which could serve as substitutes for meat dishes when so desired, and also for dishes of many sorts to be used as taste suggests and in which the nutritive value as well as the flavor is increased by the addition of cheese. If cheese is used and in quantity, it is obvious that some other proteid and fat foods should be diminished, in order that the meal or day’s menu may not be unduly hearty.

For the convenience of the housekeeper, a number of recipes for cheese dishes are given in later pages, these being preceded by directions for making cottage cheese and other similar cheeses which are usually made in the home.

HOMEMADE CHEESE.

Even as late as a generation or two ago cheese of different kinds was made at home for family use, as sour-milk or cottage cheese still is, and cheese making was very generally a farm industry, cheese, like butter, being sold by the farmer who made it. Cottage cheese is very commonly homemade. Most types of cheese, however, are now as a rule made on a large scale in factories where advantage may be taken of labor-saving devices. The general topic of farm cheese making has been considered in an earlier bulletin of this series,[14] prepared by the Dairy Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Curds and Whey.

Cheese curds and whey, an old-fashioned dish, which is often spoken
of in accounts of life in earlier times, sometimes refers to
sour-milk curd and sometimes to curd separated with rennet. This
dish when made with rennet is much like junket and though far less
common to-day than was once the case is wholesome and palatable.

Cottage Cheese.

This cheese is very commonly prepared in the home, and the process
of making it is very simple. It consists merely of curdling the
milk, separating the curd from the whey, seasoning, and pressing it.

The curd is formed by the souring of the milk, and the process is
hastened if the milk is kept warm, the best temperature being about
blood heat, 96° F. A temperature much above this should be avoided,
as the curd is likely to become hard and tough if much heated. The
danger is usually not that the whole will be overheated but that
the portion nearest the fire will be. In the old-fashioned kitchen
there was usually a place where the milk could stand till it was
uniformly warm throughout. With our present cooking arrangements
it is often desirable to hasten the process. This may be done by
setting the milk into a pan of warm water or by pouring hot water
directly into the milk itself. The effect of the latter method
is to remove much more of the acid than when the whey is left
undiluted. Some consider this a great advantage.

If, for any reason, the curd is overheated, it should be put
through a meat chopper. This will insure cottage cheese of
excellent texture.

If the milk is thoroughly chilled before the whey is drained off
it retains more of the fat than if this is done when warm. Under
no circumstances, however, is much of the fat retained in cottage
cheese. It is therefore more economical to make it out of skim milk
and to add the fat to the curd in the form of butter or cream.

Chopped parsley, caraway seeds, chopped olives, and pimiento may
all be used for flavoring if such flavored cheese is preferred to
plain cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese[15] is most commonly consumed immediately, but if
made in quantity for commercial purposes, it may be packed in tubs
and placed in cold storage. Sometimes it is formed into rolls or
blocks and wrapped in tinfoil when marketed. Such cheese is used
without ripening.

Though cottage cheese is usually made by allowing the milk to sour
naturally, it is sometimes more convenient to curdle the milk by
adding rennet, and some housekeepers have a preference for cottage
cheese thus made, since the flavor is milder and the acid taste
which it possesses when made from sour milk is lacking.

Sour-Cream Cheese.

When cream is to be made into cheese similar to cottage cheese,
it should be drained without having previously been heated. The
drainage is facilitated by moistening the cloth in salt water
before the cream is poured in. The curd is formed either by souring
or by the addition of rennet.

Uncooked Curd, or French Cottage Cheese.

The French make cheese from sour milk without heating it. They pour
the milk into earthen molds which have holes in the bottom. A very
fine sieve may be used instead of the molds. The whey drips out and
the curd assumes a custard-like consistency and takes the shape of
the mold. When sufficiently stiff, the cheese is chilled, and is
eaten with sweet cream and sugar. It is a staple dessert in many
French families, especially in hot weather, and is delicious served
with acid fruit, such as currants, or with strawberries.

Junket.

If cottage cheese is made from sweet milk and rennet and served
without breaking and separating the curd and whey, the dish is
called junket. It is customary to season it a little, as with
grated nutmeg or with cinnamon and sugar.

Buttermilk Cheese.

At the Wisconsin Experiment Station[16] a method has been devised
for making a soft moist cheese out of buttermilk. When made on
a large scale, as it might be in creameries, there are various
precautions to be taken which are pointed out in the publication
cited. In making it in small quantities, these precautions are
unnecessary, and the method is even simpler than that of making
cottage cheese, because the quality does not depend so much on the
temperature.

To make the buttermilk cheese, heat buttermilk gradually to about
130° or 140° F. Allow it to cool and strain it. As the curd will
settle to the bottom, most of the whey may be poured off before the
draining is begun.

This cheese is, of course, almost wholly without fat and yet,
probably because the particles of curd are very finely divided,
it has a smooth consistency, which suggests the presence of fat.
It may be served seasoned with salt only or it may be mixed with
butter or cream and seasonings. It is suitable for combining with
olives and pimientos, as recommended on page 34, or for any use to
which the ordinary cream cheeses are put.

Buttermilk Cream.

This product also was devised by the Wisconsin Experiment
Station.[17] By controlling the temperature in heating the
buttermilk and not allowing it to go above 100° F., a compound
is made which after draining has the consistency of a very thick
cream. It is claimed by the station investigators that this “cream”
is suitable for eating on bread in place of butter.

The recipes on pages 34 and 35 suggest ways of making a salad
dressing out of buttermilk cream.

Devonshire Cream.

Devonshire cream somewhat resembles sweet cream in flavor and
consistency. It is very much liked in England, where it is commonly
eaten with fresh or preserved fruit, but is not so well known in
America.

To make Devonshire cream, allow a pan of whole milk to stand for
24 hours in a cool place or for 12 hours in a warmer place. Place
the pan on the cooler part of the stove and heat until the milk is
very hot, but not to the boiling point. If heated too much a thick
skin will form on the surface. The more slowly the milk is heated
the better. Having been heated, the milk should be kept in a cool
place for 24 hours and then skimmed. The thick cream obtained has a
characteristic flavor and texture.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmer’s Bul. 166.

[15] North Carolina Sta. Bul. 210.

[16] Wisconsin Sta. Bul. 195.

[17] Loc. cit.

CHEESE DISHES AND THEIR PREPARATION.