Is it safe to eat blue cheese (moldy) and whether it can be done at home
Do It Yourself Food / / December 19, 2019
Recently I was "lucky" to purchase a package of moldy cheese. But there is a blessing in disguise, I was wondering why in one case the mold is evaluated as an indicator of the unsuitability of the product, and in another - refinement. In our minds ingrained knowledge that fresh and good product can not be covered with mold. Then how about a blue cheese, a long time have won great popularity among gourmets? In this article we take a closer look at such a famous blue cheese and find out whether it is possible to cook it at home.
whether the mold is dangerous
Dangerous forms of mold are the ones that produce mycotoxins and aflatoxins. These toxins can adversely affect our respiratory system and, in some cases, even act as carcinogens. But not all molds produce harmful toxins. Particular types of molds of Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium Glaucum, and which are used for the preparation of blue cheese, do not produce destructive substances. The combination of acidity, salinity, humidity, temperature, and oxygen saturation creates an environment distant from generation of harmful toxins. Moreover, P.Roqueforti P.Glaucum and have antibacterial properties and help fight pathogens.
Unfortunately, the major manufacturers of food products treated with the minds of several generations of mankind, assured us that only homogeneous structure vacuum-packed with a large company logo ensure safety. A musty, rustic, unusual product is equivalent to home production uncontrolled unsanitary. But we understand that the products of craftsmen, on the contrary, are more useful than a meal a high degree of processing.
Blue mold cheese produces a unique effect. Mold dramatically accelerates two processes proteolysis (protein breakdown) and lipolysis (breakdown of fat). As a result, the cheese takes on a special structure and a strong pungent odor. The taste of the cheese can not be compared with anything else.
The preparation technology
Before proceeding directly to the preparation, let's touch on the important aspects of this process.
Blue mold grows only within a certain period of time - cheese ripening. Since mold requires a special acidity, it can not develop at too young and still sour cheese. At the same time, the mold is growing at the expense of nutrients, which in sufficient quantities are not available in an already mature cheese.
Mold spores are highly contagious to other cheeses. Thus, it is necessary to limit the blue cheeses from other types of cheeses during this sensitive period.
Due mold growth is provided by the access large amounts of oxygen. Therefore, massive cheese pierce needle or needle that oxygen formed by channels fed into cheese. Breathable mold begins to grow from the head center to the surface, creating a beautiful contrast of blue "veins" with the color of the marble cheese. Manufacturers of cheese daily repeated puncture procedure within a week or two.
Then the cheese is wrapped in foil, thereby preventing uncontrolled growth of mold. The cheese is placed in the cooler temperatures, allowing the mold to create a deep complex structure, aroma and taste. In some cases, this last step can take up to several months.
Should I bind themselves with mold
Wishing to prepare cheese with noble mold in the home, be prepared for difficulties. First of all, because of the cheese. Shoplifter cheese is unlikely to fit. Usually he has aged, so the blue mold does not have enough nutrients to sustain growth. Competition from yeast cake just will not allow blue mold razrostis. Therefore, it is necessary to find a young cheese with a thin crust or without it. Daredevils can try to cook a cheese.
Do not forget about the need to create a large number of cavities in cheese for sufficient oxygen ingress. Regular puncture carries and the function of "contamination" of cheese with mold.
If you can not find the blue mold on sale, you can scrape it with moldy rye bread or other blue cheese. Although it can be easier to do - to crush a piece of blue cheese in a blender, adding to the capacity of a small amount of water and a pinch of salt.
Plenty of mocking the head cheese, turn it on its side. So the air will be easier to pass through the cheese. Set the air temperature at 13 ° C, humidity should be 90-95%. When the mold will grow enough to put the cheese in the fridge for a few weeks or months.
The process is quite complicated and scrupulous.
conclusion
If the general course of the preparation of a blue cheese you interesting, please refer to specialized sources for more detailed explanations. After all, the quality of the product is affected by many other factors, up to the animal feed, which gave milk base cheese.
I hope your homemade blue cheese will cause a reaction in his stunning tasters.
I have to make blue cheese at home? Perhaps the taste is not worth all the accompanying problems? Share your opinion in the comments.