Cream cheese
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225178187
2008-07-12T08:44:32Z
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{{Cheese|Cream Cheese||[[United States]]|[[Chester, New York]]|[[Bos taurus|Cow]]||Soft|none|}}
'''Cream cheese''' is a sweet, soft, mild-tasting, white [[cheese]], defined by the [[US Department of Agriculture]] as containing at least 33% [[milkfat]] (as marketed) with a [[moisture]] content of not more than 55%, and a [[pH]] range of 4.4 to 4.9.<ref>[http://www.ams.usda.gov/DAIRY/creamche.pdf USDA cream cheese pr salmon]</ref>
[[Cream]] cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, and so it differs from other soft cheeses such as [[Europe|Europe's]] [[Brie (cheese)|Brie]] and [[Neufchâtel (cheese)|Neufchâtel]]. More comparable in taste, texture, and production methods are [[Boursin (cheese)|Boursin]] and [[Mascarpone]].
==Origin==
According to the US food processing company [[Kraft Foods]]:
<blockquote>
''Cream cheese originated in [[1872]] when a dairyman in [[Chester (town), New York|Chester]], [[New York]], developed a 'richer cheese than ever before,' made from [[cream (food)|cream]] as well as whole [[milk]].
Then in [[1880]], a New York cheese distributor, A. L. Reynolds, first began distributing cream cheese wrapped in tin-foil wrappers, calling it [[Philadelphia]] Brand....The name "Philadelphia Brand cream cheese" was adopted by Reynolds for the product because at that time, top-quality food products often originated in or were associated with the city, and were often referred to as being "Philadelphia quality."''<ref>http://www.kraft.com/archives/brands/brands_cream.html</ref>
</blockquote>
However, the technique is known to have been in use in [[Normandy]] since the [[1850]]s, producing cheeses with higher fat content than the US model,<ref>[http://www.fromages.org/fdn/fdn_petit_suisse.html O. Courtois]</ref><ref>[http://www.yoplait.fr/page.php/en/49_163.htm Yoplait]</ref> and ''Philadelphia'' cream cheese has been suggested as a substitute when ''[[Petit suisse (cheese)|petit suisse]]'' is not available.<ref>Julia Child, ''Mastering the Art of French Cooking''</ref>.
''Philadelphia'' is used by some as a generic term for cream cheese, and in Spanish it is translated as ''Queso Filadelfia''.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/style/tmagazine/t_l_2170_2171_dish_creamcheese_.html Filadelfia Story]</ref>
==Usage==
Cream cheese is typically used in savoury snacks of various types (for example spread on bread, bagels, crackers, etc.) and can be used in [[cheesecake]]s and in [[salad]]s.
==Manufacture==
Cream cheese is difficult to manufacture{{Fact|date=May 2008}}. Normally, [[protein]] [[molecule]]s in milk have a negative [[surface charge]], which keeps milk in a liquid state; the molecules act as [[surfactant]]s, forming [[micelle]]s around the particles of fat and keeping it in [[emulsion]]. [[Lactic acid bacteria]] are added to [[pasteurized]] and homogenized milk. During the [[Fermentation (food)|fermentation]] at around 23 °C, the [[pH level]] of the milk decreases. Amino acids at the surface of the proteins begin losing charge and become neutral, turning the fat micelles from [[hydrophilic]] to [[hydrophobic]] state and causing the liquid to [[Curd|coagulate]]. If the bacteria are left in the milk too long, the pH lowers farther, the micelles attain a positive charge and the mixture returns to liquid form. The key then is to kill the bacteria by heating the mixture to 52-63 °C at the moment the cheese is in an [[isoelectric point]], meaning the state at which half the ionizable surface amino acids of the proteins are positively charged and half are negative. Inaccurate timing of heating leads to an inferior or unusable product.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
However, subtle changes in the timing of the process can result in variations in flavor and texture. Furthermore, because cream cheese has a higher [[fat]] content than other cheeses, and fat repels water, which tends to separate from the cheese, [[Food additive#Categories|stabilizer]]s such as [[guar gum|guar]] and [[carob gum]]s must be added{{Fact|date=May 2008}} to prolong its [[shelf life]].
Improper heat treatment of milk may lead to formation of hard particles of amorphous compacted protein, causing unpleasant grittiness.
== See also ==
* [[Dairy product]]
* [[Petit suisse (cheese)]]
* [[Neufchâtel (cheese)]]
* [[Quark (cheese)]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web | title=Schmear Campaign | first=Joshua | last=Davis | date=June 2006 | publisher=''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' | url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/cheese.html | accessdate=2006-06-05}}
*Sainani, et al. [http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/full/87/9/2854 "Characterization of particles in cream cheese"], ''J. Dairy Sci.''
{{refend}}
== Related Books ==
* {{cite book
| date = June [[2008]]
| title = [[The Philadelphia Cookbook]]
| last = UK
| first = Philadelphia
| publisher = [[Ebury Press]]
| id = ISBN 9780091922825
}}
==External links==
* [http://www.howtomakecheese.co.za/cream_cheese Making Cream Cheese At Home]
* [http://www.lovemyphilly.com/Great Cream cheese Recipes]
[[Category:Acid-set cheeses]]
[[Category:American cheeses]]
[[Category:cow's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Spreads]]
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