Fresh cheeses can be categorized as a sub-group of soft cheeses.
They are soft, spreadable, usually white, and mild in taste though typically a bit tart.
Fresh cheeses are ready to eat the same day as the cheese-making process is finished. They are not aged, fermented or pickled.
Some food writers erroneously classify a cheese such as feta as a fresh cheese because it has the soft and white characteristics of this grouping of cheeses. But it is not technically a fresh cheese owing to its being aged and essentially pickled in brine.
Soft cheeses have quite a high moisture level (55 to 80%.)
Cooking tips
The high moisture content can make fresh cheese an ingredient that gives both body and tenderness to a dish:
“Soft cheeses with a very high water content, for example cream and curd cheeses, give a very tender texture, as required in cheesecake and Danish pastries.” [1]Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food (Oxford Companions) (p. 165). OUP Oxford. Kindle Edition.
Storage
Because they were not designed for aging, fresh cheeses typically have short storage lives. They can be frozen to extend the storage life, though for some fresh cheeses the freezing process can have undesirable impacts on the texture of the product after thawing, such as graininess.
History Notes
Most Roman cheeses were fresh cheeses.
Types of fresh cheeses
Ayib
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese
Curd Cheese
Fromage Blanc Cheese
Fromage Frais
Mascarpone Cheese
Mató Cheese
Neufchâtel Cheese
Paneer
Panela Cheese
Pot Cheese
Quark Cheese
Queso Blanco
Queso Fresco
Queso Quesadilla
Requesón Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Zufi Cheese
References
↑1 | Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food (Oxford Companions) (p. 165). OUP Oxford. Kindle Edition. |
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