I'm a bit of a mold-phobic. When I see any small amount of mold on anything, I'll just throw the whole thing away. This is most applicable to breads and cheeses.
Then most people are like "Silly Bob, everybody knows cheese is just mold anyway!" At this point I always think, "I should look that up, because I think that's a bunch of bull...logna." (Get it? Like "bologna?")
So today I finally did. And it turns out I'm not silly at all! (At least, not for that reason...) CHEESE IS NOT MOLD! At least not the kinds I ever eat. Here's a quote from eHow.com's article "Is Cheese Really Mold?":
"Cheese is not a type of mold, but mold is used in the cheese-making process for some types of cheese."
So you say, "See?? There it is! 'Mold is used in the cheese-making process for some types of cheese."
And I say, "Here's the rest of the quote: 'Some types of cheese that are made using mold include Roquefort, blue cheese, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Stilton, and Brie.'"
So hah! No one eats those kinds of cheeses anyway! (Except maybe bleu cheese, which they shouldn't be eating anyway because it's gross.)
Furthermore, if there is visible mold on any of those soft cheeses, you need to throw it all away. Only on hard cheeses where mold isn't used in the cheese making process can you safely cut mold away. And even then, it is recommended that you cut at least one inch around the edge of the mold, since mold grows roots into the food.
Now if I ever hear someone tell me that 'cheese is just mold' I will just refer them to my blog.
To wrap it up, here's another quote from the article:
"The misconception that cheese is nothing but mold is false. In fact, mold on cheese can release potentially harmful toxins and is highly undesirable."
"I was right and you were wrong" re: "No one eats those kinds of cheeses anyway." I totally eat all of those cheeses, as often as I can afford to. Except I don't think I've had Stilton. You need to go to the French club's annual cheese night and see what you're missing out on... super delish.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks! I've had them before and they all just taste like bitterness in a small, slimy package. I appreciate the gesture though, and I'm glad to know I have friends who are more refined than I :)
ReplyDelete