Cooking 101: Dairy and Eggs Identification

September 12, 2008

This post is part of a series called Cooking 101, which introduces the basics of cooking. The series follows the book Culinary Fundamentals, with supplements from The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America. Check out the previous posts here.

Unit 9: Dairy, Eggs, and Dry Goods

Part 1: Dairy and Eggs Identification

Today I’ll cover the basics of dairy and eggs.

Milk, Cream, and Various Related Products

When milk comes from a cow, it has a substantial amount of milk fat. Naturally this milk fat rises to the surface as cream, but milk these days is centrifuged to separate the fat. Next the milk is homogenized, which reincorporates the proper amount of fat into the milk, preventing future separation. Finally, most milk and cream go through pasteurization, which heats the product to kill potentially harmful organisms.

The difference between milks and creams is in the fat content. Here’s the chart:

Further differences include higher fat content products generally having longer shelf lives and they are able to be heated to higher temperatures before curdling. But if your milk does curdle, don’t use it!

Cultured Products

The second group of dairy products behind the milks and creams are cultured products, including yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, and buttermilk. Each one is made by adding a bacterial strain that induces fermentation. Yogurt is a product of fermented milk (hence the matching milk fat percentage). Sour cream is cultured sweet cream, with 18% milk fat. Crème fraîche is like sour cream, but it has a higher fat content (30%) which gives it a less sharp taste. Its higher fat content also makes it easier to use in cooking, because it can stand up to more heat. Buttermilk was originally the by-product of churning butter, but now is manufactured by a bacterial culture. It has a low fat content.

Ice Cream

Ice cream must have a fat content of 8% (or 10% for vanilla) to be called ice cream. Many use a custard base to achieve creaminess, while some use stabilizer chemicals which prevent the formation of ice crystals. Gelato is Italian ice cream, but it has less air churned into it, making it creamier.

Butter

Butter is simply churned cream, and you could end up with it if you over-whip your whipped cream. It comes in salted and unsalted varieties. When it is labeled sweet, it just means it was made from sweet cream.

Cheeses

Cheese is the product of milk and mold or bacteria. It is a huge subject and one I can’t cover fully here, but I will go over the major categories of cheeses.

Fresh Cheeses: Fresh cheeses are usually soft, creamy and moist, with a tangy flavor. They are not aged at all and do not last long. Common ones include mozzarella, mascarpone, feta, and ricotta.

Soft and Rind-Ripened Cheeses: These cheeses have rind of edible, strongly flavored surface mold. The ripened cheese inside is very soft. Rind-ripened cheeses include brie, camembert, and limburger.

Semi-Soft Cheeses: The name kind of explains this one. These cheeses are generally too soft to grate, but harder than rind-ripened cheeses and lacking the rind. Many of these do have a wax covering, however. They don’t have as long a shelf life as the harder cheeses. Examples include havarti, monterey jack, and muenster.

Hard Cheeses: Hard cheeses are, yes, harder than semi-soft cheeses. They are good for grating and slicing, and can often be used in hot dishes. These last longer than the previous cheeses. You may remember them from such cheeses as cheddar, Swiss, and provolone.

Grating Cheeses: These are the really hard cheeses that usually have to be grated to be used. They can last a really long time in the refrigerator. Think Parmesan, grana padano, asiago, etc.

Blue-Veined Cheeses: These cheeses have a mold injected into them before ripening. They are then brined and allowed to ripen. Blue (bleu) cheese, gorgonzola, and stilton are examples.

Eggs

I’ve written about eggs a few times before - check out why to salt scrambled eggs before cooking and how their proteins affect cooking. In general, eggs come in a variety of sizes, and fresher ones are generally better. Interestingly, The Professional Chef recommends using medium eggs for breakfast foods because they look the best, while large or extra-large are better for baking.

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