Shaheen Nouman explores what’s new and trending in the world of cheese, with an insight from chefs who work with this versatile ingredient on a daily basis
How does the increasing awareness about dairy intolerance affect the business?
If you are in the food industry, it is essential to cater for those with allergies and intolerances. Per Te Ristorante e Café executive chef Gladwin Anton says: “Dairy intolerance is one of the most common issues, though it should not be confused with a true allergy to dairy products. For most people who have dairy intolerance, it is simply unpleasant to consume dairy foods, which trigger problems such as nausea, stomach pain, gas, bloating, and bowel disturbances.
“It is mainly caused from foods which still contain significant amounts of milk solids. These contain lactose and casein which can trigger problems.”
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Andiamo chef de cuisine David Concas agrees and adds: “Customers are important and it is the chef’s duty to make sure that they are served according to their preferences, especially those with allergies and intolerances — as any mistake from the chef’s end would mean that they don’t return to the restaurant. In our line of business, it’s all about identifying the guests’ needs and then giving them what they are looking for.
“Dairy intolerance affects businesses such as cheese-makers more than restaurateurs or chefs as we are able to offer plenty of different choices to people with dairy intolerance. Over the last few years, I have made it a practice to add cheese as the last ingredient before the plate is ready to be served to the guest.”
Tre by Roberto Rella executive chef Ernesto Tonetto credits availability of alternatives for not being affected. “It does not influence the business because these days there are plenty of companies that supply products that are made especially for people with dairy intolerance and allergies.”
What are the optimum ways of storing cheese?
If cheese is not stored properly, it can make a world of difference for the final taste and appearance. Living cheeses are what make customers happy, not dead ones!
Concas says: “In ancient times, the best way was to keep cheeses inside la cantina (cave) because it was fresh and dry at the same time. Today, there are many different ways for storing cheese properly. Firstly, you must separate fresh cheese from hard ones.
Fresh ones must be preserved inside their own water, like mozzarella, paneer, and feta, and kept in the fridge for a few days, and must be consumed fast in order to maintain their proper flavours. Hard cheeses are a little more complicated; wrap it with a wet cloth, like cotton, and keep it in the fridge.
Make sure that the cloth does not smell like any detergent, otherwise it will pass on to the cheese. For a short period, like a week, it can be stored in a typical plastic cling wrap or a plastic container with hermetic cover.” Tonetto adds that 'the best temperature to maintain cheese is 10-15°C covered with a special cloth.
Anton, however, raises a red flag and warns against storing in plastic bags for too long. “Never use plastic — the worst way to store cheese is with plastic wrap because cheese is mostly oily and with fat. After a few days, it will actually start to take on the flavour of the plastic.
“Don’t wrap it too tightly or loosely. Cheese has a natural smell, the most significant being ammonia’s pungent smell. If you’re not leaving your cheese room to breathe, it’s not only going to smell and taste like plastic, it’s going to smell and taste like ammonia. However, if you wrap your cheese too loose, you’ll end up with dried out and hardened chunks, which is just as bad.”
La Classique chef de cuisine Remi Verrier suggests vacuum bags. “To ensure cheese is stored properly to maintain its quality, we use special vacuum bags, and always separate different types of cheese. The vacuum bags are left slightly open before being stored in the refrigerator. The exception to this rule is blue cheese — Roquefort, Stilton et cetera — these should always be wrapped in foil and placed in the refrigerator. A common mistake is to wrap blue cheese in cling film, as this actually dries it out.”
Anton adds cheese bags as an alternative. “Store cheese using cheese bags or cheese paper — it will protect the cheese from air exposure and still allow it to breathe.”
In addition, keeping a track of storage and expiry dates is very important, as Anton explains. “Note the date. Before you put it in the fridge, label your cheese with the date you wrapped it. It is very important that we keep a track on the expiry date of the cheese as it is very sensitive and any negligence will result in illness.”
Besides traditional methods, there are other alternatives to store cheese for an extended time period, while ensuring that the cheese stays fresh. Eurial International industrial product manager Delphine Pelfresne shares one such alternative. “Eurial used Individually Quick Frozen Technology (IQF) technology to develop a range of frozen cheeses with increased shelf life, without compromising on the taste, qualities and functionalities.”
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