Wisconsin Cheese
Cheese Curds and moreCheese Curds: All You Wanted to Know
Cheese curd is a unique cheese to the state of Wisconsin that is eaten shortly after they are made. They can be eaten cold or batter-fried.
What is a Cheese Curd
Wisconsin cheese curds are a young form of cheddar cheese. Their random shape and size comes from the cheese making process when the larger loaves of curd is ran through a cutting mill. After being ran through the mill the curd is salted and ready to eat. If the cheesemaker decides to make cheddar, the curd is put into a press and the cheese is aged anywhere from 60 days for mild cheddar or up to four years for extra sharp cheddar.
However, if the cheesemaker is making cheese curds, he simply packages the cheese curds into one pound bags and sends to the storefront for sale. When purchasing cheese curds, ignore the grocery stores, they just aren't fresh enough. Purchase cheese curds directly from a cheese factory as they should be eaten within the first few days before they begin to loose their flavor.
Another tip that will help bring out the flavor of the cheese curds is to eat them warmer than the tempurature they are stored at. Simply take them out of the fridge and allow them to warm up. All of the natural flavors and acidity of the cheese will work their way out and onto your tongue.
Batter fried cheese curds are another popular appetizer in Wisconsin. True batter fried cheese curds are made with beer batter or some other acceptable batter rather than a breaded cheese curds that many restaurants use. Good batter and beer batter recipes can be found all over the internet.
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