If you have never seen or tasted a cheese curd you might not be anxious to put one in your mouth because ?cheese curd? is kind of a strange name and doesn't necessarily conjure up images of something tasty. But a cheese curd is very tasty. I think once you try one you'll be eating a lot more of them!
I'm from Wisconsin and grew up eating cheese curds (and yes, lots of other cheese too). I thought everyone ate cheese curds and that you could buy them anywhere. When I grew up and started to travel outside of the state I learned in a hurry that a lot of things were different and that cheese curds were a specialty item only available in areas that produced cheese. That's changed a little bit now. Cheese curds, along with a wide variety of other types of cheeses, are more readily available in all areas of the United States.
What are cheese curds? Most cheese curds (at least most of the ones made in Wisconsin) are a cheddar cheese product, but think baby cheddar cheese or newborn cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese curds are what cheddar cheese is before it is pressed into a block and aged (cheddar cheese you see in your grocery store is aged at least 60 days and up to 10 years for the really sharp cheddar cheeses).
Cheese curds are a very fresh product and have the best flavor if they are eaten the same day they are made. But going to a cheese factory and purchasing cheese curds the same day they are made is not an option for many people. Cheese curds are still very tasty a few days after they're made, but after a week or so they start to lose their flavor very quickly. Although ?fresh? cheese curds may be available at your local supermarket, it's likely they are at least one to two weeks old by the time they reach the store's dairy case. Don't buy them from your supermarket or grocery store (unless you're certain they really are fresh). Instead order directly from a cheese factory via the Internet or phone. Look for a place that ships the cheese curds the same day they are made (do an Internet search for ?cheese curds? ? there will be lots of choices of businesses that send cheese curds out the same day they make them). You'll be glad you went to the trouble of ordering the freshest cheese curds possible.
Cheese curds are available in several flavors. Although the traditional yellow cheese curds are the most popular and most widely available, I've also seen and tried white cheddar cheese curds in addition to the following flavors: garlic, dill, jalapeno (they have a ?kick? to them), Cajun (also have a ?kick? to them), pesto, chipotle (these are spicy too), and paprika. Cheese curds have a smooth texture. Plain cheese curds have a mild salty flavor. They come in their natural shape and form which is small random chunks.
Although most cheese curds are made from cheddar cheese; colby, mozzarella, and monterey jack cheese curds are also available.
One fun thing about cheese curds is that they ?squeak.? A fresh cheese curd will make a squeaky noise while you're eating it. That's one of the reasons why kids love to eat cheese curds (and many adults too).
Besides eating them fresh, another yummy way to eat a cheese curd is to deep-fry it (which, like deep frying a mushroom, turns a cheese curd into a not so healthy but really great tasting food). You can purchase special batter mixes made especially for cheese curds, but general purpose batter mixes like Golden Dipt All Purpose Batter Mix (made by McCormick) works fine. But my personal favorite type of batter for deep fried cheese curds is beer batter (have I mentioned I'm from Wisconsin?).
If you haven't yet had the opportunity to try cheese curds, I hope you try them soon. I think you'll be glad you did. Happy eating!
Losing weight is not just about diets and fitness. You also need to figure out and release the many Mental, Emotional, Subconscious, and Spiritual blocks to weight loss. They are limiting beliefs, thoughts, or fears that prevent you from losing weight; I also call them the M.E.S.S. blocks to weight loss. If you do not get rid of them, you won't be able to lose weight or if you do succeed, you will always gain the weight back.
Did you know that if you have shared two meals per day with your parents from your birth until the age of 18, you have had 13,104 meals with them? This gives you plenty of time to be heavily influenced by your parents, positively or negatively, to acquire their eating behaviors, and to take on their food or weight obsessions, if any.
If no one in your family was obsessed with food and weight and everyone ate in a healthy way without talking about dieting all the time, then you are extremely fortunate. On the contrary, if your parents were overweight, ate junk food all day long, and were obsessed with both food and losing weight, you may have taken on your family's unhealthy eating behaviors and addictions. The fantastic news is that you can get rid of them.
I always had to eat everything on my plate when I was a child. My plate had to be empty before I could leave the table. So guess what? One of my limiting beliefs was that I had to finish my plate. I had no other option. Until recently, I still had to finish my plate and I had an extremely hard time leaving any food in my plate because I had been programmed for years to eat everything on my plate.
For years, I still had the belief that if I did not finish my plate, my parents would be angry at me. Of course, they did not do this on purpose; they simply wanted to be great parents and provide me with the right amount of nutrition. Yet, as a grown-up, I was still conditioned to be an obedient child and finish my plate so I would not be in trouble with my Mum and Dad. This continued until I completely got rid of the belief. if you believe that you have to finish your plate, you can easily eat a lot more than you need and gain weight just because of this limiting belief, especially in the U.S. where servings are so large.
The first step in changing your behavior is to start with a small serving. Then, even if you finish your plate, you will not eat too much. You can always have another helping if you are still hungry. It's critical that you start to do this because this detrimental behavior has become anchored in your subconscious mind for a long time.
The second step is to let go of the limiting, negative belief that you have to finish your plate. When you completely release it, you will have the freedom to not finish your plate if you are no longer hungry. And you will no longer feel guilty about it.
Both Dorrie Ruplinger & Marylin Stompler are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dorrie Ruplinger has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Home and Lose Weight. D Ruplinger is a featured writer for . Visit the web site for more information about diff. Dorrie Ruplinger's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.
Marylin Stompler has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Public Relations and Food and Drink. Marylin Stompler, Author of Fat No More, Release the Subconscious Blocks that Prevent your Weight Loss. To receive your FREE eBook Fat No More Secrets, visit