Cheese and Cooking Temperatures

Cooking temperatures for cheeses should be kept low and heating times short. High heat or prolonged cooking toughens cheese proteins and causes the fat to separate out, creating an oily, stringy, and inferior product. When using a microwave, it is best to use lower power settings - between 30 and 70 percent - for melting cheese.

Cheeses used in sauces and other dishes should be added during the last stages of preparation to prevent separation. Adding a pinch of dry mustard to cheese sauces helps to bring out their flavor. One way to soften cream cheese without too much heat is to enclose it in an airtight zip-top plastic bag and briefly submerge it in hot water.

Temperature is also important when serving cheese. Most cheeses (semi-hard and hard) reach their full flavor when taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to reach room temperature before serving. To prevent cheese from drying out, it is best either to cut cheese that has reached room temperature just before serving or to let people cut their own. Cream cheese, cottage cheese, and other unripened cheeses should, however, always be served chilled.