Description

Cream cheese (also called soft cheese or Philadelphia cheese) is a sweet, soft, mild-tasting, white cheese, defined by the US Department of Agriculture as containing at least 33% milkfat (as marketed) with a moisture content of not more than 55%, and a pH range of 4.4 to 4.9. Philadelphia' was adopted as the brand name, after the city that was considered at the time to be the home of top quality food. The cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, and so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neufchâtel. More comparable in taste, texture, and production methods are Boursin and Mascarpone.

How to select

Many markets carry Philadelphia cheese, typically in small tubs in the refrigerated section. The brand in which Philadelphia cream cheese is sold in the market is Kraft Foods. It is also possible to make this cheese at home. Check the expiry date before buying.

Culinary Uses

· Cream cheese is typically used in savoury snacks of various types (for example, as a spread on bread, bagels, crackers, various types of raw vegetables, etc.), and can be used in cheesecakes and salads.
· It can also be used to make cheese sauces.
· It is sometimes used in place of butter (or alongside butter in a ratio of two parts cream cheese to one part butter) when making cakes or cookies, and it is also used to make an icing similar to buttercream (using a ratio of two parts cream cheese to one part butter) which is used to ice carrot cake.
· It is the main ingredient in crab rangoon, an appetizer commonly served at American Chinese restaurants
· It is popular as a standalone dessert, served with fresh fruit and sometimes a light syrup.

How to store

Homemade cream cheese won't have preservatives and will need to be consumed within a few days. Whether you buy or make Philadelphia, be aware that the cheese has a very short shelf life it should ideally be stored in a refrigerator and used within a few days, or it can go bad.

Health benefits

· Regardless of the type of milk used to create it, Philadelphia cream cheese is a concentrated source of the nutrients naturally found in milk, including calcium.
· Cream Cheese also contains a large amount of other essential nutrients such as phosphorous, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin A
· It is a dense source of high quality protein
· The cream cheese has a higher fat content than other cheeses.