What is blue cheese dressing?
Blue cheese dressing is a seasoned sauce for salads made from blue cheese mixed with ingredients like mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, milk, vinegar, onion powder, and garlic powder.
It can be chunky or creamy depending on how the blue cheese is blended with the other ingredients to form the blue cheese dressing.
What is blue cheese?
Blue cheese is a generic term used to describe cheese ripened during storage with blue mold penicillium.This special fungal mold creates the characteristic feature of blue or blue-green mold veins appearing throughout the cheese.
It is the main ingredient in blue cheese dressing and responsible for its naming.
It’s origin is Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, South of France.
Is blue cheese healthy?
Blue cheese is healthy and rich in nutrients that provides a variety of health benefits.
Blue cheese, like other cheese, is rich in calcium,a one-ounce serving of blue cheese contains as much as 150miligram of calcium. It is also notable for its aesthetic and taste when served.
How To Make Homemade Blue Cheese dressing?
Measure the ingredients in the recipe below and mix well:
5 tablespoons of milk,
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
5 ounces blue cheese then crumble,
1/2 teaspoon of granulated white sugar,
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder,
6 tablespoons of sour cream,
4 tablespoons mayonnaise,
4 teaspoon of white wine vinegar.
If you want it chunky, just whisk all the ingredients together with your kitchen whisk to make your chunky blue cheese dressing but if you want it creamy, transfer the mixture into a blender and blend into a smooth creamy consistency.
How long does homemade blue cheese dressing last in the fridge?
Though the vinegar serves as a preservative in a way but it is better to make quantity of homemade blue cheese dressing that you can consume within 5 days.
Refrigerate during those days but if before the 5th day if you notice discoloration and foul smell, throw away to avoid food poisoning.
Can homemade blue cheese dressing be frozen?
Yes it can freeze and some people transfer homemade blue cheese dressing into ice cube trays and allow to freeze then pack the frozen blue cheese sauce in a Ziploc bag for storage for as long as 6 months.
If you are storing directly in containers, ensure you have free space at the top of the container and seal the container airtight.
Write the date it is made and the contents on a paper and use a transparent tape to hold it in place on the container then place in the freezer.
Store the salad dressing for up to six months.
What is the nutritional information on blue cheese dressing?
According to USDA, below is the information on the nutirients in 100grams of blue cheese dressing.
What is Cheese?
Cheese is a fermented dairy product of milk curdled by lactic acid bacteria(LAB) along with the microbial conversion of the lactose in the milk into lactic acid.
The cheese produced at the end of the cheese-making process is rich in proteins and fat from the milk obtained from mostly ruminant animals such as goat, cows, buffalo or sheep.
The earliest factual evidence of cheesemaking found in Switzerland, Croatia and Poland shows that the process of making cheese dates back to about eight thousand years ago.
Now cheese are produced in different range of forms, textures and flavours by coagulation of the milk protein casein by strain of bacteria LAB.
The nutrition and taste of cheese depend on the milk source and how the cheese is made.
Cheese can be broadly categorized into two groups; acid or rennet cheese, and natural or processed cheese.
What is acid cheese?
This is the type of cheese made by adding acid to the milk to cause the proteins to coagulate.
Examples of acid cheese are cream cheese, fresco cheese etc.
What is rennet cheese?
In this type of cheese, an enzyme called Rennet, in addition to the starter cultures, are used to coagulate the milk. Examples of Rennet cheeses are Cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese etc.
What is “natural” cheese?
The term “natural cheese” is used in the cheese industry to refer to the type of cheese made directly from milk. Examples of natural cheese and brands are unripened (e. g., cottage cheese, cream cheese), soft (e.g Camembert), semi-hard (e. g., Brick, Muenster, Roquefort, Stilton), hard (e. g., Colby, Cheddar), blue veined (e. g., Blue), cooked hard cheeses (e. g. Parmesan), and pasta filata
What is processed cheese?
Process cheese is the type of cheese made using original natural cheese fortified with other ingredients and same type of cheese at different stages of ripeness then blended and cooked together to change the texture, melting properties and ultimately increase shelf life.
Examples of processed cheese are American cheese.
What is cheese made of?
In the industrial making of cheese, raw milk is poured into large tanks, a “starter culture” of bacteria is added to the milk to convert the lactose into lactic acid.
An enzyme called rennet is added to curdle the milk.
Cheese is a made up of calcium, fat, omega-3 fatty acids and protein. It also contains high amounts of vitamins A and B-12, vitamin K-2, zinc, phosphorus, and riboflavin.
Cheese made from milk obtained from ruminant animals fed only on healthy grass is regarded has being the highest in nutrients composition .
Why cheese is bad for you?
Though cheese is rich in protein, calcium and other valuable nutrients it is still considered high in calories, saturated fat and salt.
This means if you eat too much cheese, it is likely to give you high calories which could make you obese, lead to high “bad cholesterol” LDL and high blood pressure arising from too much sodium in the blood, increasing your risk of having cardiovascular diseases.
How much cheese to eat daily
It actually depends on your individual body need for as long as the quantity you eat does not pose any risk to your health.
However, if you are not at risk of cardiovascular diseases based on eating too much cheese, use the recoomendation of the American Heart Association(AHA) of 1.5 ounces of cheese per day.
What are the types of cheese?
FRESH (No rind)
AGED FRESH CHEESE (wrinkled white to grey-blue rind)
SOFT WHITE RIND (White Fuzzy Rind)
SEMI-SOFT (Fine to thick grey-brown rind or orange & sticky)
HARD (crusty, grey often polished, waxed or oiled)
BLUE (Gritty, rough, sometimes sticky rind)
FLAVOUR ADDED.
Which country is famous for blue cheese dressing ?
France. Originally,the starting cheese must be made entirely from the milk of Lacaune sheep and ripened with the blue penicillium mould in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, South of France, where the Penicillium roqueforti mold is isolated from the soil and used to inoculate fresh cheese.
It is this blue cheese that is crumbled and mixed with other ingredients to make the blue cheese dressing.
What are the benefits of cheese?
Cheese is very rich in nutrients and on this basis, it has the following health benefits.
1.Bone development and growth.
During the development of foetus, calcium is required for forming bones and it is so vital that during pregnancy, you must take adequate calcium meet up with your own demand and that of the foetus to prevent the pregnant mum losing her bone’s calcium to her foetus.
In growing children and teens, their bones are yet to be fully formed and bones that lengthens and eventually fuse at full adolescent need adequate calcium supply which cheeses eating will provide.
In adults, the integrity of the bone can be destroyed by osteoporosis which arises when holes exist in the bones.
The risk of osteoporosis increases as we age and as side effect of some medications like Prednisolone used in health conditions like inflammation.
Consumption of cheese, especially those Cheese products fortified with Vitamin D (helps the body absorb calcium in soluble forms) will help prevent osteoporosis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum daily intake of 400- 500 mg of calcium per day for people over 50 and at risk for fractures and eating cheese daily can help you meet your daily requirement of calcium to keep your bones strong and healthy.
2.Cheese supplies Calcium needed in Blood clotting.
During injuries, blood clot to seal the exposed part to prevent further loss of your blood.
Calcium is very essential in the process of blood clotting. It is so important that in dialysis machine and blood banks, chemicals called chelating agents are added to prevent blood clotting by inhibiting the calcium ions.
When you eat cheese, your body has adequate calcium for this process without depleting the calcium serving elsewhere in your body.
3.Cheese Helps You Develop and maintain strong and healthy teeth.
Cheeses contains calcium which supplies the body with the major component of the white part of the teeth, enamel.
Cheese eating has also been reported to provide a pH at which the teeth is better protected from acid which causes tooth decay.
4. Cheese is rich in Protein.
Cheese eating daily can supply your daily amounts of protein for all the essential and critical functions protein plays in your body like growth(especially in growing children), repair of injuries , making important enzymes,muscles etc and eventually gives you appropriatr muscle content, healthier skin and hair.
About 2-3 servings of protein-rich foods (such as cheese, fish) per day is adequate for most adults to meet the their daily requirement for protein.
5. Cheese is High in Vitamin B12
Cheese is a good natural source of the water soluble Vitamin B-12 ,Cobalamin which plays essential role in the production of red blood cells, protein, and DNA.
When present in your body in adequate amount, it helps promote many mental health functions and prevent nutritional deficiency diseases such as known as Vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia, or pernicious anemia.
6.Cheese helps lower risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.
Preeclampsia(pregnancy induced form of hypertension) is responsible for some deaths of both pregnant mother and foetus.
However, studies have shown, that when pregnant women receive calcium supplements of between 1.5-2g per day, this can greatly reduce a woman’s risk of developing preeclampsia .
Properly prepared cheese (especially cooked soft cheese) is good and nutritional to a pregnant woman and her foetus.
Soft cheese should be properly cooked to kill off any presence of Listeria monocytogenes,a bacteria which has implicated soft cheeses in listeriosis outbreaks worldwide which can harm a pregnant woman and her foetus.
Cheese when consumed daily in pregnancy provides the pregnant woman calcium in her diet along with many other essential macro and micro nutrients required for healthy pregnancy, like protein and some vitamins.
Is blue cheese dressing high in fat?
Blue cheese dressing is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than the worrisome saturated fat but you can gain much calories from consuming it if not done in moderation.
What food goes with blue cheese dressing?
Blue cheese dressing is a popular condiment that goes well with salads or appetizers although it is more popular as salad dressing.
There are other traditional and more creative use of blue cheese dressing for wedge salads, sauce for steaks, or dip for chicken or buffalo wings.
What are the best brands of blue cheese dressing?
Wish Bone Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
Walden Farms Bleu Cheese Dressing
Ken’s Steak House
Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Salad Dressing,
Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing
Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing & Dip (low sodium)
Marzetti Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
How To Get Blue cheese Dressing for free?
This brand of blue cheese dressing is regarded as the best of blue cheese chunky salad dressing. It is Bone Wish Blue Cheese Dressing and here it comes with attractive discount.
Check out the discount below.
