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Cream Cheese

This familiar favorite is often enjoyed as a spread on bagels or toast.

The mildest of all cheeses, this fresh cheese is made from pasteurized whole milk with cream added. It is a familiar favorite, used as a spread on bagels or toast or as a main ingredient in dips and in cheesecake. Cream cheese is made by separating the curd from milk with a culture or rennet. The soft cheese that results is drained for two to three hours, then pressed for two to three hours; after that, it is ready to eat, although some cream cheese may be given additional flavoring or processing.

Varieties

Many brands of cream cheese contain thickeners or gums; gum-free cream cheese is available at some specialty shops. Cream cheese is also available as a spread, flavored with herbs or peppers. The fat content of this cheese varies widely, from the high-fat German fresh double cream cheese to low-fat Quark, which has only about 5% fat. Reduced-fat cream cheeses are typically whipped and expanded with air. Some low-fat versions contain whey powder, which tends to alter the texture.

Neufchâtel

Neufchâtel is a name used in the United States for a softer form of cream cheese that contains 20 to 33% fat, although the cheese bears no relationship to French Neufchâtel, produced only in Normandy. The best-known European varieties of cream-cheese type cheeses include Italian mascarpone, often used as the basis for sweet desserts, Austrian Quark, the French crème fraîche, and a broad range of herbed or flavored spreads, including goats’ milk cheeses like chèvre.

Buying and storing tips

Fresh cream cheese can be kept in the refrigerator from 2 to 14 days. Keep it well wrapped or in a sealed container so that it doesn’t dry out or pick up flavors from other food.

Availability

This product is widely available, although gum-free varieties may be harder to find. Large natural foods, grocery, and specialty stores carry a wide variety of cream cheeses, including those from small family farms.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Cream cheese is widely used in spreads, dips, and in baking, especially in cheesecake and as a filling for fruit tarts. Cream cheese spreads or dips may be seasoned with herbs, spices, onions, olives, pimiento, relish, pineapple, or walnuts, or may be combined with such seasonings as caraway seeds, garlic, and sour cream. These various flavors are especially enjoyable with vegetables, fruits, and breads. Interesting ways to use cream cheese include horseradish-seasoned cream cheese in stuffed tomatoes, and cream-cheese sauce for shell-shaped pasta. Cream cheese is sometimes mixed with other cheeses—for example, the intensely flavored blue Italian cheese Gorgonzola—to create savory spreads and hors d’oeuvres.

Nutritional Highlights

Cream cheese, 1 Tbsp (about 15g)
Calories: 51
Protein: 1.1g
Carbohydrate: 0.39g
Total Fat: 5.0g
Fiber: 0.0g