Farewell!

Dear followers of Bucky Cheeses,

It has been an honor and a privilege writing for you this semester, through good and bad smelling cheeses, through international and domestic cheeses, through cow, goat, and rat cheeses we have expanded our pallets and minds. We hope we have entertained and informed you on all things cheesy. We encourage you to keep following the blog as it will be updated periodically when we run into anything cheesy. Please take a moment to look at our final video, and read some of our goodbyes!

Thanks for following! – Gary Gruyere (Jacob Ahrens-Balwit)

I’m so happy to be part of Bucky Cheeses because I learned so much about creating and maintaining a blog, and of course about cheese too! My favorite part was researching all the different cheesy things to write about. What I thought at first was an extremely narrow topic, turned out to be a topic with endless possibilities. I’ll be sure to post to the blog if I ever learn something new that I want to share! I also found it fun to keep a Facebook and Twitter page for our blog. Sharing the different posts was a good way to get our blog out there and keep people interested. I hope everyone has enjoyed Bucky Cheeses! – Mozzie Mozzarella (Grace Featherstone)

For starters, I’ve had so much fun working on this blog this semester! I’ve learned so much not just about cheese, but also how a blog works in general! I’d have to say that my favorite part was finding crazy facts or videos about cheese or trying new, delicious cheeses. I hope you all have learned as much as we have and I hope you will continue to check in on our blog for new posts! Stay Cheesy!

-Cheddarz (Morgan Wileman)

Bucky Cheeses was a great opportunity for me to truly realize that I love to write. This was my first semester here at UW-Madison, and Bucky Cheeses forced me to step out of my comfort zone and explore the campus. I visited different cheese stores around Madison, interviewed various people, and fell in love with the Cheese State. At first I found it difficult to incorporate both cheese and media fluency. However, I now recognize that we live in such a digital world that anything can be media fluent. There are so many aspects of cheese seen in the media world.  Cheese politics, cheese in movies and songs, and cheese advertisements are a few we investigated. I love our blog, Bucky Cheeses, and I know I will continue to post because I know I will never stop having cheesy encounters in Wisconsin.

Swissy (Elle Chody)

Alternatives to Bucky Cheeses

When we came up with the idea to do a blog about cheese, we loved it because it was so original. While we believe it still is, I was curious to see if anyone had thought of doing a blog on cheese before us. Turns out we weren’t the first.

The first cheeseblog I looked at besides our one was one called “Cheeses of France”. This blog’s homepage started with picking your style, flavor, or milk type of cheese and then took you to tons of information based off what you chose. In addition, it gave you information where you could buy the cheese, popular dishes with cheese, and many more.

In addition, with each cheese type they listed, the gave you the opportunity to hear how the name of the cheese is pronounced and then specific recipes with that cheese. How neat is that?! If you want to check it out, here is the link to theblog:http://www.cheesesoffrance.com/the_cheeses.html

Another blog about cheese I looked into was called “Formaggio Kitchen’s Cheese Blog”. This blog consisted of hundreds of recipes along with facts about the family business and how they run things. Their company travels throughout Europe and the US visiting different cheese-makers, dairies, and agers of artisan finding cheeses to include in theirstores.

The Formaggio Kitchen family prides themselves on offering their costumers with the finest cheeses around the world. While I found their business and blog interesting, I think it could be more organized and therefore I found the first blog I looked ata lot more enjoyable. On the other hand, I think you guys should still check out this blog so here is the link:http://blog.formaggiokitchen.com/about/

The last blog I looked at was actually another blog about Wisconsin cheeses. It appears we may have some competition. “Cheese Underground” is a cheese blog that contains links to cheese-makers in Wisconsin, along with their favorite cheesy links and cheese stores, and also many top stories about the Wisconsin cheese universe.

While I really enjoyed all of the information the blog included, what made it great was how organized it was! It was very easy to read and understand and was very thorough. I definitely encourage you to check out the blog, after you come to Bucky Cheese of course! Here is the link:http://cheeseunderground.blogspot.com

Overall, I found that although we were not the first to create a cheese blog, we may have one of the best (or maybe I’m biased). All of them were very original and I definitely learned a lot of stuff from each of them!Anyways, go check out the other cheese blogs the world has to offer, but don’t forget about your favorite: Bucky Cheeses!

-Cheddarz (Morgan Wileman)

Cheese for Rats…. or Cheese from Rats?

Cheese is commonly used as bait for rats, but could rat milk be used to make cheese? According to the The Federation of Rodent Cheese Makers (F.R.C.M.) The “art of making cheese from lactating rodents has never been more alive than today.” they claim the practice is still considered by some to be a luxury.The organization states “Technological advances and mechanisation have made rat-milking a relatively simple task nowadays. All the same a herd of a five hundred or so dairy rats may still only produce about a pint (568ml) of milk a day. It is little wonder then that premium rat cheeses cost as much as 80 euros a gram in some Parisian restaurant.” According to the Modern Farmer, the milk from a rat is “high in protein (8 percent) and contains almost four times the fat by volume when compared to raw cow’s milk, so it would make a great brie and stand as a rich addition to a cup of coffee in the morning. A rodent dairy farm would also earn a stellar environmental report card. 674 rats would only produce .003 percent of the methane that comes from a dairy cow, so a piece le fromage de rat could end up being the most sustainable high-end cheese at the deli counter.”

If this is a real practice and not simply an internet hoax it is a prime example of how the digitalization of media is leading to a more open-minded cheese society, as well as a more efficient platform for obscure cheese trade. If you are brave enough to venture to Paris and try rat cheese you will be among an elite few including one of the nation’s former leaders, according to the F.R.C.M. “Perhaps the most famous consumer of rodent cheese is US President, George W. Bush”…. well its nice that he finally found weapons of mouse destruction after all.

 

-Gary Gruyere (Jacob Ahrens-Balwit)

UW-Madison, the Best of the Best in Dairy Sciences

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers the best Dairy Science major in the United States. There is a clear correlation between offering one of the most prestigious certificates in dairy science and Wisconsin being “Americas Dairyland”. Wisconsin is a 20 billion dollar dairy industry per year and Wisconsin’s dairy products create half of the agricultural income each year. UW-Madison has also generated the best dairy science leaders in the world today. According to the UW Madison website, many students from around the world are attracted to this University solely for the dairy science major.

The dairy science major goes into more depth than one would think. Students are required to take vigorous science and management courses to fully understand the chemistry that goes into the dairy science as well as how to manage a business once in the field of dairy sciences. Most students that graduate with a dairy science degree go on to be veterinarians, agriculturists, and dairy operation managers.

Students within the Dairy Science major are required to work outside of the classroom as well. Students travel to the American Dairy Science Association conferences and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to witness first hand how dairy science functions outside of college. One necessity within this major is a dairy science internship. It allows each student to work with the both the animals and the product. This helps decipher what route of dairy science a student would like to take. Not only is UW-Madison highly recognized for the vigor of their dairy science major, but also another reason is because of the cattle and dairy plant here on campus. This allows students the complete access to fully engage within the major. The constant hands on work is why UW-Madison has the leading dairy science major in the world

The dairy science major clearly can take you past being exclusively a farmer. It is a highly selective major with only 2,000 people in the College of Agriculture, which is the college that offers this major. However, there are many ways for students on campus to get involved with Dairy Science without being in the College of Agriculture. The Badger Dairy Club allows students to watch both farmers and dairy operation managers at work.

http://www.badgerdairyclub.com –> here is the link to the Badger Dairy Club in case you are interested in some hands on work with dairy!

cattle at UW-Madison farm

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eM5W5yhlDQ –> The Dairy Science Cattle Center here on campus

-Swissy (Elle)

Interview with Professor Molly Steenson

For one of Bucky Cheese’s concluding posts we wanted to interview our Professor who helped our blog in many ways, Molly Steenson.

Interview with Professor Molly Steenson.1.     Let’s start with the basics. What is your favorite kind of cheese? I’m a big fan of morbier and pepato, especially the pepato made by Cowgirl Creamery. I used to love blue cheeses, but then I developed an allergy to them. How cruel is that?  2.     Have you ever had cheese curds on campus? If so, where is your favorite restaurant that has cheese curds? I like the Old-Fashioned, but really? The Farmers’ Market.  3.     Do you believe that Wisconsin and Madison in particular lives up to the reputation of being the “cheese head” state? Oh, definitely. 4.     Has the notion of Wisconsin as the “cheese head” state changed in any way since you were a student here? Cheese is much more sophisticated! Everything related to food production is great in Madison—way better than most cities this size or smaller.  Consider what something like the Underground Food Collective has done. Or Fromigination. 5.     Do you see a big difference between the cheeses in Wisconsin and else where in the US? It’s what I was saying above: the scene here is more sophisticated than a lot of places. 6.     What other countries have you been to? Where in the world have you had the best cheese? I’ve lived in 8 countries, speak 5 languages and have visited more countries than I can count. I might choose Italy over France—probably because of the pecorino and the different kinds of honey that you have with it. Chestnut flower honey, for instance, is not even really sweet, but rather musky. The pairing is delicious. I also loved Toma, which was produced in the Piemonte region where I lived. As an aside, there’s the time when I lived in Germany with a host family. I came home and was watching TV with my host mom and host brother. There was an overwhelming smell of feet. I looked down. Everyone was wearing shoes. Then I realized that there was an open block of Limberger cheese on the coffee table. It really does smell as bad as everyone says. 7.     What is your favorite dish that has cheese in it? Mac & cheese or fondue.  8.     Have you ever tried Ian’s mac and cheese pizza? If so, do you like it? Yes and a big, bold, resounding yes. 9.     Do you agree with the statement that everything is better with a little cheese on it?! I do. But Courtney Love doesn’t, at least not anymore. Here’s a 1997 interview she did in which she discussed her weight loss technique. “COURTNEY: The thing you gotta do is – A! Stop counting calories! Okay? B! DO not get on a scale! ‘Cause lean muscle weighs more than fat. All right? I cut out FAT! That’s all you gotta do. FAT! No cheese. That’s it, Lisa. Period. NO CHEESE. I told this to KROQ, I told this to my nanny. People I tell this to lose ten, 30 pounds. STOP CHEESE. You know why the Orientals are not fat? ‘Cause they look on cheese as this gross, Western habit – it’s like sour milk LARD. They don’t want anything to fucking do with cheese. If you’re gonna eat cheese, take it out on a picnic, cut it up carefully, and really taste it – with wine or something. Don’t melt it on shit. And I lost 40 POUNDS by not eating cheese. And I even ate a little mayonnaise. All right. Skip the butter and skip the cheese and you will lose weight. “ (The rest of the interview is here: http://lamestain.tumblr.com/post/363767721/best-courtney-love-interview-ever — it’s NSFW, which probably means it’s NSF-Media Fluency education blog. 🙂 10. If you could be one type of cheese, what would you be? (I think I may be feta) Burrata!  Our professor was a student here at UW-Madison but has also traveled the world. She definitely has an appreciation for Wisconsin’s cheesy reputation in contrast to international cheeses. Below are pictures of different cheeses she referenced within the interview.   Molly Steenson’s favorite cheese: Pepato on the left and Morbier on the right. Limburger Cheese: the stinkiest cheese -Swissy (Elle)

Cheeses From Another Udder

As I’m sure many of you know, milk is one of the most prominent ingredients that goes into making cheese. Typically, cow’s milk is used to make cheese, but I’ve also heard of goat’s milk being used as well. While looking up some information on cheese, I found that many other animals, besides just goats or cows, produce milk that can make the cheese we eat. As long as the milk contains high amounts of protein, it can be used for cheese making. After realizing this, I decided to look into what other animals make milk for cheese and what cheese their milk is used for. Here’s some of the interesting information I found!

Buffalo milk is primarily used to make Mozzarella. It is pretty uncommon, which makes it very valuable in the dairy industry. Its high fat content is perfect for making Mozzarella cheese. It can also be used to make Ricotta cheese. Buffalo milk has more fat and more calories than cow’s milk, but less cholesterol. It can also be preserved for a longer period of time.

Sheep milk contains a very high amount of lactose, so it is rarely consumed as is but is common in products such as yogurt and cheese. The most common cheeses which are made from sheep’s milk include Feta, Roquefort, Manchego, Pecorino Romano, Berkswell, Castellano, Malvern, Meira, Olde York, Serat, Oria, and Yorkshire Blue.

Camel milk is used to make Caravane, a brand of cheese found in South Africa. It is very difficult to make, but is very low in lactose. It is a soft cheese with a white crust and is often used in cakes, dips, appetizers, numerous vegetable preparations, and typically paired with red wine. This type of cheese is considered one of the healthier kinds because it has more nutrients, anti-bacterial enzymes, and vitamins than any other type of cheese and also has a lower fat content.

Goat’s milk is a common to consume as is for those who are ill or have low tolerance to cow’s milk because it is very low in potassium. Cheeses made from goat milk are usually more mild-flavored and have a sweet flavor with somewhat salty undertones. It contains a lot of calcium, but less calories, fat content, and cholesterol than cow’s milk. Cheeses made with goat’s milk are soft and creamy. Some of the most well-known goat’s cheeses include Chevre, Pyramide, Banon, Sainte Maure, and Montrachet.

Cow’s milk is definitely the most common type of milk used when making cheese. It contains a good amount of both fat and protein, and is very versatile and abundant. Cow’s milk makes some of the most popular cheeses, such as Cheddar, Muenster, Mozzarella, Colby Jack, Swiss Cheese, Parmesan, Gouda, Gruyere, Bleu, and many more.

Horse’s milk, yak’s milk, and llama’s milk can also make different types of cheese, however those are much more rare. I always knew there was a huge variety of a cheese in the world, but who knew that the milk that makes the cheese came from such a large variety of animals!

–  Mozzie Mozzarella (Grace)

P.S. Do you love cheese dips? If so, then you’re in luck because I came across a Buzzfeed article titled “25 Cheesy Dips That Will Make You Swoon” that I just had to share! Enjoy! http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/cheesy-dips-that-will-make-you-swoon

Cheesy Movies

Cheesy Movies

When watching a movie, don’t you love to have scenes that will make your mouth water?  Have scenes that will make you want to jump into the screen and die to be there because it looks so succulent and you know it smells so good?  Obviously I’m talking about movie scenes that have cheese featured in it!  Ross v Ross, a movie blog, posted about what he thinks are the 10 best cheese scenes in movies.

Of all the cheese filled scenes he refers to, my favorite has to be the cheese scene from “She’s the Man.”  I have great memories of seeing this movie when I was eleven (this movie was the start of my crush on Channing Tatum).  The plot was ridiculous yet genius, Amanda Bynes pretending she’s her brother on his soccer team and falls in love with her roommate, Channing Tatum’s character, but awkward because he thinks she’s a dude… such a great conflict! Anyway, this movie has a ton of ridiculous and hysterical scenes, like when Amanda Bynes tells Channing Tatum she has tampons to stop her nose bleeds (great cover up since she’s supposed to be a guy in the movie) and Channing’s character actually uses them… so classic.  Anyway, my favorite scene by far in this movie is the cheese scene! It’s just so awkward and I feel bad for the characters because they are trying so hard to find something to talk about that Channing ends up asking Amanda, “so… do you like cheese?”  It makes me crack up every time I watch it! 

So next time you’re trying to decide what movie you are going to watch, make it a little cheesy!

Always,

Breezy Brie (Elana)

The Holes that Make the Cheese

Have you ever wondered why Swiss cheese has holes? I mean who hasn’t? And as much as we heard it when we were younger, we know that it’s not from little mice nibbling at the cheese (personally, I’m glad). Still curious about this yummy cheese, I decided to find out more about it. Although it turns out to be pretty fascinating, I’m not sure whether I like the mice theory about the holes more than the truth or not.

For starters, “Swiss Cheese” is just a North American name for Emmentaler cheese, which is a yellow, medium-hard cheese originating from Emmental, Switzerland. Swiss cheese is one of the most recognized because of its holes. The holes in Swiss cheese are actually known as “eyes”. Cheese experts refer to Swiss cheese without eyes as “blind”.

What I learned about Swiss cheese, or Emmentaler, is that the holes come from the bacteria that turn milk into cheese. All cheeses contain bacteria, which, ironically enough, make it edible. Furthermore, the bacteria that specifically makes Swiss cheese, known as S. Thermophilus, Lactobacillus and P. Shermani (try pronouncing those) are mixed with cow’s milk. The bacteria assist in producing curds, which are then soaked and pressed in a cheese mold. The cheese is stored at about 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit. While left to ripen, the bacteria release lactic acid.

The bacteria P. Shermani releases carbon dioxide when it consumes the lactic acid and then forms bubbles. The bubbles are what produce air pockets, which result in the holes in Swiss cheese. The size of the holes can depend on the temperature, maturing time, and the acidity. That is why the size of the holes in Swiss cheese can be different. The bigger the holes in Swiss cheese though, the harder it is to cut.

Because Swiss has a very distinct nutty and sweet flavor, it can best be paired with fruits like strawberries and purple or green grapes deli meats like Ham, Corned Beef, and, of course, Reuben, and beverages like cranberry and raspberry juice.

So, what do you think? Is the whole fantasy of little mice biting holes in Swiss cheese more appetizing than the actual bacteria? I’m still not really sure what I think. Either way, when someone brings up the holes in Swiss cheese, you will be able to tell them the truth. I’ve posted a video below of the making of Swiss cheese. Although it is pretty lengthy, it is really neat to see how it works!

-Cheddarz (Morgan Wileman)

Goldfish vs. Cheez Its

Goldfish and Cheez Its have fought a consumer battle for decades. Goldfish was created in Switzerland and emerged in the United States in 1962 by Pepperidge Farm. Cheez Its on the other hand is a bit older; the first box of Cheez Its was sold in May of 1921 in Ohio. The differences between the two cheesy snacks can be separated through nutrition, advertisement, flavors, and price.

The nutritional value of Goldfish received a C- and Cheez Its received a D+. The difference in nutrition between the two seems the same however the serving size is drastically different. Goldfish have 250 mg of sodium per serving and 20 grams of carbs per serving. Cheez Its has 230 mg of sodium per serving and 17 grams of carbs. The difference lies in the amount of crackers per serving; goldfish nutrition facts are based of 55 crackers while Cheez Its is based of 27 crackers. One serving of Cheez Its is half the serving of Goldfish, therefore making Goldfish nutritionally better.

The advertisement of these two competing products is aimed at separate audiences. Goldfish commercials seem to be aimed at younger children with their slogan, “the snack that smiles back!” Cheez It commercials are about cheese that isn’t “mature” enough to be baked into a cracker. This commercial still appeals to younger children who may find this funny, but also to adults that could get a kick out of the commercial as well. Cheez It seems to have a well-rounded form of advertising for all ages.

Goldfish offers 17 different flavors of their cheesy fish snacks and Cheez Its offer 16 different flavors. Goldfish also offers fish that aren’t cheese based but chocolate or vanilla based. This gives Goldfish a different edge for popularity outside the cheese world. Goldfish has its basic flavors such as cheddar, original, and parmesan. But they also have “flavor blasted” that has an extra cheesy coating. Cheez Its have more types of cheese built into their crackers; such as, white cheddar, montery jack, pepper jack, and italian four cheese. Cheez Its definitely have stronger flavors of cheese baked into their crackers.

Lastly, price can be a factor by choosing between these two cheesy snacks. A 6 oz. bag of Goldfish costs $2.39 while a Cheez It box double the ounces only costs $3.50. Therefore you could a better bang for your buck if you buy Cheez Its.

Comment what you prefer below!!

-Swissy (Elle)

The Most Terrifying Cheese in the World

Casu Marzu is a type of cheese made in Sardinia, Italy, which is made from Sardinian sheep’s milk. I’m sure you’re now wondering, what’s so terrifying about that? Well, how about the fact that this cheese has live larvae crawling around inside it? Warning to those who feel easily queasy: read this post with caution.  The maggots appear as translucent worms, which are 0.3 inches long in length. Believe it or not, Casu Marzu cheese is actually considered a delicacy in Sardinia.

The larvae are intentionally inserted into the cheese, as they stimulate an advanced level of fermentation and break down the fats in the cheese. For those who are unfamiliar with fermentation, it is a process where food is exposed to different yeasts and bacteria, which affects the taste, texture, and smell. The cheese fly, called Piophilia casei, lays up to 500 eggs in the cheese that then hatch into larvae. The texture of Casu Marzu cheese becomes very soft after the larvae are introduced to the cheese, because the acid from the larvae’s digestive system breaks down that cheese’s fats. Also, one of its most interesting characteristics is that it is known to have a sharp after-taste that can last up to several hours. The final product of the Casu Marzu cheese will usually contain thousands of maggots.

This cheese can only be eaten if the maggots are still living, because it is very dangerous to eat if they are in the cheese dead. Casu Marzu cheese is most commonly eaten in thin strips and spread on Sardinian flatbread, and served with red wine. When disturbed, the larvae in this cheese can launch themselves up to 6 inches, so consumers must be careful when eating it.

Gordon Ramsay, a Scottish celebrity chef who is most known for his television show “Hell’s Kitchen”, recently featured this cheese on his British program “The F Word”. Watch this video below to see him try Casu Marzu cheese for the first time, learn more about the production of this cheese, and even take a look for yourself at those maggots crawling around inside of it. If you weren’t grossed out yet, just wait until after the video!

– Mozzie Mozzarella (Grace)