Houston's Canadian Cheese Soup - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you break down cheese in soup? ›

With soup, you might be able to fix it with an immersion blender, or you might not. At a temperature of 150 or so, the protein bonds in the cheese break down and as a result, too much fo the moisture escapes too quickly. Keep the heat very low, and make sure the cheese is one of the last things added to the soup.

As First for Women explains, heat and acidity can cause dairy products -– and even some non-dairy milk substitutes like soy milk -– to separate and curdle, which, while not necessarily unhealthy like the curdling that occurs when milk goes bad in the fridge, can taste bad and seriously throw off the texture of your ...

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

If you are using pre-shredded cheese it has been coated with an anti-clumping agent, which may mean it melts more slowly or needs more heat. If you are adding cold cheese to the soup, adding too much at once will lower the temperature of the soup.

Many sauce and soup recipes need to be reduced and thickened, which means gently simmering to achieve the desired consistency. With sauces and soups that contain milk, boiling or simmering can cause the milk to curdle. While curdled milk is safe to eat, it is not particularly appetizing.

If you soup is a bit thin either take some of the vegetables from it or cook a few extra vegetables and blend them with a stick blender to a paste. Then add them back to the soup as a thickener. If you soup has curdled use a stick blender to smooth it out and recombine it.

To successfully emulsify cheese, it is important to use low heat and to gradually add the liquid to the cheese while stirring constantly. It is also helpful to use a high-fat cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyere, as these cheeses emulsify more easily.

Apply Some Heat: At about 90°F (32°C) the fat in cheese begins to soften and melt. Increase the temperature by about 40-60 degrees, and that's when the activity starts with the protein. The molecules begin to break apart and disperse throughout the fat and water.

When you add the cheese to the soup, make sure that the pot is over very low heat. If the heat is too high, the cheese won't incorporate into the soup, giving it a thin, gloopy texture. I also recommend adding a little at a time and stirring well between additions. Reheat it on the stove.

What breaks down cheese? ›

Digestion of cheese protein begins in the acidic environment of your stomach, where gastric juice denatures, or unfolds, the protein into a long strand. The digestive enzyme pepsin, released from the cells lining your stomach, then clips the strand into smaller protein pieces.