You won’t find them on grazing boards, but tangy, creamy soft cheeses should not be overlooked when stocking your refrigerator. Soft cheeses are versatile. They can be used as a breakfast spread, stirred into soups or sauces to add texture, or incorporated into desserts. Variations among the different types of soft cheese are subtle. In most cases, these variations are due to the type of milk and processes used.
Ready to learn how cream cheese differs from crème fraîche? Here are all the different types of soft cheese, explained.
Cottage Cheese
Best known for their inclusion in a popular nursery rhyme, curds and whey are produced by curdling, or separating, milk — a vital stage in all cheese production.
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To make cottage cheese, the milk is curdled using a bacterial culture or an acid such as vinegar. Once separated, the whey is drained from the solid curds, which are then cut into pieces to release additional moisture. The curds are then cooked further before receiving a light salt seasoning. Cottage cheese is culturally significant in America as it was the first type of cheese made in this country (circa mid-1800s). The cheese has a creamy yet lumpy texture and a mild, slightly acidic flavor.
Farmer’s Cheese
Farmer’s cheese is a variant of cottage cheese, made by pressing the whey from the curds (compared to just draining). It tastes more acidic than cottage cheese and has a firmer texture due to its lower moisture content. Farmer’s cheese can be made using cow, sheep, or goat milk, and is sometimes rolled in different herbs and seasonings.
Cream Cheese
The name of this cheese not only describes its texture, it also references one of its two main ingredients: cream (the other is unskimmed cow’s milk). Lactic acid is used for coagulation, and also influences the cheese’s aroma. Mild, slightly sweet, with a faint acidic note, cream cheese is an ideal bagel spread and can be used in cakes and frostings.
Ricotta
Curds aren’t the only milk product used to make cheese. Ricotta utilizes the whey from sheep, cow, goat, or buffalo milk. Mixed with salt and acid, the whey is warmed to a specific temperature, at which point coagulation begins. The mixture is then removed from the heat, cooled, and drained through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, leaving behind mildly sweet, creamy ricotta. Native to Italy, ricotta is a popular pasta stuffing and also used to make dips, baked into breads and cakes, and appears as a topping for pizza and salads.
Mascarpone
Another creamy Italian soft cheese, Mascarpone is made by curdling cream with acid, before the whey is removed without pressing. This soft cheese has a very high fat content (because it’s made with cream rather than milk), which makes it the ideal ingredient for Italian desserts such as tiramisu.
Crème Fraîche
Native to France, crème fraîche is made using a method similar to Mascarpone. But while the latter is mild with a perceived sweetness, crème fraîche has a sharper acidic tang, leading to its use in a number of savory dishes. Because of its high fat content, it doesn’t curdle when cooked, so cooks sometimes stir it into hot savory sauces and soups to add body.
Published: October 2, 2019
FAQs
Creme fraiche is a French-style cultured cream that is thick, rich, and slightly tangy with a velvety texture. It's commonly used in sauces, soups, and dressings because you can heat it without curdling it. Cream cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese that is made from a mixture of cream and milk.
What is the difference between farmers cheese and cream cheese? ›
The Good: Farmer's cheese is lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium compared to cream cheese and sliced hard cheese. It is a good source of protein and calcium. The Bad: Farmer's cheese, like all cheese, is high in fat and saturated fat.
Is farmers cheese the same as fresh cheese? ›
Farmer's cheese, a fresh cheese variety, is a pressed cottage cheese that is slightly more acidic and has a firmer texture, thanks to a lower moisture content. Farmer's cheese can be made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats and can be rolled in different herbs or seasonings for extra flavor.
What's the difference between fresh cheese and cream cheese? ›
Produced throughout the world and commonly used in cooking, fresh cheese is a leaner substitute for cream. When the texture is grainy, it is called cottage cheese and when the texture is smooth and creamy, it is known as cream cheese - or quark when the fat content is lower.
Are cottage cheese and farmer's cheese the same? ›
Farmer's cheese is a variant of cottage cheese, made by pressing the whey from the curds (compared to just draining). It tastes more acidic than cottage cheese and has a firmer texture due to its lower moisture content.
What does farmer cheese taste like? ›
The taste is milder and a little tangier than cottage cheese. What I like about foods like kefir and farmer's cheese is that they are 99% lactose free. I'm somewhat sensitive to lactose, so a lot of it doesn't make me feel great (but tastes delicious).
Why is it called farmer's cheese? ›
Farmer's cheese is a soft, unripened cheese that was traditionally made in the farms of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was a quick and easy way for farmers to use up any leftover milk on the farm after they had taken the cream. Farmer's cheese is an unripened cheese, meaning it's fresh.
What is a good substitute for farmers cheese? ›
What's a good substitute for farmer's cheese? We've already mentioned that cottage cheese is a good alternative, but Indian paneer and ricotta work too. That said, certain Slavic recipes (like pierogis, blintzes, and vareniki) are simply not as authentic without it.
What do you use farmer cheese for? ›
Farmer's Cheese is often used in recipes for Blintzes or Pierogies. It also works well in pasta shells and ravioli. One popular local use is to lightly fry Farmer's Cheese and use it in a sandwich, but our favorite use is to slice it very thinly and roll it with our flavorful smoked meats.
Does farmer's cheese melt? ›
Farmer's cheese is by itself a fairly bland cheese, can get too dry and crumbly if you over press, and it doesn't melt.
Cottage cheese and Farmer's cheese are casein cheeses produced from using an acid like vinegar, while ricotta is a whey cheese made from the leftover sweet whey after making rennet based cheeses.
Is there another name for farmers cheese? ›
Also called twaróg, tvorog, or syr, among other names. Found in almost every Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic country. American-Style Farmer's Cheese. This is basically cottage cheese that has been pressed to remove water.
Is homemade cream cheese healthier than store bought? ›
Besides being easy and delicious, homemade cream cheese leaves out any preservatives or additives in store-bought versions, making it healthier.
Is Philadelphia cream cheese or soft cheese? ›
Made with milk and real cream, Philadelphia Original's distinct fresh and creamy taste makes it a delicious soft cheese for the whole family to enjoy. Philadelphia is fantastically versatile, whether you are using it to bake an indulgent cheesecake or spreading it on a classic bagel topped with Smoked Salmon.
What cheese is not aged? ›
Some cheeses like burrata, mascarpone, feta, and mozzarella aren't meant to be aged long at all. These cheeses are typically moister varieties with a different set of microbes and bacteria. Aging them would only rob them of their form and flavor.
Can you substitute crème fraîche with cream cheese? ›
Cream cheese is obviously much, much thicker. Cream cheese has a familiar tang to crème fraîche, but is a bit milder in overall flavor. That said, cream cheese can still come in handy when you realize that you don't have crème fraîche in the fridge. It can't be used in everything, though.
What is the American version of crème fraîche? ›
While you can find crème fraiche in the United States, it can be hard to get in some grocery stores. (Look for small tubs of it in the dairy aisle, near the cream cheese.) Sour cream (which has less fat) is the best and easiest substitute, but it's not as rich or tangy as crème fraîche.
Is crème fraîche healthier than cream? ›
Double cream has a higher fat content – around 48-50 per cent, and it's not commonly available here. Crème fraîche, on the other hand, is cream that's had a culture added, making it slightly sour in flavour. It's around 40 per cent fat. If you're trying to cook healthily, however, cream is not an everyday ingredient.
What do the French call crème fraîche? ›
Crème fraîche, French for “fresh cream” and anglicized simply as creme fraiche, is a thick cultured cream. Cultured cream is cream soured with a bacterial culture, similar to sour cream or Mexican crema.
