CATEGORY
Shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese
2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
Borden
What Makes a Great Shredded Cheddar and Jack Cheese?
With a blend of shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses, this is a topping that can bring a sharp and complex flavor to a wide selection of savory foods. Add a dimension to some of your favorite dishes by sprinkling it on salads, soups, omelets, tortillas, burgers, chili and tuna melts. Don’t forget to keep a few bags of shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese in the refrigerator for meals that need some chewy, tasty texture.
Our chefs define high-quality shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese as having a uniform and consistent shred with minimal broken pieces. The cheese should appear moist, and there should be no dustiness or visible anti-caking agents. The cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese aromas should be noticeable, while buttery, lactic and dairy notes give the overall aroma some complexity. There should be no inappropriate off notes that affect the overall aroma or flavor.
A shredded cheddar and jack blend will be in taste balance when moderate saltiness and sourness are the predominant basic tastes, followed by a very low sweetness.
The cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese flavors should be bolder than the aroma, though the aroma notes will flow through to deliver buttery, lactic and dairy notes.
The cheese should be moist as a result of its fat content. When consumed uncooked, it should be tender; when cooked, it should be tasty and chewy with some resistance while chewing. The mouthfeel should not be clean because cheese is a high-fat product, but it should not be excessively greasy. The cheese should melt evenly, and it should not be too oily or runny.
Product Category Definition
The product judged was defined as refrigerated, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese for the consumer market, not including other types of shredded cheeses (cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, etc.), sliced, block, grated, crumbled or American-processed cheeses.
Other Leading Brands:
Kraft Foods, Sargento
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Use as a taco filling.
Melt over tortilla chips in the oven and serve with salsa for instant nachos.
Mix into your favorite biscuit dough.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- In the 12th century, cheese was normally made to order by a local farmer, not mass produced.
- Historians believe Spanish Franciscan monks brought Monterey jack to the U.S. in the 18th century.
- Cheese has about one-tenth the volume of the milk that was used to make it.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
