This intriguing picture recently popped up on my computer screen.
Leave it to the French to dream up a cheese stretching contest. Being a devoted cheese fan, I immediately had to learn more about the contest and cheese stretchiness.
For starters, I discovered the contest was held in Laguiole, France which is home to a cheese named Tomme d’Auvergne. And here’s the peculiar part; the cheese being stretched isn’t all cheese. It’s Aligot, a favorite rural dish of mashed potatoes, cheese, cream and garlic. The contest was held in July, and the cheesy Aligot reached an amazing 16 feet.
The French aren’t the only ones playing with their cheese. Here is an American checking out the stretchiness of her grilled cheese sandwich. She is not alone in her quest for the longest cheese pull. I easily found numerous posts with advice and information on cheese stretch and melt.
Cheesemakers consider good stretch to be an indication of quality cheese. The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research gives this explanation of the process:
“Stretch requires an intact, interconnected casein (protein) network and is lost as the interactions between the casein molecules decrease. Stretch is the result of casein-casein interactions that are broken easily but readily reform at different locations in the casein network. Think of holding a piece of warm Mozzarella, take one end in each hand and gently pull it apart. The casein molecules are grabbing and releasing each other while sliding past as you pull the cheese.”
Not wanting to be a total Wisconsin chauvinist, I must add this information from the Dairy Farmers of Washington State:
“To obtain the best stretch and melt, the cheese should be aged over one year and have the right amount of protein (casein), fat, moisture and acidity.”
So which cheeses are the champion stretchers? The Washington Dairy Farmers rank these as the top five.
- Mozzarella
- Cheddar
- Fontina
- Gouda
- Gruyere
Now we all have an excuse to play with our grilled cheese sandwiches…we’re doing scientific research on their stretching qualities.
4
Oh, this was so much fun to read. (And consider.)
merci
evie
While just about any type of cheese can make for delish Mac & Cheese. I’ve always heard that “true” mac & cheese, in the French-vernacular, is made with gruyere. One of my other faves is with white New York cheddar. But really, hard to go wrong…as long as it melts easily!