Cream cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese. Cream cheese is different from other cheeses in that it is not allowed time to mature. It is either made with cream or a mixture of milk and cream.

In America, three types of cream cheese are common: "bricks" of cream cheese (usually sold in 8 ounce bars, or approximately 8 one-ounce servings), softened cream cheese, and whipped cream cheese (the latter two types sold in plastic tubs).

Bricks of cream cheese are usually unsalted. Sometimes, soft and whipped cream cheeses are sold flavored, with additional ingredients, either savory (such as puréed garlic or onion) or sweet (such as berries, or cinnamon sugar flavoring) mixed into them.

Cream cheese is rarely eaten on its own, and is usually eaten on top of another food, or as an ingredient. It is a very creamy, though somewhat bland, cheese.

Cream cheese is perhaps most well-known in America as a spread for bagels or other breads. It is often also served chilled with raw vegetables (such as celery).

Cream cheese is a fairly common ingredient, sometimes added at room temperature into dips, or cooked into soups and sauces (such as in some recipes for creamed spinach).

Cream cheese is a necessary ingredient to make cheesecake, a sweet, rich dessert. It is also necessary to make cream cheese icing for many common sweets, such as cinnamon rolls and carrot cake.

Related pages

• Fromage frais

References

This short article about food can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.