Ask a room full of people, “Who likes cheese?” and you’ll get a host of fervently affirmative responses. Strangers will gush about the burrata they had last weekend, or the brie-style cheese they tried at a friend’s house.
- Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheese Dip
- Ultramagnetic Mc's Funky
- Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheese Sauce
- Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheesecake
With types of cheese such as Cheddar- the salt added in curd, Edam-cheese immersed in brine and Blue c heese-salt rubbed outside 62. Salt are very essential for life and it involves in. Macaroni is combined with a creamy mixture of bleu cheese, Parmesan cheese and yogurt, and served with green and red bell peppers.
Ask the same group of people who likes blue cheese, and responses are suddenly polarized. Some will grimace. Some will light up. While there’s still enthusiasm, it’s more scattered. The same number of folks who love it just as enthusiastically hate it.
Much like trying beer, wine, and most other grownup experiences, the first time we try blue cheese, it’s not much fun. We expect it to be friendly like the mild cheddars we grow up with. Instead, it’s peppery and aggressive. It’s like expecting to hear Mozart and Iron Maiden starts blasting instead.
Unfortunately, unlike beer, wine, and other grownup experiences, there’s not an established blue cheese culture in the U.S., so many of us don’t go in for seconds. There are also some pretty unbalanced, metallic blues out there (hint: those are the ones you should throw into salad dressings and sauces for wings). If that was your first blue cheese experience, it’s no wonder you assume the whole category must be awful.
Good news, though! This sophisticated cheese category has some entry-level options that overdeliver on flavor with not even a hint of that lightning-struck penny flavor the bad stuff has. One taste and even the most ardent of haters will happily go back for more.
If you’re looking for an easygoing blue, Gorgonzola is a great option because the blue mold used to make it, penicillium glacum, is relatively approachable. It tastes a bit like mushrooms growing in a cave. Its cousin, penicillium roqueforti (yes, like Roquefort), is the spicier type mold in many other, bolder blues.
Remember too that, like all cheese, blue cheese is a living thing. Even the mildest blue cheese can stink up a room if it’s overripe.
When you’re shopping, make sure to go somewhere with a staffed cheese counter so you can taste the cheeses you’re interested in and make sure they’re at their peak. Trained cheesemongers can also guide you to pairings that might balance your blues’ intensity, such as honey, caramel, or other sweets.
Ready to try a friendlier blue? Behold, six blue cheeses that will convert the haters.
Chiriboga Blue
Chiriboga blue is the cultured butter of blue cheeses — smooth, grassy, creamy, and a crowd favorite. Made in Bavaria by Arturo Chiriboga, this beautiful option is a cheesemonger standby for blue cheese skeptics. Smear on whole wheat bread and top with raspberry jam.
Caveman Blue
Toasty, hazelnutty Caveman Blue is the dream blue for pairing with chocolate and fruit preserves. Rogue Creamery in Oregon makes this (and a few other stunners), and oh, boy do they knock it out of the park. Smear onto a gingersnap or candied bacon.
Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheese Dip
Bay Blue
While Point Reyes probably didn’t set out to make a blue cheese with notes of salted caramel and cookie dough, that’s exactly what it did. Although this cheese is savory, and delicious with non-sweet things such as mushrooms, it also pairs beautifully with caramel.
Cambozola Black
Do you like brie-style cheeses? Great! You’ll probably like Cambozola. Camembert + Gorgonzola = Cambozola, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. All Cambozolas are mild and mushroomy, but Cambozola Black Label is ripened for a longer time in cooler temperatures, bringing out depth and complexity. It’s lovely with honey.
Bla Kornblomst
A bite of this decadent Danish beauty, whose name means “blue cornflower,” conjures up memories of sweet summer corn slathered in butter, with a bit of a caramel finish. It’s rich and creamy, but somehow still mousse-y too. In other words, it’s just gorgeous. Pair it with strawberry jam.
Blu di Bufala
Any cheese made with water buffalo milk will be more voluptuous than average, but Blu di Bufala is really something special. Made by Bruno Gritti in Bergamo, Italy, this square-shaped beauty is creamy and fruity, with notes of white pepper. Drizzle with a bit of maple syrup before serving.
Last Updated on June 13, 2020
Macaroni and cheese is as American as apple pie, and Aldi sells various kinds of it, from a premium shells and cheese to occasional Special Buy (ALDI Find) “deluxe” varieties. Sitting firmly at the budget end of the Aldi mac and cheese lineup — even by Aldi standards — is the Cheese Club Macaroni and Cheese Dinner, a box containing noodles, a pack of powder, and an obvious attempt to imitate Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
In 2017, we put the Cheese Club Macaroni and Cheese Dinner to the review test. We … well, maybe it’s best if we let our words back then speak for themselves:
Aldi’s mac and cheese is … rather plain. The noodles are okay, but the cheese sauce adds only a modest amount of flavor. My first instinct was to add salt, but as loaded as this is with sodium already (although not as much as Kraft puts in theirs), that didn’t seem like a good idea. A little pepper doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t remedy its underlying lack of taste.
Ultramagnetic Mc's Funky
We received a number of comments at the time, both on social media and in the post itself, offering suggestions on how to doctor up the mix. We heeded their advice, although the results weren’t exactly world-shattering; if anything, they helped elevate the mix just above the level of mediocrity.
A year later, however, we received a new round of comments, suggesting that Aldi had tweaked the formula — something we’ve seen the grocer do often — and that the new version was improved. We decided to take up the offer, giving the box another shot.
First off, let’s talk about what hasn’t changed. As with the earlier model, Cheese Club Macaroni and Cheese Dinner comes in a 7.25-oz. box with noodles and a “sauce packet” (aka powder). Cooking instructions are identical to before: boil 6 cups of water, cook the pasta in the boiling water for 7-10 minutes, drain (but do not rinse) the pasta, and then add the sauce packet, 1/4 cup of 2% milk, and 4 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) of butter or margarine.
Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheese Sauce
But what has changed is the taste. It’s definitely better, with actual flavor, something that was altogether missing in the previous formulation. I found this mac and cheese to be good enough to not need salt, which is high praise, and while I did add a little pepper, this is something I do often with mac and cheese.
This improved taste comes at the expense of a little bit of healthiness. Perhaps not surprisingly, the sodium content has increased by about 80 mg over the old version, which may, in part, account for the increased taste. The sodium was already pretty high to begin with, and now it’s a little higher still, but at least this time there’s more flavor for the trouble.
The Verdict:
I have to admit that I was wary of giving Aldi’s powder mac and cheese a second shot, but I’m pleased to report that it was worth the trouble. Aldi has revamped it, and it now sits a lot closer to its Kraft competition than it did before. For my money, I still prefer Cheese Club Shells and Cheese, but this is still worth a look, especially for the price.
Ultramagnetic Mc's Blue Cheesecake
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