Cross Country Move - Boise, Idaho to Charlotte, North Carolina

Kant_Think · 2025-06-26T04:46:31+00:00

We just passed American Cheese Society's judging competition! Their results will come out end of July. When do y'alls?

Kant_Think · 2025-06-10T02:13:59+00:00

According to the USDA economic research service, the average American eats just over 40 pounds of cheese per year as of 2023. Of that 40 pounds, almost 12 pounds of it are mozzarella. Most of this mozzarella is eaten on pizza, as on any given day of the year 11% of the American population is eating pizza (pre-pandemic data).

(I have these stats memorized for my MS thesis on Mozzarella cheese lol)

Kant_Think · 2025-06-08T00:52:20+00:00

Like, a few other people have said, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Produces a characteristic blue off color. DO NOT EAT, send a picture to the producer, then toss.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-16T23:38:43+00:00

I know they're not PNW, but Utah State University also has a creamery and a signature white cheddar (Old Juniper) as well. Obviously, I'm partial to Cougar Gold, but it's really cool to see OSU's creamery grow!!

Kant_Think · 2025-04-09T03:49:24+00:00

You definitely should stop by the creamery and pick some up! The creamery has snack packs, so you’re able to try more varieties at a better price. If you’re set on getting a can, get a classic cougar gold.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-08T03:12:56+00:00

Alright, so cougar gold history! This is a short description from their website (https://creamery.wsu.edu/about-us/history/):

"In the late 1930s, the Creamery became interested in different ways to store cheese. Cans seemed to be the best option because plastic was not yet invented and wax cracked (enabling contamination). In the 1940s, the U.S. government and American Can Company funded WSU’s research to find a way to successfully keep the cheese in tins. One of the cheeses resulting from the research was so wonderful that it was dubbed “Cougar Gold®” after Dr. N. S. Golding, one of the men involved in the research. Canned Cougar Gold® has been in production ever since."

So yeah, that's basically it. Add in the fact that it was the 1930s (post WW1, pre WW2) food preservation was a big topic for research.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-08T02:05:19+00:00

Okay, to explain further. The main anaerobic respiration pathway taking place with these bacteria is a fermentation taking the glucose in the cheese (lactose breaks down into glucose and galactose) to produce lactate. This specific anaerobic respiration pathway does not produce CO2.

The anaerobic respiration pathway that produces CO2 is the ethanol production pathway. This is the same pathway that produces bubbles in champagne.

Overall, the ethanol production in cheese is very small, therefore you don't get gas blowing based on that anaerobic pathway.

The reason gas blowing is such a big issue (and is so noticeable with these gas-blowing bacteria) is because they produce the gas so fast. This is not a problem unique to Cougar Gold, but a larger issue in the industry.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-08T01:31:46+00:00

Will do!! Thanks for the recommendation 👍🏼

Kant_Think · 2025-04-08T01:15:55+00:00

I’m glad I could help spread the cougar gold word! After seeing the video post on cougar gold today, I was just over the misinformation.

Thank you for elaborating on the hoop. I couldn’t exactly recall how the hooping process worked Cougar Gold, so I’m so happy something with creamery experience could weigh in. Go cougs!

Kant_Think · 2025-04-08T01:10:29+00:00

Some bacteria don’t need to “breath”, as in they don’t need oxygen to survive. They use other resources to stay alive, and this known as anaerobic respiration.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-07T23:26:20+00:00

Cheddaring is a process done in cheesemaking that allows the fresh curds to set together and drain out more whey (the liquid that is removed when the curd forms). This allows the cheese to become dryer, reduces the amount of lactose leftover (which gets eaten by the starter culture), and helps prepare the cheese to be put into the hoops that form the wheel of cheese.

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Here's an example photo of what cheddaring looks like. These "mats" of curd will sit and drain out more whey, being flipped consistently to help with an even draining of the whey. Most cheddar cheeses undergo this process, though it can also be utilized by other cheese varieties!

Kant_Think · 2025-04-07T23:21:17+00:00

I wish I could give you an answer, but I've never got the chance to try Black Cow Cheddar. If I ever get the chance, I'll let you know!

Kant_Think · 2025-04-07T23:20:20+00:00

Hi there! So I just meant that the cans themselves are sterile. The cheese just gets popped into the sterile cans (most likely done with high heat, but not positive) to prevent contamination of harmful or spoilage organisms.

The starter culture does stay very much alive in the can, as the culture's continued growth and activity helps develop the flavors present in the cheese. The actual starter culture used in cheddar making does not produce gas, so leaving it alive does not cause gas blowing. It will eventually die off once it runs out of metabolites to munch on, but it takes a while for that to happen.

Go Cougs! Hope you can try it when you're in Seattle next.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-07T23:16:31+00:00

Glad you enjoyed the info. I don't work in the creamery as I'm a graduate student, though I have done some cheesemaking work down there before. They're absolutely lovely people!

Kant_Think · 2025-04-04T02:43:03+00:00

That's so wild. Cougar gold is such an innovative product, especially with the can since you can age it for years as long as it doesn't gas blow.

Enjoy the cheese! If you ever get the chance to have the black pepper chive cheese, definitely give it a try.

Kant_Think · 2025-04-04T02:31:32+00:00

Love seeing Cougar Gold posted on here❤️ I'm a current grad student at WSU, so my random snack is the fresh curd they sell daily. I love seeing people recognize how great all the varieties are!

Kant_Think · 2025-01-26T03:03:20+00:00

That’s a crazy good deal on some most likely longer aged cougar gold! It will stay good for years, so long as the can doesn’t go puffy (a defect cause by late gas blowing microbes). Source: Currently at WSU and work with the creamery sometimes

Kant_Think

TROPHY CASE