Cream Cheese is an uncured cheese made from pasteurised cows' milk. It contains cream, milk, salt and vegetable gum.
Cream Cheese is made from milk and cream that is blended, pasteurised, then homogenized and cooled to the proper temperature for culturing. A starter culture is added to the warm mix and left untouched for approximately 18 hours. Then the cream cheese curd is separated from the whey salt and vegetable gum are mixed into the curd, and the finished product is chilled and packaged.
To determine the fat content and calories content for recipes made with cream cheese, check the package. Regular (full fat) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese has 10 grams of fat and 100 calories for a 30g serving. 1/3 Less Fat PHILADELPHIA contains 6 grams of fat and 70 calories per 30g serving.
PHILADELPHIA products are gluten free.
The milk used in cream cheese is pasteurised.
Cream cheese should not be used more than 10 days after the package has been opened. We recommend storage under normal refrigerator temperatures. ie, between 0°C and 4°C(degree celsius). Do not freeze.
There is no animal rennet in cream cheese.
Vegetarians may wish to use Agar-agar instead of gelatine to make chilled cheesecakes. Agar-agar is made from dried seaweed and is used extensively in Asian cooking. It has stronger setting properties than gelatine and therefore less is required. Read the instructions on the packet for the exact quantities required. Agar-agar is available in powdered form from supermarkets and health food shops.
To make cream cheese last longer follow the tips below: Store at under normal refrigerator temperatures of 4 degrees at all times. Product is good 1 month past the code date, unopened, 10 days after opening. Once opened:
Re-seal and return product to refrigerator immediately after serving/using
Keep in refrigerator under normal refrigerator temperatures of 4 degrees at all times
Product should be used within 10 days after opening
PHILADELPHIA* bricks should be re-wrapped in original packaging plus additional wrap, if necessary
Once opened, do not freeze product
For storing PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese we recommend unwrapping the PHILADELPHIA block cheese and storing it in a container, however, for optimal freshness, leave the foil on the cheese.
To freeze cheesecakes prepare cheesecake as directed, omitting topping. Wrap securely in plastic wrap followed by foil. Place in plastic bag; label, date and seal. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped cheesecake in refrigerator overnight. Individual cheesecake slices may be thawed in the microwave on DEFROST (30% POWER) for 45 to 60 seconds. Let stand about 5 minutes or until thawed. The cheesecake can also be cut into individual portions and frozen for ease. Baked and chilled cheesecakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Never freeze PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese as it breaks down the structure of the cheese and will make an inferior product. However both baked and chilled cheesecakes can be frozen, note that the texture of the thawed cheesecake may alter.
The best position for a cheesecake in the oven is the lowest shelf in a gas oven, as the heat is slightly cooler down the bottom, which will help achieve an even bake. If using an electric oven, position the cheesecake on the centre rack, well clear of the heating elements.
If you have a fan-forced oven you should turn it off as baked cheesecakes prefer an oven without fan force. If you cannot turn off the fan reduce the temperature by 20ýC for all recipes.
If PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese sometime seems hard to work with, remember to allow the PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese block to come to room temperature before use. The best way to soften Philly is to allow it to stand for 1 hour at room temperature or remove Philly from foil, cut into chunks and microwave on High for 30 seconds per 250g
To prevent a baked cheesecake from sticking to the knife when slicing, remember to dip the knife into hot water and wipe away the excess water. Then slice the cake and wipe the knife clean between each cut.
To eliminate or reduce the amount of cracking when baking cheesecakes:
Avoid over beating the cream cheese or beating the cream cheese at high speed. Over beating incorporates air into the batter, causing the cheesecake to puff up and then collapse.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until just blended.
Provide a moist baking environment for your cheesecake by placing a small bowl of hot tap water on the bottom of the oven. The steaming effect created helps prevent burning and the drying out of the cake crumbs.
Avoid over baking. A cheesecake is cooked when the edges are slightly puffed and the centre is slightly soft and custard like.
Avoid opening the oven door during cooking. If you must open the door, open it towards the end of baking time and shut quickly but gently.
Always use the correct sized pan for the cheesecake mixture stated in the recipe.
When cooling the cheesecakes:
Electric Oven: Once cooked, cool the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar, for 1 hour.
Gas Oven: Once cooked, cool the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed until cool to touch.
Refrigerate the cake only when completely cooled.
Cool cheesecakes in their tin and only remove once the cake has been chilled overnight. Always line the tin with greaseproof paper to prevent the tin flavour affecting the cheesecake.
We recommend the following topping ingredients for cheesecakes: Whipped cream, chocolate curls, chopped chocolate, sour cream, fresh fruit slices, chopped chocolate bars (such as peppermint crisp), nuts, ice-cream topping, glace fruit, fresh flowers (non-poisonous varieties), dust with icing sugar, cocoa or chocolate powder, citrus fruit wedges or twists.
For making more flavourful cheesecake crusts here are some useful tips: The basic crust recipe is:
1.25 cup biscuit crumbs (Marie or Nice) to 80g melted butter.
1 cup of plain biscuit crumbs is equivalent to 8-9 biscuits. Use unsalted butter whenever possible as it gives the best flavour. To crush the biscuits use a food processor or place in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin. Always press the crumbs firmly into the base of the pan using the bottom of a glass or the back of a spoon.
Great ideas to change the flavour of your base include: Change the variety of the biscuit. Use a flavoured biscuit, your favourite chocolate biscuit or even a cake base made from sponge or jam roll.
Add flavouring and texture to your mix by including any of the following: toasted desiccated or shredded coconut, toasted and ground hazelnuts, almonds or pistachio nuts, grated citrius rind and sweet spices.
PHILADELPHIA Spreadable for cannot be substituted for PHILADELPHIA block when making baked or chilled cheesecakes. However PHILADELPHIA Spreadable (Regular and Light) can be used in recipes where the structure of the product is not as significant. This includes frostings, dips, spreads on bread and custards for quiches.
Great recipes to use PHILADELPHIA Spreadable are:
Goat Cheese and Tomato Pies
Berry Milky Bar Cups
Spread on sandwiches with your favourite toppings
Cream cheese can work as a substitute for butter or margarine in certain circumstances only. It is is lower in fat on a per serving basis. It also serves as a unique ingredient in recipes with a distinct taste.
You can spread cream cheese on anything with which you would usually use butter or margarine.
Cream cheese adds moisture to any baked product, and can be incorporated to extend the keeping qualities and mouthfeel of the cake. A good example is the substitution of cream cheese in a chocolate cake recipe will produce a 'mud cake' texture.
Cream cheese cannot be substituted for butter if the butter is beaten with sugar in order to aerate the cake batter.
Cream cheese is also not recommended as a pastry wash.
Cream cheese should not be considered an equal substitute for butter in baking. Use your own discretion and taste preferences to determine when to use cream cheese in recipes.
You can substitute PHILADELPHIA Light Cream Cheese block for regular block cream cheese, however you must make some changes to the recipe.
For a chilled cheesecake add an extra 1-teaspoon of gelatine dissolved in an extra 1 tablespoon of water to the recipe.
For a baked cheesecake add extra 1-table spoon flour, cornflour or custard powder to the recipe.
