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Nagging Question
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Why Does Cheese Get Rubbery when Melted in the Microwave?Keep it creamy and soft by following a few simple tips |
The microwave isn’t really the culprit when it comes to rubbery melted cheese, says Robert L. Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and author of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained. “The cheese was simply heated too hot or too long.”
When the temperature is too high or cheese is heated too long, its protein molecules tighten, and water and fat are forced out. This results in rubbery, greasy melted cheese, says Wolke.
Though the microwave isn’t the main cause, it can make the problem worse, says Dr. John A. Lucey, an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Food Science. “In a normal oven, the air is hot, and this helps form a crust or skin to hold in [oil and water], but in a microwave the air in the unit is unaffected by the microwave process, so no crust forms.” If you microwave cheese under less power and for a shorter time, then “this kind of problem can be minimized,” he says.
Wolke adds that once cheese gets to the rubbery stage, there’s no going back, so it’s always best to melt cheese with low heat, regardless of the cooking method. He also suggests shredding or cutting up the cheese to increase the surface area, which makes it melt faster and reduces the need for prolonged cooking.
full fat cheeses are also less rubbery than the "low-fat" versions -- notwithstanding microwave treatment. but lower heat is better....
I'm trying to picture the kind of person who loves food enough to visit this site, and also microwaves cheese.
Soop: LOL
"I'm trying to picture the kind of person who loves food enough to visit this site, and also microwaves cheese."
That would be me. Melted cheese on toast is my number one comfort food.
Cheese melts so quickly under the broiler, (or toaster oven) why would someone want to microwave it anyway?
1) To save power: 30 seconds in the microwave uses quite a bit less electricity than heating up a broiler or toaster oven
2) To keep from blowing up the kitchen because you don't know how to light the gas broiler
3) To keep from getting heat stroke while melting cheese in a non-air-conditioned kitchen during the summer using any type of broiler
4) To pass the time while waiting for the landlord to replace the broiler element that quit working apparently right before the melted cheese craving hit
5) To avoid the expense of buying the toaster oven you don't have
6) To avoid the expense of replacing the toaster oven you do have after your roommate set the Tupperware on top of it not realizing it was still hot (the toaster oven that is, not the Tupperware, which doesn't get hot (except when it's in the molten state and oozing over and into the toaster oven))
7) Serious impatience
8) Major cheese crisis
9) Fraternity house
10) A large dinner party has begun, all six burners on the stove are otherwise occupied, and the queso dip just happens to be in a glass bowl...