Colby cheese is an American-made cheese that resembles Cheddar cheese due to its yellow colour. Aside from the colour, the two kinds of cheese are very different. Colby cheese is a semi-hard, pasteurised cow's milk cheese. It was invented in 1885 in the Wisconsin town of Colby. It has a sweet, mild aroma, an open, springy texture, and a mild flavour. If you've ever had Monterey Jack cheese, Colby is essentially a yellow version of it. Colby melts exceptionally well due to its high moisture content.
Colby And Cheddar Cheese
Colby cheese is frequently confused with Cheddar cheese, owing to their similar colour. Indeed, annatto, a food colouring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree, is used to colour both Colby and Cheddar. However, when compared to Cheddar, the flavour of Colby is relatively mild.
Another significant distinction between the two is that Colby does not go through the so-called cheddaring process, which involves stacking curd loaves and pressing them together to give the cheese a dense texture. Colby, on the other hand, has an open texture with tiny holes.
Finally, Cheddar is an aged cheese, whereas Colby is usually only aged for one to three months. A young Colby, aged two to three weeks, has a creamy texture, which some experts believe is the best way to enjoy Colby.
How Colby Cheese Is Made?
Cheese is typically made by acidifying the milk with a bacterial culture, then adding rennet to curdle it, separating the curds from the whey, heating the curds, and moulding them into the desired shape. The curds in Colby cheese are washed with water before heating, so the whey is replaced by water. This halts the acidification process, giving the cheese a milder flavour and softer texture. In addition, Colby cheese is only aged for one to three months, as opposed to Cheddar cheese, which is typically aged for a year, if not longer.
Colby Cheese Alternatives
Monterey Jack is the best substitute for Colby cheese in terms of flavour, texture, and melting ability. Both are mild-flavoured young cheeses with high moisture content and springy textures. The only difference between the two is that Colby is yellow and Monterey Jack is white. If you want to use a different yellow cheese, try a young, mild or medium cheddar aged for no more than three months, or even American cheese.
Types Of Colby Cheese
Colby cheese comes in three varieties. The first is regular Colby, which is made in rectangular blocks. Longhorn Colby is a second type that is formed into long cylinders, which are then sliced into wheels, which are then halved into semi-circular retail portions. The idea behind the name "longhorn" is obviously that the moon-shaped semi-circles resemble cattle horns. Finally, Colby-Jack, also known as Co-Jack, is a marbled (yellow and white) cheese made of Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses. It's made by combining the two types of curds and pressing them together in moulds. Colby-Jack is typically aged for two weeks.
Uses Of Colby Cheese
Colby cheese is a great cheese for making cheese sauces, grilled cheese sandwiches, and serving on burgers because it melts so well. It also goes well in mac and cheese, especially when combined with a drier, more flavorful cheese like cheddar. Colby cheese can also be shredded and used in tacos and sandwiches, and it goes well with fruits such as apples and pears.
How To Store Colby Cheese?
Colby is a young cheese with high moisture content and a soft, pliable texture, so it's best eaten soon after purchase. The goal of storing it is to keep it from drying out, which is difficult in the refrigerator because the fridge effectively draws moisture out of everything inside it. At the same time, tightly wrapping it in plastic can suffocate the cheese. Wrap it in wax paper or parchment, place it in the cheese drawer of the refrigerator (which protects it from the drying effects of the main part of the fridge), and eat it within a week or two.
