Proteins · Wc

White cheese

pH 4.6 · 5–7% brine

Per 100 g

264 kcal Energy

17 g Protein

1.5 g Carbs

21 g Fat

0 g Fibre

Gluten-free DAIRY

Let’s cook with it → Invent something with it

What it is for

Heat unfolds them and they link to each other: they bind, they firm, they build crust. They are one half of the Maillard reaction; sugar is the other.

Where it catches you out

Every protein has its own threshold and none of them are reversible. Egg turns at 82 °C, meat at 70, fish at 55 — once past, there is no coming back.

The knack

If it is too salty, soak it for half an hour: osmosis pulls the salt out without wrecking the texture.

Storage and health

How to keep it, and who it suits.

Keeping it

In its own brine at 4 °C for 2-3 months; if the brine runs low, top it up with 5% salt water that has been boiled and cooled.

Gluten-free

Plain white cheese is milk, rennet and salt, with no gluten.

Allergen: DAIRY

Glycaemic index

This ingredient carries no meaningful carbohydrate, so it has no glycaemic index. On its own it will not move blood sugar; what you eat alongside it decides that.

What it works with

Pairings, and the reason for each

"They go well together" is not an explanation. Every pairing below has a chemical or structural mechanism under it.

Honey →

The cheese’s 2–5% salt suppresses bitterness and enhances sweetness while the sugar suppresses the salt. The two curves cross and each tastes cleaner than alone.

Walnut →

Casein binds the walnut tannins before they can precipitate salivary proteins, so the astringency is neutralised and only the nut flavour remains.

Also works with

Olive oil

Mint

Black pepper

Egg

Flour

Pepper

What it fights with

Lemon

Extra acid in a hot dish: the curd is already acid- and salt-set, so more acid plus heat contracts the casein network, squeezes out whey and turns it rubbery.

What goes on top

Olive oil, dried mint, chilli flakes, honey, nigella, walnut halves

Key compounds

%2–5 NaCl: Brine above 14 g per 100 g of water measurably suppresses proteolysis, which is why very salty white cheese stays firm and bland.

Nutritionally

Brined white cheese delivers substantial calcium and a substantial sodium load together. They cannot be separated without soaking the cheese in fresh water first.

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