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It’s not mold, it’s calcium lactate (2018)

(www.thephcheese.com)
406 points ilikepi | 3 comments | 31 Mar 25 14:49 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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xattt ◴[31 Mar 25 15:20 UTC] No.43536057[source]▶
Tangential, but I recently noticed that natamycin, an antifungal agent, is being used in packages of shredded cheese as a preservative.

I was a little taken aback on seeing it, given that antibiotic stewardship has been pushed so much in the last decade.

I realize that natamycin is an antifungal and not an antibiotic, and that mechanisms of developing resistance are likely different between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. However, I’m still somewhat concerned what long-term low-level exposure will mean.

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0_____0 ◴[31 Mar 25 15:48 UTC] No.43536380[source]▶
Tangent on tangent - in addition to the antifungal there is also anticaking agent (nothing crazy, often some type of flour) that noticeably changes the mouthfeel of cheeses that come pre-shredded. If you notice a grainy texture in your food, try grating it off a brick instead!
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astura ◴[31 Mar 25 16:05 UTC] No.43536574[source]▶
People are super religious about this but I've never been able to tell pre-shredded cheese from cheese I've shredded myself and I don't think anyone else can tell the difference in a blind taste test.
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kube-system ◴[31 Mar 25 16:23 UTC] No.43536799[source]▶
Are you buying cheese that's shredded at the deli or something? The processed stuff in the bag seems to be plainly noticeable to me...

e.g.

https://www.health.com/thmb/weSqKiqtCDqtEK3nJ5HWrViwQNM=/150...

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Suppafly ◴[31 Mar 25 17:14 UTC] No.43537341[source]▶
>The processed stuff in the bag seems to be plainly noticeable to me...

Sure, when you're eating it by the handful, but when it's melted in a dish (the thing people typically use it for) you aren't going to notice.

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robocat ◴[31 Mar 25 17:26 UTC] No.43537483[source]▶
I think you are generalizing from your own tastes.

Just because you don't notice something doesn't mean that others don't.

I started to notice this when I was hanging out with a very smart friend who worked as a restaurant cook. They just noticed heaps of stuff I didn't if we went out for a meal. I wasn't sure if it was training or natural ability.

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Suppafly ◴[31 Mar 25 17:40 UTC] No.43537608[source]▶
>I started to notice this when I was hanging out with a very smart friend who worked as a restaurant cook. They just noticed heaps of stuff I didn't if we went out for a meal.

Or they were being pretentious to try and impress you. I suspect even they can't tell if melted cheese within a dish started out pre-shredded or not.

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1. robocat ◴[31 Mar 25 18:14 UTC] No.43537968[source]▶
You are making up stuff.

Skill and pretentiousness are independent variables. Assuming that one is correlated with the other is a sign of poor judgement. I know people that fit would fit in each of the four quadrants {skillful-pretentious, unskilled-pretentious, skillful-humble, unskilled-humble}.

Anecdotally cooks are not usually pretentious - perhaps in your circles or in your city things are different? Personally I've got little time for pretentious people.

> I suspect even they can't tell if melted cheese within a dish started out pre-shredded or not.

I didn't say that. But https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43537461 did say that.

You can deny the reality of other people all you like. A more open-minded scientific approach is to listen to other people's experiences. People have some weird skills. And they believe some weird things. But yeah, it is hard to truly judge the skills of others.

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2. Suppafly ◴[31 Mar 25 18:25 UTC] No.43538075[source]▶
>Anecdotally cooks are not usually pretentious

Not saying they are, but the types of folks that constantly point out little details that only they themselves can seem to distinguish often are.

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3. robocat ◴[31 Mar 25 18:47 UTC] No.43538344[source]▶
You've just made the the mistake I complained about. Let me edit your statement:

types of folks that constantly point out little details that only they themselves can seem to distinguish often are highly skilled.

I'm sure there plenty of things that you notice, that others just ignore you about (for the same reason you're ignoring them).

Hang around some cooks, and pay attention to what they notice. I also know some cooks that bullshit, so it isn't easy.