Baked and Hot Cheese
Cooking Skills: Cheese and Party Snacks 1
Chapter 4 · Baked and Hot Cheese
Skill goal
Melt, bake and fry cheese so it stays smooth and gooey, never greasy or stringy.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Melted cheese is comfort food, but it is surprisingly easy to spoil. Heat it too fast and it turns stringy and greasy. This chapter is about melting gently, choosing the right cheese, and baking soft cheese safely, and a few dishes that do all three.
Why cheese splits
Cheese is milk proteins holding fat and water together. Gentle heat melts the fat and loosens the proteins into a smooth blend. Too much heat tightens the proteins into rubbery clumps and squeezes out the fat. The cure is low heat, grated cheese (it melts evenly), and a stabiliser such as a little flour or cornflour in sauces and fondues.
Which cheese melts well?
| Cheese | Melts? | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Cheddar, gruyère, emmental, gouda | Yes, smoothly (younger melts better than very mature) | Sauces, toasties, fondue, rarebit |
| Mozzarella | Yes, stretchy | Pizza, baked dishes |
| Camembert, brie | Yes, gooey inside the rind | Baking whole |
| Halloumi, paneer | No: they soften and brown but keep their shape | Frying, grilling |
| Feta, goat's cheese | Soften, don't flow | Baking, stuffing |
| Parmesan-style hard cheeses | Melt only at the edges, best grated | Topping, sauces |
| Soft blue | Melts into sauces | A small amount in a sauce |
Tips
- Grate it, and let it come to room temperature first: it melts more evenly.
- Add cheese off the heat or on a low heat, a handful at a time.
- Don't boil a cheese sauce once the cheese is in.
- Add a little starch (flour, cornflour) to stabilise a fondue or sauce.
- A little acid (lemon juice) helps the cheese melt smoothly.
- Serve at once. Melted cheese sets and goes rubbery as it cools.
Baking soft cheese
A whole soft-rind cheese (camembert, brie) baked until molten inside is a showpiece. It is also a way to serve a cheese that pregnant women would otherwise avoid, but only if the middle is steaming hot. Take off all plastic and paper first, and score the top so the heat reaches the centre.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Baked camembert
The party classic: a whole soft cheese baked in its box until the middle is molten. Set the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 whole camembert or brie in its box (about 250 g)
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary or thyme
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 handful walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
- 1 loaf of crusty bread, apple slices and celery, to dip
- Remove all the paper and plastic wrapping from the cheese, and put it back in its wooden box (if it has one) or on a small tray lined with baking paper. Score the top in a criss-cross, cutting through the rind.
- Push the garlic slices and herb into the cuts. Drizzle with honey.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is molten and bubbling in the middle and steaming hot all the way through.
- Sprinkle with nuts and serve at once with bread, apple slices and celery for dipping.
Hot and pregnancy
Hot cheese: melted cheese and fondue stay very hot for a long time and stick to skin and the roof of the mouth. Let things cool for a minute before eating, warn guests, and keep children's portions to cool. A fondue pot has a naked flame or hot element: keep it on a stable, heatproof surface, away from the table edge, and never leave it unattended.Pregnancy and baked cheese: the NHS advice, as I found it, is that mould-ripened cheeses such as brie and camembert, and soft blue cheeses, are fine for pregnant women if they are cooked until steaming hot all the way through. So a baked camembert is safe only when the middle is piping hot, not just warm and soft. Check the current NHS list at nhs.uk if it matters to you.
Level 1 · Practice
Halloumi with honey and lemon
Halloumi holds its shape when it is cooked, so it can be fried or grilled until golden. Choose a pasteurised one (almost all are) and dry it well.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 225 g halloumi, sliced about 1 cm thick
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 lemon, juice of half and a wedge
- 1 pinch chilli flakes or dried oregano (optional)
- Pat the halloumi slices dry with kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat.
- Fry for 1 to 2 minutes a side, until deep golden and a little crisp at the edges.
- Drizzle with honey and lemon juice, scatter with chilli or oregano, and serve at once: it goes rubbery as it cools.
Hot oil
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables well, because water on hot oil spits.
Level 2 · Sauce on toast
Alcohol-free rarebit
Welsh rarebit is usually made with beer. This version uses milk, so there is no alcohol, with mustard and cayenne for a bite.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 200 g mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 60 ml milk
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (leave out for vegetarians)
- 1 egg yolk, from a Lion-marked egg
- 4 slices of good bread
- 1 pinch black pepper and cayenne
- Warm the milk with the mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a small pan over a low heat. Stir in the flour, then the cheese a handful at a time, stirring gently until it melts into a thick, smooth paste. Don't let it boil.
- Take off the heat and beat in the egg yolk and pepper. Cool for 5 minutes so it thickens.
- Toast the bread on one side under a hot grill. Turn, spread the cheese mixture thickly over the untoasted side and grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbling and golden-brown in spots.
- Eat straight away, cooled for a minute.
Allergens and egg
Allergens: these dishes contain milk and gluten (bread), and the rarebit contains mustard. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies (fish), so leave it out for vegetarians and for anyone with a fish allergy.Hot cheese: melted cheese and fondue stay very hot for a long time and stick to skin and the roof of the mouth. Let things cool for a minute before eating, warn guests, and keep children's portions to cool. A fondue pot has a naked flame or hot element: keep it on a stable, heatproof surface, away from the table edge, and never leave it unattended.
Level 3 · Fondue
Alcohol-free cheese fondue
Fondue is traditionally made with wine and kirsch. This version uses milk or stock with lemon juice instead, and a little cornflour to keep the sauce smooth.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 250 g gruyère or a strong melting cheese, grated
- 150 g emmental or cheddar, grated
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 250 ml milk or vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch nutmeg and white pepper
- 1 loaf of crusty bread, cubed, with apple, pear, small cooked potatoes and vegetables, to dip
- Rub the inside of a heavy pan with the cut garlic, then discard it. Toss the grated cheeses with the cornflour.
- Heat the milk or stock with the lemon juice until it is steaming but not boiling. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring in a figure of eight over a low heat, letting each handful melt before adding the next.
- Stir until smooth and bubbling very gently. Season with nutmeg and pepper.
- Move to a fondue pot or a small pan on a warm plate, and serve with bread and things to dip.
Hot pots and sharing
Hot cheese: melted cheese and fondue stay very hot for a long time and stick to skin and the roof of the mouth. Let things cool for a minute before eating, warn guests, and keep children's portions to cool. A fondue pot has a naked flame or hot element: keep it on a stable, heatproof surface, away from the table edge, and never leave it unattended.Fondue and sharing: use a fork to dip once and eat from a different fork, never put a fork that has been in your mouth back in the pot. Eat shared dips and fondues within a short time and throw away what is left rather than reheating it again and again.
Experiments
Experiment
Low or high heat
Melting grated cheese.
- Melt a small handful of grated cheddar in two pans: one on a very low heat, stirring, and one on a high heat.
Look for: The low-heat cheese melts smoothly and glossily. The high-heat cheese splits, going stringy with a puddle of oil. This is what to avoid.
Experiment
Which cheese melts best
A melting test.
- Put a cube each of cheddar, mozzarella, halloumi and feta on a baking tray. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 8 minutes.
Look for: Cheddar spreads and bubbles, mozzarella stretches, and halloumi and feta soften but keep their shape. Match the cheese to the job.
Experiment
With or without starch
Fondue stability.
- Make half the fondue with cornflour and half without.
Look for: The version with starch stays smooth and creamy, while the other may separate or go stringy. See how much more forgiving starch makes it.
Experiment
Grated or sliced
Melting speed.
- Put 40 g of cheddar grated on one slice of toast and 40 g in thick slices on another. Grill for the same time.
Look for: The grated cheese melts evenly and browns; the sliced cheese melts slowly and unevenly. Grating gives a better, faster result.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baked camembert | ||||
| Halloumi with honey | ||||
| Alcohol-free rarebit | ||||
| Alcohol-free fondue | ||||
| Low vs high heat | ||||
| Which melts best | ||||
| With or without starch | ||||
| Grated vs sliced |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Stringy, greasy cheese | Too hot | Lower the heat; add cheese gradually off the boil |
| Lumpy fondue | Cheese added too fast, or not enough stabiliser | Whisk hard; add a little more cornflour mixed with milk |
| Camembert not hot in the middle | Not baked long enough | Bake for a few more minutes until steaming hot |
| Rubbery halloumi | Left to cool, or overcooked | Serve straight away, 1 to 2 minutes a side |
| Rarebit runs off the toast | Mixture too thin or hot | Chill it for 10 minutes; use thicker toast |
| Bread goes soggy | Fondue too thin | Simmer a little longer; add cornflour |
Hot cheese and safety
Hot cheese: melted cheese and fondue stay very hot for a long time and stick to skin and the roof of the mouth. Let things cool for a minute before eating, warn guests, and keep children's portions to cool. A fondue pot has a naked flame or hot element: keep it on a stable, heatproof surface, away from the table edge, and never leave it unattended.Pregnancy and baked cheese: the NHS advice, as I found it, is that mould-ripened cheeses such as brie and camembert, and soft blue cheeses, are fine for pregnant women if they are cooked until steaming hot all the way through. So a baked camembert is safe only when the middle is piping hot, not just warm and soft. Check the current NHS list at nhs.uk if it matters to you.
Fondue and sharing: use a fork to dip once and eat from a different fork, never put a fork that has been in your mouth back in the pot. Eat shared dips and fondues within a short time and throw away what is left rather than reheating it again and again.
Allergens: these dishes contain milk and gluten (bread), and the rarebit contains mustard. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies (fish), so leave it out for vegetarians and for anyone with a fish allergy.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I know why cheese splits and how to stop it.
- I can melt cheese gently and add a stabiliser.
- I can bake a soft cheese until steaming hot all the way through.
- I can make rarebit and fondue without alcohol.
- I serve hot cheese safely.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Cheese and Party Snacks 1, chapter 5 is Party Bites: pigs in blankets, sausage rolls, pinwheels and stuffed mushrooms.