What's on your mind today?

[Tank]

Details 

The other week I was at a family event and there was brie on the cheese board and it was lovely, creamy, mild with a soft but complex cheese flavor. So I took a trip to my local cheese shop today and asked for some good quality brie, I passed on the cheeses that had nasty looking rinds and went for one that looked more like the one I had tried previously, though it still looked very different. I got home and took a slice, all I can say is I am glad I didn't try the cheese in the shop as I was almost instantly sick.

How interesting. Never known that happen before. I assume it was due to how 'ripe' they were. I would guess that the first one had a white, relatively solid core while the second one had a yellow relatively runny core?

[Crow]

How interesting. Never known that happen before. I assume it was due to how 'ripe' they were. I would guess that the first one had a white, relatively solid core while the second one had a yellow relatively runny core?

Spot on!

[Siz]

Details  

The other week I was at a family event and there was brie on the cheese board and it was lovely, creamy, mild with a soft but complex cheese flavor. So I took a trip to my local cheese shop today and asked for some good quality brie, I passed on the cheeses that had nasty looking rinds and went for one that looked more like the one I had tried previously, though it still looked very different. I got home and took a slice, all I can say is I am glad I didn't try the cheese in the shop as I was almost instantly sick.

How interesting. Never known that happen before. I assume it was due to how 'ripe' they were. I would guess that the first one had a white, relatively solid core while the second one had a yellow relatively runny core?

The difference between quality brie and shit brie is massive. It is rare to find a good cheap brie in England because it isn't looked after properly. I will not buy ANY cheese (even Cheddar) from a supermarket (other than M&S whose fromageric offering is surprisingly good...at a price), but I am well served for fromageries in London. Plus I visit France regularly which helps (though they won't let you take it in hand luggage).

Try a Pont L'Eveque just shy of ammonia if you like it strong. Otherwise pay handsomely for a decent brie or Camembert.

Edit: Leave it out of the fridge or it won't develop flavour - just turn to ammonia. Eat it within three days or when it suits. You gotta eat it runny in my opinion - the way it was designed to be eaten.

[Tank]

How interesting. Never known that happen before. I assume it was due to how 'ripe' they were. I would guess that the first one had a white, relatively solid core while the second one had a yellow relatively runny core?

Spot on!

You like fresh Brie. You're probably better to get a cheap supermarket example as they are usually the youngest (least ripe) and as you have found out very different from a ripe one which can be loaded with ammonia.

[Sandra Craft]

So, so very tired. Got under 5 hours of sleep for sure, and not all that much sleep the night before last either. I may be able to take a nap this afternoon, though. In fact, I may crash whether or not I have time to. I'll just do a faceplant on the floor, and curl up and that's it. People can step over me. 

I've had days like that.  Unfortunately, my faceplants usually happen at work, onto the computer. 

[xSilverPhinx]

Ammonia? Seriously? ???

Yuck.

[OldGit]

Cheese like that should be carefully unwrapped and plated, allowed to reach room temperature, sprinkled with organic toadflax and origami and flushed down the effing toilet.

[Buddy]

I don't like Brie at all but Boursin is amazing an a piece of French bread.

[Tank]

Ammonia? Seriously? ???

Yuck.

Yes. You can smell it quite noticeably on a ripe brei it's a decomposition by-product of the uric acid that the bacteria produce as the cheese ripens. 

[Siz]

Ammonia? Seriously? ???

Yuck.

It will only develop ammonia if allowed to. They need to ripen gradually - too fast and no flavour will develop, too slow and ammonia kicks in before flavour (18 degC for a couple of days is about right). It'll keep OK in the fridge for another couple of days before being spoiled, just needs to be brought back to room temp over at least an hour. Supermarket cheese is bought for its shelf-life and is hard to ripen. They rarely develop flavour before ammonia.

[Recusant]

All of this talk of how to let your runny cheese ripen while trying to skirt the ammonia zone reminds me of one of my favorite blog series: "Steve, Don't Eat It!".

[Ali]

Cheese like that should be carefully unwrapped and plated, allowed to reach room temperature, sprinkled with organic toadflax and origami and flushed down the effing toilet.

I like to bake brie and then top it with some kind of preserves (apricot, or maybe something mixed with jalepeno) and eat on French bread.  Of course, this is American grocery store brie, so it's probably not up to Scissorleg's snuff, but on the other hand it has never tasted like ammonia or made me sick.  

[Ali]

All of this talk of how to let your runny cheese ripen while trying to skirt the ammonia zone reminds me of one of my favorite blog series: "Steve, Don't Eat It!".

That's pretty funny.  If I'm ever tempted to eat "potted meat", I like to think that I would be smart enough to save a step and just throw it directly into the toliet.

[Siz]

Cheese like that should be carefully unwrapped and plated, allowed to reach room temperature, sprinkled with organic toadflax and origami and flushed down the effing toilet.

I like to bake brie and then top it with some kind of preserves (apricot, or maybe something mixed with jalepeno) and eat on French bread.  Of course, this is American grocery store brie, so it's probably not up to Scissorleg's snuff, but on the other hand it has never tasted like ammonia or made me sick.  

Sounds nice. Cooked cheese is so much easier to eat. Dangerously easy to eat a whole round on ones own!

It's probably made with pasteurised milk like the crap in the UK too. Safer, arguably, but oh, so tasteless.

[OldGit]

... it's a decomposition by-product of the uric acid that the bacteria produce as the cheese ripens.

You mean ... bugs piss in it?