Frederic Melton
Monterey Jack cheese is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese with a creamy, buttery, and slightly tangy flavour. It is a white cheese with a mild taste and slight firmness that resembles cheddar. It is an excellent melting cheese, making it a popular choice for grilled cheese, nachos, and Mexican dishes. Its melting properties also lend it well to being shredded, grated, or used in dips and sauces.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Melting | Melts very well |
| Colour | White |
| Flavour | Mild, slightly tangy, creamy, buttery |
| Texture | Semi-firm, semi-hard |
| Type of milk | Cow's milk |
| Ageing | Usually aged for one month |
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What You'll Learn
Monterey Jack's melting point
Monterey Jack is a semi-firm, semi-hard, or firm cheese with a creamy texture and a slightly tangy, mild flavour. It is a good melting cheese due to its high moisture content and mild, creamy flavour. It melts quickly and evenly, making it a popular choice for Mexican dishes such as quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, and tacos. It is also commonly used in grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, and cheese dips.
The melting point of cheese is the temperature at which it transitions from a solid to a more liquid state. Different factors, such as moisture content, age, and acidity, determine a cheese's meltability. High-moisture cheeses with a low melting point are better melters than low-moisture cheeses, but they release a lot of excess whey during the melting process. Monterey Jack's high moisture content contributes to its excellent melting characteristics.
Aged cheeses, such as Parmesan, Asiago, and other grating cheeses, melt at higher temperatures than younger cheeses. Monterey Jack is not an aged cheese, so it falls into the category of cheeses that melt at lower temperatures.
The melting point of cheese is critical to achieving the ideal melt. When cheese is heated beyond its melting point, the proteins tighten and release moisture, resulting in rubbery, clumpy cheese protein that separates from the fat and moisture. This can be observed as the greasy layer on top of a pizza or the pools of grease on nachos. To achieve the gooiest melt, it is recommended to heat the cheese slowly and gently.
While the exact melting point of Monterey Jack cheese is not readily available, it is known for its excellent melting qualities and is widely used in dishes that require melted cheese. It is a good choice for those seeking a cheese that melts smoothly and quickly.
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Monterey Jack's uses in cooking
Monterey Jack is a versatile cheese with a range of culinary applications due to its mild flavour and excellent melting properties. It is a semi-firm, creamy, and mildly flavoured cow's milk cheese that is aged for a short period. Its melting ability makes it a popular choice for various dishes, including Mexican-American and Tex-Mex cuisine.
One of the most common uses of Monterey Jack in cooking is as a topping or filling for dishes such as pizza, quesadillas, and enchiladas. Its melting properties make it ideal for creating a gooey, stretchy texture in these types of dishes. It can also be shredded and sprinkled on top of dishes like lasagna or used as a filling in chicken tostadas.
Monterey Jack is also a key ingredient in several cheese blends, such as Pepper Jack, Cheddar Jack, and Colby Jack. These blends are created by mixing Monterey Jack with other cheeses or ingredients, resulting in unique flavour and texture combinations. For example, Pepper Jack adds heat with the inclusion of sweet peppers, herbs, and chillies, while Colby Jack offers a nuttier flavour and a rich orange colour.
In addition to its use in melted applications, Monterey Jack can also be sliced and used in sandwiches or burgers. Its mild flavour makes it a versatile choice that won't overpower other ingredients. It can also be shredded and used in place of other hard cheeses, such as Reggiano or Pec Romano.
Monterey Jack's versatility and mild flavour make it a popular choice for cooks looking to add a creamy, tangy element to their dishes without overwhelming other flavours. Its melting ability and blendability make it a versatile ingredient in a variety of culinary traditions.
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Monterey Jack's taste and texture
Monterey Jack cheese, sometimes shortened to Jack, is a semi-firm, creamy, and mild-flavoured cheese. It is a white, semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk, with a slight tang and a hint of sweetness. It is commonly used in Mexican and Spanish cuisine due to its excellent melting qualities and its resemblance to Colby and Cheddar cheeses. It is also used in American dishes such as quesadillas, California-style burritos, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
The cheese originates from Monterey, California, and was first made by 18th-century Franciscan friars in the region. In the 19th century, a businessman named David Jacks began selling the cheese commercially, and it became known as "Jack's Cheese" or "Monterey Jack". Other ranchers in the area, such as Andrew Molera, also contributed to the production and popularity of this cheese.
Monterey Jack is considered a true "American" cheese and is often used as a base for other cheeses such as Colby Jack, Cheddar Jack, and Pepper Jack. The mild flavour of Monterey Jack makes it a versatile cheese that blends well with other varieties. It is also a good melting cheese, making it suitable for dishes like enchiladas, quesadillas, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
The texture of Monterey Jack is semi-firm, similar to that of Colby and Cheddar cheeses. It is aged for a short period, typically only one month for the softer varieties found in American supermarkets. However, there is also a harder variety called "Dry Jack", which is aged for up to 24 months. Dry Jack was created accidentally in 1915 when a San Francisco wholesaler forgot about some wheels of fresh Jack cheese, only to rediscover them later as aged cheese that his customers found to be a good substitute for classic hard cheeses like Parmesan.
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Monterey Jack's history
Monterey Jack cheese, often shortened to Jack, is a semi-hard, mild, and smooth cheese made from cow's milk. It originated in Monterey County, California, and is now also made in Sonoma County (where it is known as Sonoma Jack) and Wisconsin.
The history of Monterey Jack cheese is a little complicated, with several different origin stories. One of the most popular stories attributes the creation of the cheese to Scottish immigrant David Jacks, who arrived in Monterey during the Gold Rush in the late 1800s. Jacks amassed a large amount of land, including dairies, and began producing and exporting a mild white cheese, which became known as "Jacks' Cheese" or "Jacks Monterey Cheese". However, Jacks was also known for his aggressive and questionable business practices, and it is alleged that he may have stolen the recipe for the cheese from Doña Juana Cota de Boronda, also known as Doña Boronda.
Doña Boronda began making and selling Queso del País ("country cheese" in Spanish) in Monterey to support her family after her husband, Jose Manuel Boronda, was left unable to work after an accident. She used a process she learned from her family in Aragon, Spain, where she placed the curds in a sack and wrung out the liquid, creating a wheel of cheese. The Boronda family claimed that Jacks purchased cheese from them, copied the recipe, and sold it under his own name.
Another origin story involves Domingo Pedrazzi, a Swiss-Italian dairyman who supplied cheese to the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey. Pedrazzi used a device called a "housejack" to apply pressure to his cheese, and it became known as "Pedrazzi's jack cheese" or "Del Monte cheese".
Yet another story traces the origins of Monterey Jack cheese back to the Franciscan friars in the late 1700s. They created a semi-firm cow's milk cheese with a creamy, mild flavour, combining Spanish techniques with local ingredients. This cheese was then further developed and commercialized by various individuals in the 19th century, including David Jacks.
Regardless of its exact origins, Monterey Jack cheese has become a staple in Mexican cuisine, valued for its mild taste, creamy texture, and melting abilities. It is commonly used in dishes such as enchiladas, quesadillas, and chiles rellenos, adding a rich and creamy element without overpowering other ingredients.
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Monterey Jack's wine pairings
Monterey Jack is a mild, semi-firm, and melty cheese that originated in California. It is a stirred curd cheese made from cow's milk without annatto colouring. It is often used for melting, slicing, or snacking and can be substituted with other mild, semi-firm cheeses.
When it comes to wine pairings, Monterey Jack is quite versatile and can be paired with a variety of wines, including reds, whites, rosés, sparkling wines, ports, and some sherries. Here are some specific wine recommendations that will complement the buttery and nutty flavours of Monterey Jack:
- Sauvignon Blanc: Look for one with a delightful aroma of citrus, hay, pear, and fennel, and flavours of pineapple and nectarine with hints of lemongrass.
- Cabernet Sauvignon: Opt for a rich regal-coloured wine aged in a combination of French and American oak. It should have flavours of blackberries, plum, mint, black olives, and roasted coffee.
- Merlot: Merlot's juicy layers of Bing cherry, raspberry, and plum, along with finishing notes of vanilla, clove, and ground coffee, make it an excellent choice to pair with Monterey Jack.
- Pinot Grigio: Choose a copper-coloured Pinot Grigio with a floral bouquet of exotic fruits, rose petals, and green apple. It should have flavours of peach, bitter cherry, melon, and citrus.
In general, when pairing wine with Monterey Jack, it is best to choose wines that will complement the cheese without overwhelming its delicate flavours.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Monterey Jack cheese is a semi-firm, semi-hard cow's milk cheese that melts very well.
Melted Monterey Jack cheese is great for grilled cheese, nachos, and dips like queso. It's also good for grating over roasted chicken, burgers, and steaks, and can be added to soups for a savoury flavour and creaminess.
Monterey Jack cheese has a mild, slightly tangy, creamy, and buttery flavour.
Monterey Jack cheese is an American cow's milk cheese made by heating milk with cultures and adding rennet to separate the curds and whey. The curds are then drained and pressed into cheese. A rind forms and oil is added to keep it aging—usually for just one month.
