Kimber emailed in the following tip:
I have always purchased mild cheddar cheese, and I go through it fairly quickly, especially when I am using it to add flavor to a dish. Recently, I discovered that if I buy sharp cheddar instead, I only use about half as much, and still get great flavor! I have tried it in casseroles and in potato soup, and the results are wonderful. -Kimber
The bleu cheese comment I keep seeing is exactly right… a few tablespoons makes a huge “cheese” taste in casseroles or mac and cheese and it doesn’t have the “stinky” strong taste of bleu cheese that some don’t like (I actually love it).
Another tip – dry mustard! A little dry mustard added to cheese dishes really helps give them a cheesy flavor, and it’s very cheap and easy to store!
Thanks for the tip! Mild cheddar gets “lost” in casseroles, and I hadn’t thought of using less of the sharp cheddar instead to get more flavor. I need to cut back on how much cheese I eat, and found I added more mild cheddar to get the cheese flavor, which added more calories and fat than I really wanted.
I do this too. They also sell extra sharp provolone which goes farther. And I always scan the gourmet cheese section they often have managers special or tear pads of coupons. I scored one a couple weeks ago that was a no expiration date coupon! Also if you look there for feta or other gourmet type cheeses they are usually way cheaper than the prepackaged gourmet cheese in the dairy and/or produce section.
If you live in california don’t forget the real california cheese coupons at http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com for $.55/1 that can be printed over and over again and are good all year long!! They have one for dairy too, which Ilove bc we go through nearly 8 gallons of milk a week at my house!
Thanks for sharing my tip! I’m feeling pretty cool! :o) It’s good to read everyone’s suggestions. I have never even looked for extra sharp cheddar before! My horizons are expanding by the minute!
I buy the Albertson’s generic EXTRA sharp cheddar, in the block, and it is delicious. I even consider regular sharp cheddar a waste. I won’t buy anything but generic; the non-generic, fancy blocks are too expensive, and provides no improvement in taste. And I never buy pre-shredded….that stuff doesn’t even taste like cheese to me.
Another thing….don’t use mozzarella when you don’t have to. That stuff has no flavor. My neighbor served me a romaine salad recently with chunks of chopped mozz, and I couldn’t help but think it was a total waste of money because it has zero taste. I can see the importance in lasagna, because you need something melty, but no sense using mozz as a random topping for something. And speaking of lasagna, you can just use mozz with no ricotta. I never miss the ricotta. Just pick either/or.
For parmesan though, the really expensive parmigiano reggiano (comes in saran wrap with barcode normally) from Italy is definitely a better value, because you can use a LOT less. It has a ton of flavor. I use my microplane grater for parm, because you get more surface area. No sense using a box grater and having huge shreds. If you use a microplane grater with expensive parm, it will last fooooooorevvvver.
Note, you can’t use a microplane grater for cheddar, it is too soft. Microplanes are really only good for expensive parm or other super hard cheeses. You can buy them at BedBathBeyond.
lol, my family only eats EXTRA sharp cheddar. If it isn’t really tangy my kids have a problem with it! They eat parmasean by the slice. I have to hide it when I buy it because it is so expensive. I do buy it from Costco. I buy 2 blocks a month (32oz each!). And that is only for the cheddar. We go through mozzerella, parmesean and whatever else is on the menu. I probably spend over $20 in cheese a month!
Um, the stronger the cheese in our house means the quicker it gets eaten. My daughter even prefers the nuttier sheeps milk cheese, Gorgonzola, blue, and feta to the mild. I am glad it works for some of you though!
Yum, I love sharp cheddar. And aged sharp cheddar. And blue cheese. And havarti. And …
I could spend a LOT of money on cheese if I weren’t so cheap.
I was just about to mention ALDI’s havarti cheese, it tastes just like the Scandinavian kind, and the price is much more durable. I used to buy cheese at Publix whenever I had Danish visitors come to stay, now I take them to ALDI instead.
Shredded goes farther, too, for topping casseroles, etc.
Hmm, I wonder I could do this with salsa? I could buy the extra hot, and then we’d only use a quarter of the amount!
My husband already gets me some gasoline to use instead of nail polish remover. Just a few drops and boy, it works great!
Really, wow! I’m going to have to try that. My current nail polish remover from Walgreens stinks really bad. The smell lingers on my fingers for two days. Thanks again!!!! =)
Wait until you use gasoline. The smell is twice as bad and the oder will stay on longer.
I bet you could dilute the salsa with crushed or small diced tomatoes from the can.
You could do extra hot and food processor it with crushed tomatoes….and gasoline instead of polish remover? Is that safe to do?
I’ve used gasoline for a few years to remove nail polish. When my husband was unemployed for over a year and a half I was given nail polish as a gift, so it was a real treat to paint my nails. But when it started to chip and look awful, I didn’t have a way to get it off, and no money to spare for remover. So my husband got a tiny bit of gas from the gas can we used for our lawn mower and it worked great. I’ve used it ever since, just a tiny bit, washing my hands very well after. I don’t think there’s anyway it’s as toxic as actual nail polish remover, and the smell is completely gone once use wash your hands. I don’t polish my nails often,but when I do,yes, I use gasoline to remove the polish. I think it’s just as safe as nail polish remover as long as your carful,just as you should be with remover.
And thank you for the tomatoes and hot sauce tip. I think that would work especially well in recipes, but I’d probably still want regular salsa for dunking chips.
Maybe hot sauce instead? We tend to put Sriracha on everything, but I’m thinking if you live in AZ long enough you build up a pretty high heat tolerance. The Walmart brand salsa is oddly good, too, and about $2 a jar here.
I always buy the higher quality cheese for this reason! I can use 1/4 to 1/2 the amount. Unfortunately the Kraft and store brands just don’t have as much flavor so you need twice as much!
Plus, if you buy it in a 5lb block at Sam’s Club, it’s less than $2.50 a pound, and often around $2 a pound. You can shred it and freeze any that you will use for cooking.
I’ve switched to grating my own because it’s cheaper and so much more flavorful.
I grate my own, and usually get mild cheddar. Will try the sharp tip too!
Completely agree on grating your own. It melts so much better that pre-grated – I think it’s the secret to good homemade pizza.
And, it lasts longer. I get a few big blocks at the sam’s club free weekend, cut them into 1 lb. blocks and freeze them. Then you can just take them out as you need them, and grate or slice. I don’t think they had sharp, but it’s only 2.50 a pound.
We’ve also found we use a lot less if we use the slots on our grater that slice the cheese – an extra step, but it can add up.
I am going to try this! My cheese budget is scary stuff…
Ours too! We eat so much of it.
I’m so glad to see this tip posted! I have just started doing this recently. Not only is it a great money-saver, but it’s a great tip if you’re trying to cut back on calories and fat, as well. If you use stronger cheeses– sharp cheddar, feta, blue cheese, and parmesean (just to name a few!), a little goes a long way, and you don’t feel like you’re missing out!
Thanks for the tip for the stronger cheeses. We will have to try it out.
We like the stronger taste of cheese as well. I always add a tablespoon or two of blue cheese to my baked macaroni and cheese it really just sharpens the flavor. Swiss or a combination of cheeses will also do the trick.
By doing this you can cut down on the fat in your recipes.
You need to be careful though your also cutting down on protein. We need 1 ounce of cheese wich works out to be 7 grams of protein per person in dishes with no meat in them.
I often get feta cheese for cheap and it has such a strong flavor that it can be subbed in a half amount too. I won’t work for every dish because it doesn’t really melt but it is delicious in breakfast casseroles and other casserole type foods.