There is not much to guess on this week’s What Is It Wednesday.
Part of the reason I started What Is It Wednesday was to share with you some of the new foods that my family is trying. So, today is just a sharing post.
A few weeks ago we tried several varieties of goat cheese, so instead of asking what the food is, I decided to just share with you our thoughts on goat cheese.
Let me start by saying I really wanted to like goat cheese. Really I did, I tried hard to like it, but I just couldn’t.
I think I have had goat cheese before, but it would have been when I was a kid, and I do not remember much about it. My husband has probably had it before, but it has been years for him also.
I love cheese in general. It is one of my favorite foods. I like all different kinds of cheese, but I did not like this goat cheese. I did not like the texture and I did not like the taste. In fact my husband was the only one in the family that like this and he ended up eating the majority of it himself.
I know cheese can really vary in taste. An inexpensive store brand of cheese will taste different than a cheese like Tillamook brand.
I am hoping it was just the brand or type that we tried, because I really want to like it.
So, what are your thoughts? Do I just need to try a different brand or type of goat cheese? Or does all goat cheese taste about the same?
Ew. It’s goat cheese. I don’t think the brand is going to matter, lol.
Goat cheese is definitely an acquired taste. I used to not like it, but now I’m having love affairs with it. I have raw goat milk available to me which I make my own goat cheese & yogurt with. Its much milder than store bought. I often season it to make it more palatable to the kids, but I prefer it just plain myself on rice crackers.
I think it’s just goat cheese. My husband and oldest son love it, but I can’t stand it.
I don’t think brand matters. I have never noticed a discernible difference, though I am not buying super expensive cheese either. Between what’s available at your normal grocery store/target there is not much a difference between brands or price points. Although I love it and eat it by itself, some of my recipes mix it with cream cheese. That mellows it a bit so that’s an option, but I am not sure it’s really worth it if you don’t like it. I mean, food is for enjoying and goat cheese isn’t the cheapest and isn’t particularly great for you, so no real reason to try to learn to like.
Ohhh, I love goat cheese. The most common variety (chevre) is what you usually encounter and it has a delightfully tangy, creamy taste that goes really with with eggs or on pizza. I wouldn’t eat it plain, as much as I love it, though. The taste is just too strong to be eaten on its own.
Now, there are other kinds of goat cheeses. I have had a goat milk cheddar, for example, that was really good. It did taste a bit like cheddar, but was unique. That you could definitely eat by itself.
If you are interested in trying other types, I would look somewhere like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for other varieties. They have much better selections on specialty cheeses than the traditional grocery store.
I think it depends on the cheese and who made it. I’ve purchased the Goat Cheese from the deli section of the grocery store and it had what I would consider as a gamey, off flavor. I’ve also purchased goat cheese from a vendor at the Soulard Market in St. Louis and it was wonderful. It reminded me of cream cheese and they mixed cranberries in it as well, so on English Muffins or Muffins…it was a perfect way to start the morning. I would say give other brands a try, you might be surprised.
Brand matters. The Chevre that comes in the little trapezoid is everywhere here but not my favorite. There is a local farm that does goat cheese spreads that I adore. And I do like cooking with it; there was a great Martha Stewart recipe for pasta with goat cheese and asparagus that still makes my mouth water. Worth trying again, I’d think; then you’ll know if it was you or the cheese!
Oh, thank GOODNESS. I honestly thought I was one of the only people on EARTH that hates goat cheese. And I truly, passionately hate it.
Thank you for posting this – I feel so much better now. 🙂
I don’t like it cold but love it in pasta, on pizza, or on wilted spinach. Just a tablespoon goes a long way!!
The first time I tried goat cheese was at a “Faire”. I put some in my mouth and thought someone had fed me “barf”. I try to be cultured (no pun intendend) but that stuff is straight up nasty!
There is nothing better than goats cheese. I love the fetta especially. I often eat it with tomato and onion. Use it in spinach and cheese pie with phyllo. It has a much better flavour and texture than cows milk and also people are less likely to react to it. My kids love it and I have made my husband a convert. LOVE IT
I’m on the fence with goat cheese. The first time I tasted it was just plain with crackers. Yuck! Since then I’ve had it on salad, and it added a nice flavor.
—mixed greens, dried cranberries, glazed pecans, goat cheese, and mustard vinaigrette
—arugula, pine nuts, goat cheese, lemon vinaigrette
But, by far my favorite new use for goat cheese is in stuffed mushrooms with basil pesto. Yummy! Very simple, but delicious. Just put pesto and goat cheese in any mushroom and bake to cook the mushroom.
I tried chevre goat cheese a while back when I had a coupon for a freebie, and thinking we would like it since we are a cheese loving family I brought it home.
I tasted it first on a cracker and did not like the texture at all- but I hate to waste food even if it was free, so I got on the web and started searching around.
I ended up melting it in a pot with half and half, I then poured it over some penne pasta I had cooked along with some grilled chicken strips and some asparagus tips, said nothing to my family about what was in the rich, tangy and creamy sauce until everyone had cleaned their plates, then I sprung the news that the sauce was made with goat cheese, and they all balked at 1st until they realized they all loved it!
I have also spread it on a hot baked potato instead of cream cheese or sour cream or butter, was very good! I think for us we def. prefer it melted.
We love goat cheese & so does our 2 year old son. My favorite is turkey burger with bbq sauce, caramelized onions & goat cheese. The brand does make a huge difference. It is also really good stuffed in chicken. Keep trying!
I just found your blog last week & LOVE it!
I love Tillamook cheese and ice cream! It’s hard to find here in New Jersey. I miss living in the Northwest 🙂
@Vanessa, I miss Tillamook also. I grew up in NW Oregon and now live in Oklahoma. I can find it at a few stores here but it is quite expensive, so it is a treat to buy. I miss all there dairy products. They are so good!
The only success I have with goat cheese is crumbling in an italian-type salad or making home-made pizzas. Sparingly. I don’t know what else you can try to use it for other than that? OH…I do have a fabulous recipe for homemade bruschetta dip that includes it…wait, is goat cheese the same as feta cheese? oh so confusing all these cheeses and I live in Wisconsin!
Goat cheese makes me throw up — literally. We ordered pizza at Buca’s without goat cheese but it accidentally came with it. One bite was all it took.
My family and I love goat cheese, but my best friend HATES it. She also hates cream cheese.
I rarely eat it plain, though I love it that way. I use it like cream cheese – on toasted english muffins & bagels…with jam. YUM!
Hubby loves it in a turkey burger with spinach. I use the turkey/spinach/goat cheese mixture for filling stuffed peppers.
As many have said, delicious in salad with cranberries, nuts, etc.
My absolute favorite way to eat it (and I get rave reviews from guests when I serve it) is to cover the goat cheese with a fig/walnut spread and serve on crackers. From Bon Appetit…..
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fig-and-Walnut-Tapenade-with-Goat-Cheese-105649
Even my best friend loves this.
My neighbor made goat cheese cheesecake, that was delicious.
I do think brand matters… but not a lot. I live in CT, so I buy Vermont Butter and Cheese brand or from my local farmers’ market.
I love, love crumbled goat cheese on my salad, yummy!
I love goat cheese on crackers with smoked salmon! Yum. My husband on the other hand can’t stand goat cheese. He thinks it smells and tastes like goat poop.
I love goat cheese. I use the goat cheese crumbles in salads all the time. It’s milder than using feta cheese but has a similar consistency. We raised goats on our farm and one thing you have to know about goat milk is that it can have a very strong flavor if not properly cared for. There is an enzyme in goat milk that if allowed to sit at room temperature will cause the milk (and any cheese made from it) to have a very strong flavor. When we milked our goats, we used a metal bain marie set inside a plastic bucket of ice in which to milk into. Then we would immediately take the milk inside, strain it through a milk strainer into a glass bottle and place the glass bottle inside the bucket of ice water and stick it into the fridge. When rapidly cooled like that, the flavor of goat milk is indistinguishable from cows milk. It is also naturally homogenized (i.e. it doesn’t separate) because the milk fat is broken down into smaller particles than cows milk. Which is why it is often easier for some people to digest than cows milk.
There were a number of people who, when they came to our house, refused to (knowingly) drink goat milk. My mother kept a regular milk jug from the grocery store that once contained cows milk and after sterilizing it would put some of the goat milk into to to serve those guests. They never knew they were drinking goat milk.
We only like the goat cheese that our friends make. They have had their own goats for years and make cheese, yogurt, and kefir. They make chevre and it’s fantastic on crackers with chips, etc. But, store-bought goat cheese I don’t like.
Shirley
First tried goat cheese as an exchange student. I can see how it is an acquired taste, but I love it with fresh tomatoes from the garden and baguette style bread. I agree with a lot of the comments that for people trying it for the first time, substituting it for something tangy like cream cheese, sour cream, etc is the way to go. It is not a mild cheese, even though it is white.
When I was a kid, I HATED olives. I like them now, 40 years later. So, maybe give it a year and try goat cheese again.
Hi Lynn,
First let me say I love getting your e-mails!! I just happened onto your page looking for a recipe and I am so glad I did. I think Goat cheese is very strong, a little definitely goes a long way, some are better than others. I do love Tillamook cheese too, I didn’t know they made ice cream as Vanessa said, but I will keep an eye out for that if I am ever in the Northwest!
@Ilia, Thank you! I am so glad that you have enjoyed the emails. Yes, Tillamook makes ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, and a few other things I think. I love to get their products when I visit my family in OR. Tillamook products are so good!
I have had very good goat cheese and very bad goat cheese, and all I can ever taste is goat. Like 2 days later, I’m still tasting goat in the back of my throat. Blurg. I hate when I see something that looks like cream cheese or feta and…nope…goat. 🙁
I have to agree with the majority…goat cheese tastes yucky!!! I love most food and I love cheeses. My first encounter with goat cheese, was at a restaurant; I ordered a walnut, chicken salad, sprinkled with goat cheese and a splash of tangy raspberry dressing. My mouth salivated thinking about my salad, until I took the first bite…Yuck!!! It was unbearable!!!
Bobby Flays seems to cook with goat cheese often and he makes the food look so appetizing. I really tried to like it, but I just couldn’t stomach it!!!
I live in Idaho. I am a big Tillamook fan. You are right, they make yummy ice cream and cheese.
Lynn, I love your blog!! Keep it up!!
Hi Lynn,
I ADORE goat cheese. My aunt (who spends most of her time in France), makes a WONDERFUL treat~Small toasts (like a melba toast) topped with pesto, goat cheese, and sun-dried red peppers! Mmmmmm!
I love your site!
~Linda~
Goat cheese is wonderful warm or melted. I’m not a fan of eating it cold but it’s yummy if you spread a small amount on a slice of prosciutto, then wrap it around a plain bread stick (I use stella d’oro plain, the other flavors are not as crunchy). It makes a beautiful platter if entertaining. Make this one at the last minute for the most crunch.
Goat cheese tastes just like the way the goat smells!!! Disgusting!!!