We use a lot of cheese in our evening meals.  In all honesty, it's likely too much, especially when you consider our family drinks about five gallons of milk a week.  (I bet I could lose a few pounds just be skipping the cheese-filled meals.  I rarely drink milk.  Unfortunately, I have not tried to cut cheese from our diets.)  I buy a few blocks of cheese at a time.  Both my grocery store and the local dairy sell blocks of cheddar cheese for $4 per pound (though sold in smaller blocks).

I will tell you now that we continue to buy shredded cheese, too, but we use far more block cheese than purchased shredded cheese.  (Years ago I heard about the "plastic" added to cheese.  I think wood is a more appropriate term for cellulose powder, but I have not stopped using purchased shredded cheese though I have decreased my usage.  Obviously, I'm not intensely repulsed.) Other than the whole milk mozzarella cheese blocks we buy for homemade pizza, I do not shred cheese at home.  (Mozzarella cheese is tough to shred since it is so soft.  The Kitchen Aid shredding/slicer attachment makes it much easier.)



Shredding cheese by hand is tiring...it tries my patience.  I also fear bloody cheese...with reason...and the pain which accompanies the blood.  It has been many years since I actually attempted to shred any cheddar cheese by hand for myself.  Instead, I just slice it thinly.  It melts well in the oven and on the stove top.  If the recipe really needs shredded cheese, instead of leaving the cheese just thinly sliced, I will chop them a bit more.  It may take a bit longer to melt, but it will melt and take less time than shredding it.  It is also much easier to snack on sliced cheese instead of shredded!

(If I am feeling particularly motivated, I will shred mozzarella and cheddar at the same time using the Kitchen Aid attachment.  However, I think I have only thought to do this twice.)

Need some cheesy recipes?
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up
Homemade Hamburger Helper/Cheeseburger Macaroni
Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups
Cheesy Bacon Potato Rounds

I just realized I need to share a couple of my macaroni and cheese recipes!  I have two that I use regularly.  One is baked with ham and the other is for the stove top.

When substituting block cheese for shredded in recipes, just keep in mind that eight ounces of block cheese equals two cups shredded cheese.

What do you do to save yourself a bit of time in the kitchen?

~ Annette {This Simple Mom}
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