You bought it to make your life easier for taco night, and now you are standing by the glow of the refrigerator at midnight, eating it by the handful. Shredded cheese is as convenient as it is delicious and saves you from breaking out the finger-nipping box grater.
It’s also an accessible option for recipes that call for grated cheese, so people with disabilities and less manual dexterity can also add cheesy goodness to their meals.
However, there is one problem with shredded cheese… anti-caking agents. But it may not be for the reason you think.
Manufacturers toss the cheese strands in absorbent powders, such as potato or corn starch, to prevent clumping. A more controversial anti-caking ingredient is powdered cellulose.
Over the years, some viral claims have warned against eating foods with this powdered cellulose because it can be derived from wood pulp. Food and health experts have thoroughly debunked these claims, saying that powdered cellulose is just an insoluble fiber that is safe to consume. In fact, it is the same organic compound that gives all green plants their shape!
🧀 If the caking agents aren’t bad for you, what’s the problem?
While these caking agents aren’t a hindrance to your health, they DO impact one absolutely key aspect of cheese: ooey-gooey-ness. (Yes, that is the food science term for it.)
The anti-caking agents do such a good job preventing clumping that even once the cheese melts, the powders prevent cohesive melting. Our solution to this is simple: give your cheese a good rinse.
🧀 Rinse my cheese?! Seriously???
Yes. You’ll want to rinse your shredded cheese before adding it to whatever you make for the best texture and optimal stretchiness. Simply dump the shredded cheese into a strainer/colander over a bowl or directly in the sink and cover the cheese with water.
Remember to use COLD water when rinsing your cheese to prevent any accidental melting. Cold water will also help prevent clumping as the cheese dries.
After a few seconds of rinsing, let the cheese drain for a moment, and you can add it directly to your recipe or lay the cheese shreds out on a towel (or paper towels) to dry completely. The amount of residue left behind from the cheese might surprise you…
Tasty did a side-by-side test of unwashed vs. washed shredded cheese, and the proof of this hack is in the pudding (or, should I say, the grilled cheese):
We used the same exact ingredients and technique, but the sandwich with cheese that had been washed was sooooo melty and gooey.
Your roommates or family might make a face when you break out the colander to make a quesadilla. But, when they see the cheese pull on the finished product, they’ll 1,000% be asking for a bite.
But, if you’re still skeptical, try the hack for yourself with one of our hundreds of cheesy recipes — which you can access by downloading the free Tasty app for iOS and Android.