23 Appetizing Cream Cheese Facts And Dishes Made Out Of It

The invention of cheese is an age-old recipe, and it is widely consumed all over the world because of its texture, flavor, and remarkable taste.

There are different kinds of cheese, and they can be served for breakfasts, desserts and incorporated in several main courses. Cream cheese is acknowledged for its extremely creamy texture, making itan easily spreadable cheese.

Cream cheese, as the name suggests, has cream and milk as its primary composition, or sometimes just cream. It is commercially made on a large scale and can be prepared at home.

It tastes best much better if consumed fresh.

Cream cheese is mostly used for making desserts and is often paired with other food items. The texture of cream cheese can be compared to mascarpone and Boursin, and is almost white just like cottage cheese.

But, as cream cheese is made up of 1/3rd milk fat, its fat content is higher than that of cottage cheese. There are different types of cream cheese, such as full-fat cream cheese, low-fat cream cheese, American cream cheese, flavored cream cheese, regular cream cheese, and the most popular of all, Philadelphia cream cheese.

Cream cheese is popularly paired with bagels, however it also goes well with a sweet and savory cookery.

It can be spread on cakes as cream cheese frosting, which is made by combining butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and is beaten until the texture becomes soft and creamy. Nevertheless, cream cheese has a short life as it needs to be consumed within 10 days of its opening.

Keep reading for more fun facts about cream cheese.

The Invention Of Cream Cheese

The invention of cream cheese is slightly debatable, and like most inventions, it is believed that cream cheese was also invented by accident. William Lawrence is said to be the man behind the invention, but other sources claim that even before Lawrence made cream cheese, there were mentions of such cheese in England and France.

William Lawrence, who was the owner of the Neufchâtel Factory, added more cream to the existing Neufchâtel cheese, which made it even more soft and rich.

He later created his brand called Neufchâtel & Cream Cheese and began mass production.

He collaborated with other merchants like Samuel S. Durland and Alvah Reynolds.

Furthermore, he named and started selling the cheese as Philadelphia cream cheese in 1872, which was an instant hit.

The name has nothing to do with its production and was given just for marketing purposes.

Currently Philadelphia cream cheese is owned by the Kraft cheese company. 

The Nutritional Value Of Cream Cheese

Like every other milk product, cream cheese does have some nutritional value. Although the fat content is relatively high, it has other nutritional values such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and more. However, the United States has a standard fat content for cream cheese that has to be maintained.

Cream cheese is made from either cream or full-fat cream, however, there are low-fat versions available too.

Stabilizers such as guar gum and Carob bean gum are used in industrial production.

The standard of cream cheese in the United States is set to 33% milk fat and 55% moisture content.

Thus, 0.22 lb (100 g) of cream cheese has 0.18 dr (319 mg) of Sodium, 0.07 dr (124 mg) of Potassium, 2.13 dr (3.77 g) of carbohydrate, 3.38 dr (6 g) of protein, 0.05 dr (88 mg) of Calcium, 0.04 dr (70.8 mg) of vitamin A, 0.00005 dr (0.088 mg) of iron, and 0.005 dr (8.8 mg) of Magnesium.

Uses Of Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is widely used in desserts and even as a spread. It has a delectable mild taste, which makes it compatible with other ingredients in a dessert. It is served as a spread with bagels, crackers, potato chips, and more.

It can replace olive oil and butter in several recipes due to its soft texture.

From cheesecake and waffles to ice cream, a significant amount of cream cheese can enhance the overall taste.

There are innumerable recipes with cream cheese that are available. A large section of baking and dessert businesses depends on cream cheese.

It can be used as a sauce thickener and filler, just like it's used for filling Crab Rangoons, which is a popular appetizer.

Leftover cream cheese can be utilized to make sandwiches, fondue, meatballs, and pate.

Cream cheese can be used to replace heavy butter in certain food items, and it is now largely used in sushi too.

The Benefits Of Cream Cheese

Cream cheese has some benefits, but it must not be consumed in huge quantities due to its high-fat content. Most milk products are known to have vitamin A in them, and the same goes for cream cheese.

Besides vitamin A, it is a good source of antioxidants, the lactic acid present in it has probiotic effects, and it has relatively less lactose.

It’s not solely the soft and mild taste that is enough to fascinate, but the benefits of cream cheese are to be mentioned as well.

Vitamin A in cream cheese is fat-soluble, which implies that it is great for vision. Moreover, it boosts the immune system and is good for the lungs, skin, and intestines.

Antioxidants help the body to fight against free radicals, and the accumulation of these free radicals can cause cellular damage.

The antioxidants in cream cheese assists to defend the body from these free radicals.

The lactic acid present in cream cheese has a probiotic effect that offers many health benefits, like reducing inflammatory responses.

Also, the short-chain fatty acid acts as an energy source.

The lactose content of cream is lower than most dairy products, so, people with lactose intolerance can have a small amount of cream cheese.

Did you know...

In 2016, cream cheese accounted for 10% of the sale of cheese in the United States, which signifies that almost 75% of households have consumed cream cheese in 2015.

Frequently, yogurt, pepper jelly, and other ingredients are mixed with cream cheese to make desirable spreads.

There are also some bizarre cream cheese combinations that can be discovered in the United States, such as kimchi cream cheese, caviar cream cheese, and pizza cream cheese.

Cream cheese is frequently confused with double cream cheese that has 60% butterfat in it.