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Cheese curds are a renowned Midwestern favorite, and no one knows cheese quite like Wisconsin.
If you’re not from Wisconsin, you might not be familiar with the squeaky, cheesy delicacy called “cheese curds.” They can be found all over the United States, usually deep-fried and served with marinara or ranch, but there’s something very uniquely Wisconsin about cheese curds, both fresh and deep-fried, and how they’re enjoyed.
Learn more about how cheese curds are made, where their squeak comes from, and how to celebrate them like a true Wisconsinite!
How are cheese curds made?
During the cheesemaking process, cheese curds form after the milk is acidified from starter culture and coagulated from rennet. The coagulated milk is cut and heated, separating the liquid from the solids. The whey is the liquid, and the curds are the solids.
That’s when the process of “cheddaring” begins, when the curds are stacked, cut, pressed together, and stacked again repeatedly to release any more whey and air bubbles from the cheese. This helps enhance the cheese’s texture and flavor. Once the cheese has been solidified into long, flat stacks, they’re churned through a mill into 2- to 3-inch pieces and salted for flavor.
Then, instead of being molded into a cheese wheel, the cheese curds are gathered up and bagged to be sold right away. At Renard’s Cheese, we provide barrels of fresh cheese curds to our retail store each morning. They’re usually gone by midafternoon due to their popularity!
What’s so special about cheese curds?
The first thing to know about cheese curds is that they’re fresh. Why does freshness matter? Well, most other cheese is old—not necessarily in a “moldy” or “expired” way, but aged to create an ideal flavor profile and texture.
Cheese curds aren’t like that. They’re fresh cheese curdled (you can see where “curd” get its name) from the milk. That means the cheese curds you see on store shelves outside of Wisconsin or the Midwest might not be “real” cheese curds.
Don’t be deceived by cheese “curds,” either. In Wisconsin, cheesemakers take great pride in crafting fresh cheese curds to be sold in their stores, but other manufacturers can be a bit more deceptive. They’ll take aged cheddar and chop them into small pieces and mark them as “fresh curds” on store shelves. But they’re not fresh, as we learned. Real, fresh cheese curds have a short shelf life, which doesn’t have a great profit margin for manufacturers. There’s more profit to be made from cheese with a longer shelf life, hence the deceptive labeling.
Does that mean the cheese curds you bought fresh a few days ago are already bad? Nope! Older cheese curds are still delicious, they’re just aged cheese now. They can still make for a great snack, an addition to your salad, as a topping for your burger, or, as most people enjoy them, deep-fried!
Want to know the best freshness test for your cheese curds? Simply bite into one and see if it squeaks!
Where does the squeak come from?
Why do fresh cheese curds squeak? It’s the long strands of protein rubbing against the enamel on your teeth. As the cheese ages—most often as soon as a day later—the enzymes from the cheese cultures will break down the protein and the other components of milk into smaller pieces. As the protein diminishes, fresh cheese curds lose their squeak.
However, the squeakiness can return! Simply put your cheese curds in the microwave for a few seconds, and your cheese curds will squeak again. Good as new!
Why Wisconsin’s cheese curds are the best
Wisconsin cheese curds are different because of their freshness level. Because of some state laws, Wisconsin cheese curds can be sold up to one day after production without being refrigerated. After that, they must be refrigerated or discarded, because they’re not fresh anymore.
Outside of Wisconsin, those same rules don’t apply. If you see refrigerated curds in the grocery store, that means they aren’t all that fresh. To reduce waste, sometimes cheese curds are flushed with gas or vacuum sealed to prolong their shelf life. The general rule is, however, that the longer the shelf life, the lower the quality of the cheese curds.
It’s that key difference that makes Wisconsin’s cheese curds stand out. The cheese curds you eat in Wisconsin were typically made just four or five hours ago, still warm and salty and squeaky!
What should I do with leftover cheese curds?
Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Sometimes, we let our stomachs get the best of us and buy more cheese curds than we can possibly consume. The good news is, you can still indulge in your cheese curds long after their production date.
If you know that you’re going to have too many cheese curds, you can always freeze them. Once you’re ready to enjoy them again, thawed cheese curds taste almost as delicious as fresh ones. On the other hand, you can batter your cheese curds fresh and then freeze them right away, so your deep-fried cheese curds will be chewy, stringy, and simply irresistible.
How to enjoy your cheese curds in the Wisconsin way
There are several ways to indulge in your cheese curds, whether as a snack or a pairing! To enjoy your cheese curds to the fullest, like a true Wisconsinite, pour yourself a cold glass of beer, preferably one that’s sweet and malty. If beer isn’t your drink of choice, a sweet, hard liquor is a great alternative, like a brandy old fashioned (another Wisconsin classic). The sweet flavors in the alcohol are a great complement to the savoriness of the cheese.
There are a variety of flavors of cheese curds beyond mild cheddar that you can try as well. Some cheesemakers have fun experimenting and creating different spices and flavor profiles for their cheese curds to help them stand out. At Renard’s Cheese, we offer flavored cheese curds like Cajun, Garlic & Dill, and Ranch. These make for great snacks or appetizers for a backyard barbecue, on game day, or at the county fair!
Now that you’ve learned about Wisconsin cheese curds and what makes them such a delicious delicacy, stop by our store in Sturgeon Bay to grab a bag (or two, or three) of our fresh cheese curds! We take great pride in providing fresh, hot cheese curds from our factory every morning to help fuel travelers on their way to Door County and to several restaurants’ menus on the peninsula. Whenever you’re in Door County and bite into a squeaky or deep-fried cheese curd, chances are it’s Renard’s!
