Question about Brie

Where do you live? If in the U.S., what store do you shop at?

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

email hidden said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

Look for a good cheese store, one that specializes in cheese, or go to
the counter from a market that can be trusted, such as Whole Foods.

If you are purchasing brie, try to buy it cut from a larger wheel, so
you can see the interior and the whole wheel. Ask for a taste and then
smell what you are given. If you find an ammonia smell, tell the
person who is waiting on you. If they brush you aside, shop elsewhere.

Boron

In article <[email hidden]>,

Boron Elgar said:

email hidden said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

Look for a good cheese store, one that specializes in cheese, or go to
the counter from a market that can be trusted, such as Whole Foods.

If you are purchasing brie, try to buy it cut from a larger wheel, so
you can see the interior and the whole wheel. Ask for a taste and then
smell what you are given. If you find an ammonia smell, tell the
person who is waiting on you. If they brush you aside, shop elsewhere.

Boron

I look for Brie that is nice and runny,
and rarely get it from the Grocery store.
I get mine from Central Market where it's always
cut same day from a larger wheel.

It's usually sitting on top of the wheel that it
was cut from.

It's hard to get GOOD brie for under $10.00 per lb.

This thread reminded me that I'd bought some Saturday. ;-)
I just ate half the wedge. It tasted almost like butter.....

And yes, I ate the rind. It was thin, tender and flavorful!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

"Boron Elgar" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

email hidden said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

Look for a good cheese store, one that specializes in cheese, or go to
the counter from a market that can be trusted, such as Whole Foods.

If you are purchasing brie, try to buy it cut from a larger wheel, so
you can see the interior and the whole wheel. Ask for a taste and then
smell what you are given. If you find an ammonia smell, tell the
person who is waiting on you. If they brush you aside, shop elsewhere.

Boron

In the U.S., I've been to a couple of brie-making places for tastings.
Sadly to say, even with all their admonitions, it is never as good as it is
at the place it is made.
Dee Dee

I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
Carey family in Rye, NY every year. They used to get a whole wheel of
vermont cheddar and a wheel of aged french brie. it was delicious - the
cheddar was sharp and tangy and really needed to e eaten in paper-thin
shavings to savor the full richness of flavor. the brie was always
runny , creamy, rich.......the careys' party was where / how i
discovered brie. summer sausage in thick slices alongside. they also
used to get a caviar pie for the hors d'oeuvre table - it was like a
big custardy crustless quiche sort of base, topped with a thick layer
of sour cream and good strnog black caviar. also some chopped hard
boiled egg, maybe sprinkled over it. (all catered of course, but they
sure had a great caterer!) then there were always crudite and dip,
fresh salted and spiced nuts, brownies, and fruitcake.

eggnog with brandy or rum, wine, beer, sparking cider (kid-strength)
as well as juice and soda to drink.

later she would bring out a lovely turkey breast and a ham. cocktail
rye and good hearty seeded black bread, honey mustard, black olives,
and the remainder of the cheese as accompaniment.

now, things are on a smaller scale, and the food has been reduced to
inferior cheeses. the brie is solid, hard, even after sitting out on
the buffet all night. the cheddar is okay, but nothing special. served
with triscuits and wheat thins. veggies and dip, brownies, fruitcake
still there. and the ham, and the mustard. good dark breads have been
traded for slices of baguette.

i always go with just a hint of hope to find the caviar pie sitting
there, on the left side of the table, behind the fruitcake, next to the
christmas tree. but it's probably been 15 years since there's been one.
i think i've gone to this christmas eve party every year for the past
28 or so. maybe one of these years i'll find a recipe (and the $ for
caviar!) and make one.

so....my point is.......the brie i've seen more recently varies much
more in quality than it used to. good cheeses used to be largely
imported, then the artisan trend began, but now many of your 'gourmet'
cheese selections are mass-produced domestically and called 'gouda' or
'havarti' without being very close to a real quality version of those
cheeses from europe. brie ain;t what it used to be, so find a cheese
seller you trust, work your way through there selection, and decide
what you like.

i go to my local gourmet market, not the grocery, for most of my
cheeses. otherwise, there are 2 or 3 gourmet delis that i swing by
every so often for good ingredients.

good luck!

Wayne asked:>>So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY?  Are we supposed to
know?  Most of us don't live there.

Oh, just some family friends.......I kinda got into the memories and it
wasn't the right story unless i said it was about the careys, somehow.

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
Carey family in Rye, NY every year.

So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most of us don't
live there.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

Jude said:

Wayne asked:>>So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? ?Are we supposed to
know? ?Most of us don't live there.

Oh, just some family friends.......I kinda got into the memories and it
wasn't the right story unless i said it was about the careys, somehow.

What's their first names, I may know them.

Sheldon

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
Carey family in Rye, NY every year.

So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most of us
don't
live there.
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Most people don't know who 'the Brainards of Hampton Roads," etc. are. In
DH's genealogy is a Cabot. And this reminds me of the poem recited with a
certain aire/tone:

And here's to good old Boston
The land of the bean and the cod
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God."

-Author Unknown

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:32:07p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
Carey family in Rye, NY every year.

So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most of us
don't live there.
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Most people don't know who 'the Brainards of Hampton Roads," etc. are.
In
DH's genealogy is a Cabot. And this reminds me of the poem recited with
a certain aire/tone:

And here's to good old Boston
The land of the bean and the cod
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God."

-Author Unknown

Dee, I know about the Lowells and the Cabots, and I know the poem. But I
still don't know who the hell the Careys are, much less the Brainards. :-)
'Course I don't really care that much, either. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

I am not sure it is spoiled if it smells a little pungent
But if it tastes like ammonia, it sure sounds like it was improperly
stored, or mis-handled by a cutter using a fouled knife or board, or was
touched by hands that cleaned knives
(ammonia takes off the wax on knife blades deposited from cutting waxed
wheels While Brie is not waxed, others in the shops are ).

Most cheese is a living product. Because the mold/bacteria/enzymes that
create most cheese still are working and are still giving off byproducts
like methane, etc. throughout the life of the package/wheel, almost all
cheeses need an hour opened out in the air to breathe before serving. Brie
is one that needs an hour uncovered at room temp to "out-gas" trapped
pungent byproducts.

That said - I am hard pressed to think of any natural compound in an
unadulterated ripe brie cheese that would break down and create ammonia
rather than create methane, without some outside help. Might be, but it
seems odd to get ammonia at storage temp, given the mixes in cheese and air.
However, some mfgs pkg food in gasses that stop deterioration (e.g.,
nitrogen in potato chip bags) to get longer shelf life, or they use gasses
to comply with the regulations intended to protect against agricultural
organisms (gasses are added to kill aerobic bacteria).
While nitrogen is ok for pkging chips, I would think it would combine in
the complex fats of cheese to do weird things, or promote dangerous anerobic
bacteria in dairy products.
If they filled it with nitrogen and then pasteurized it......

I have kept small brie and camembert wheels well beyond their "use by"
dates a couple times, and it seems to take a fair amount of time to get
noticeable breakdown, especially one that doesn't pretty much dissipate out
during its breathing hour.

I would try an upscale cheese shop, or buy the small (1 lb) intact
wheels. In the upscale shops, you can ask for a taste before buying, and if
you get an ammonia taste, you can pass on the Brie - (tell them about the
ammonia taste, of course).

FWIW

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:32:07p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
> Carey family in Rye, NY every year.

So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most of us
don't live there.
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Most people don't know who 'the Brainards of Hampton Roads," etc. are.
In
DH's genealogy is a Cabot. And this reminds me of the poem recited with
a certain aire/tone:

And here's to good old Boston
The land of the bean and the cod
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God."

-Author Unknown

Dee, I know about the Lowells and the Cabots, and I know the poem. But I
still don't know who the hell the Careys are, much less the Brainards. :-)
'Course I don't really care that much, either. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Well there might be some Brainards of Hampton Roads, but I just made that
up by way of illustration.
Dee Dee

hob said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

I am not sure it is spoiled if it smells a little pungent
But if it tastes like ammonia, it sure sounds like it was improperly
stored, or mis-handled by a cutter using a fouled knife or board, or was
touched by hands that cleaned knives
(ammonia takes off the wax on knife blades deposited from cutting waxed
wheels While Brie is not waxed, others in the shops are ).

Most cheese is a living product. Because the mold/bacteria/enzymes that
create most cheese still are working and are still giving off byproducts
like methane, etc. throughout the life of the package/wheel, almost all
cheeses need an hour opened out in the air to breathe before serving. Brie
is one that needs an hour uncovered at room temp to "out-gas" trapped
pungent byproducts.

That said - I am hard pressed to think of any natural compound in an
unadulterated ripe brie cheese that would break down and create ammonia
rather than create methane, without some outside help. Might be, but it
seems odd to get ammonia at storage temp, given the mixes in cheese and air.
However, some mfgs pkg food in gasses that stop deterioration (e.g.,
nitrogen in potato chip bags) to get longer shelf life, or they use gasses
to comply with the regulations intended to protect against agricultural
organisms (gasses are added to kill aerobic bacteria).
While nitrogen is ok for pkging chips, I would think it would combine in
the complex fats of cheese to do weird things, or promote dangerous anerobic
bacteria in dairy products.
If they filled it with nitrogen and then pasteurized it......

I have kept small brie and camembert wheels well beyond their "use by"
dates a couple times, and it seems to take a fair amount of time to get
noticeable breakdown, especially one that doesn't pretty much dissipate out
during its breathing hour.

I would try an upscale cheese shop, or buy the small (1 lb) intact
wheels. In the upscale shops, you can ask for a taste before buying, and if
you get an ammonia taste, you can pass on the Brie - (tell them about the
ammonia taste, of course).

Actually you don't know what you're talking about, in fact you're
delusional.

http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=brie

Brie
Description:
Brie is the best known French cheese and has a nickname "The Queen of
Cheeses". Several hundred years ago, Brie was one of the tributes which
had to be paid to the French kings. In France, Brie is very different
from the cheese exported to the United States. "Real" French Brie is
unstabilized and the flavor is complex when the surface turns slightly
brown. When the cheese is still pure-white, it is not matured. If the
cheese is cut before the maturing process is finished, it will never
develop properly. Exported Brie, however, is stabilized and never
matures. Stabilized Brie has a much longer shelf life and is not
susceptible to bacteriological infections. Brie, one of the great
dessert cheeses, comes as either a 1 or 2 kilogram wheel and is packed
in a wooden box. In order to enjoy the taste fully, Brie must be served
at room temperature.
Country:
France
Milk:
cow milk
Texture:
soft
Fat content:
45 %
Recommended Wine:
Bourgogne
Producer:
Societe fromagere de la Brie
19 Avenue du Grand Morin
77169 Saint-Simeon

Wayne Boatwright wrote on 26 Sep 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 07:01:48p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:32:07p, Dee Randall wrote in
rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
> news:[email hidden]...
>> On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>
>>> I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by
>>> the Carey family in Rye, NY every year.
>>
>> So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most
>> of us don't live there.
>> Wayne Boatwright *¿*
>
> Most people don't know who 'the Brainards of Hampton Roads," etc.
> are. In
> DH's genealogy is a Cabot. And this reminds me of the poem recited
> with a certain aire/tone:
>
> And here's to good old Boston
> The land of the bean and the cod
> Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
> And the Cabots talk only to God."
>
> -Author Unknown

Dee, I know about the Lowells and the Cabots, and I know the poem.
But I still don't know who the hell the Careys are, much less the
Brainards. :-) 'Course I don't really care that much, either. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Well there might be some Brainards of Hampton Roads, but I just
made that up by way of illustration.
Dee Dee

LOL! I understand. I think it would make more sense to a group if
the OP had said something like, "friends of mine in Rye, NY, the
Careys..." Unless, of course, the Careys of Rye, NY are people that
should be known by name by many people.

Well the Selob's on Victoria Ave West...Like ther brie in warmed puff
pastry shells with lingonberry jam.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 07:01:48p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:32:07p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> On Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:05:33p, Jude wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
>> Carey family in Rye, NY every year.
>
> So, who are th Careys of Rye, NY? Are we supposed to know? Most of
> us don't live there.
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Most people don't know who 'the Brainards of Hampton Roads," etc.
are. In
DH's genealogy is a Cabot. And this reminds me of the poem recited
with a certain aire/tone:

And here's to good old Boston
The land of the bean and the cod
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God."

-Author Unknown

Dee, I know about the Lowells and the Cabots, and I know the poem. But
I still don't know who the hell the Careys are, much less the
Brainards. :-) 'Course I don't really care that much, either. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

Well there might be some Brainards of Hampton Roads, but I just made
that up by way of illustration.
Dee Dee

LOL! I understand. I think it would make more sense to a group if the OP
had said something like, "friends of mine in Rye, NY, the Careys..."
Unless, of course, the Careys of Rye, NY are people that should be known by
name by many people.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

"Jude" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I have great memories of an annual Christmas Eve party held by the
Carey family in Rye, NY every year. They used to get a whole wheel of
vermont cheddar and a wheel of aged french brie. it was delicious - the
cheddar was sharp and tangy and really needed to e eaten in paper-thin
shavings to savor the full richness of flavor. the brie was always
runny , creamy, rich.......the careys' party was where / how i
discovered brie. ...

Great story! Thanks. nancy

hob said:

Quoted message said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its

prime,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

Someone suggested I try D'Affinois. It's a French cheese that is close
to brie, not overly expensive and creamy and full o' fat!!!

You should try some.

I'm hooked.

Andy

Mi e' parso che Andy abbia scritto:

Quoted message said:

Someone suggested I try D'Affinois. It's a French cheese
that is close to brie, not overly expensive and creamy
and full o' fat!!!

You should try some.

I'm hooked.

And... why not Camembert? It's similar to brie, more pungent and
stronger in taste. Sometimes it's just poetry.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

hob said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Everytime I've purchased it, or been given it, it smells and tastes
like ammonia. As I understand it, this means that it's past its prime,
but I'm paying high prices for it.

Where could I find Brie that isn't spoiled?

I am not sure it is spoiled if it smells a little pungent
But if it tastes like ammonia, it sure sounds like it was improperly
stored, or mis-handled by a cutter using a fouled knife or board, or was
touched by hands that cleaned knives
(ammonia takes off the wax on knife blades deposited from cutting

waxed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wheels While Brie is not waxed, others in the shops are ).

Most cheese is a living product. Because the mold/bacteria/enzymes that
create most cheese still are working and are still giving off byproducts
like methane, etc. throughout the life of the package/wheel, almost all
cheeses need an hour opened out in the air to breathe before serving.

Brie

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is one that needs an hour uncovered at room temp to "out-gas" trapped
pungent byproducts.

That said - I am hard pressed to think of any natural compound in an
unadulterated ripe brie cheese that would break down and create ammonia
rather than create methane, without some outside help. Might be, but it
seems odd to get ammonia at storage temp, given the mixes in cheese and

air.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

However, some mfgs pkg food in gasses that stop deterioration (e.g.,
nitrogen in potato chip bags) to get longer shelf life, or they use

gasses

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to comply with the regulations intended to protect against agricultural
organisms (gasses are added to kill aerobic bacteria).
While nitrogen is ok for pkging chips, I would think it would combine

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the complex fats of cheese to do weird things, or promote dangerous

anerobic

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bacteria in dairy products.
If they filled it with nitrogen and then pasteurized it......

I have kept small brie and camembert wheels well beyond their "use

by"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

dates a couple times, and it seems to take a fair amount of time to get
noticeable breakdown, especially one that doesn't pretty much dissipate

out

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

during its breathing hour.

I would try an upscale cheese shop, or buy the small (1 lb) intact
wheels. In the upscale shops, you can ask for a taste before buying, and

if

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you get an ammonia taste, you can pass on the Brie - (tell them about

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ammonia taste, of course).

Actually you don't know what you're talking about, in fact you're
delusional.

That is, of course, a conclusion based on your inability to read , your
inexperience, and a link to an opinion by an internet "editor", rather than
facts.

Quoted message said:

http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=brie

Brie
Description:
Brie is the best known French cheese and has a nickname "The Queen of
Cheeses". Several hundred years ago, Brie was one of the tributes which
had to be paid to the French kings. In France, Brie is very different
from the cheese exported to the United States. "Real" French Brie is
unstabilized

So Shgeldon, what is this stabilizing? How is it done? Heat or gas - what
else is there? See my post.

Quoted message said:

and the flavor is complex when the surface turns slightly
brown.

The Brie cheese I get here every couple months does brown when properly
handled.
Maybe that person on the cheese site handles Brie like everyone else who
handles a Brie that does not ripen rathert han doing it properly, and thus
"proves" it cannot ripen.

When the cheese is still pure-white, it is not matured. If the

Quoted message said:

cheese is cut before the maturing process is finished, it will never
develop properly.

"properly" being defined as what? And a cut defined as what? The info from
the link is hand-waving at best.

Exported Brie, however, is stabilized and never

Quoted message said:

matures.

Oh, I see - those ignorant French have been exporting underage cheese that
can never develop because why? They like to sell something other than real
Brie? Maybe the writer meant imported Brie?

Stabilized Brie has a much longer shelf life and is not

Quoted message said:

susceptible to bacteriological infections. Brie, one of the great
dessert cheeses, comes as either a 1 or 2 kilogram wheel and is packed
in a wooden box. In order to enjoy the taste fully, Brie must be served
at room temperature.
Country
France
Milk:
cow milk
Texture:
soft
Fat content:
45 %
Recommended Wine:
Bourgogne
Producer:
Societe fromagere de la Brie
19 Avenue du Grand Morin
77169 Saint-Simeon