Tag: Cheese
Shisler’s celebrating 60 years in the cheese business (The Daily Record)
Very Nice Article about us by Dan Starcher of the Daily Record:
Second, Third, and Fourth Generation owners Rita, Dennis, and Natalia Shisler
ORRVILLE — The small roadside store at the corner of U.S. Route 30 and Kidron Road, known as Shisler’s Cheese House, has served as a landmark to cheese connoisseurs, including comedian Bob Hope, for 60 years.
To celebrate, owner Rita Shisler is having a party. Festivities at the store, located at 55 Kidron Road, Orrville, started Friday and continue Saturday. There will be free bratwursts, prizes, music, face painting, a bounce house and, of course, cheese samples from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“I remember picking up the phone one day and the caller said, ‘This is Bob Hope and I would like to order some Baby Swiss,’” said Rita Shisler. “I didn’t believe it, but the check came with his name, address and signature. I talked to him four or five times per year, every year, until his death. After Bob died, his wife would call and order cheese until she passed away.”
Shisler didn’t exactly know how Hope heard of the store, but she kept copies of his checks and his signatures as mementos.
Another big-time order came courtesy of the owner of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.
“The team owner of the Chargers came in and had some ham,” Rita recalled. “He fell in love with it. He then had me ship them to every team owner across the United States. I did that for years. We packed them in coolers and enclosed a card. Even as new owners came along, we would send to them. He wanted all of the other owners to have some Streb’s Ham.”
Another story, Rita recalled, was when Grandpa John Shisler was taken to jail for operating the business on Sunday. “He purchased the store from Fred Bieri in 1958 and back then there was a law, the blue law, that you could not be open on Sunday to conduct business.”
“The family went to post bail but he refused,” said Rita. “They finally released him after a couple of days.”
John Shisler’s son, Dan, took over the store in 1959 and, after he and Rita were married, he went to work elsewhere and Rita took over operations. She has been growing the operation ever since. Dan passed away 14 years ago.
At 72 years old, Rita Shisler isn’t slowing down. In fact, she is as busy as ever serving in various civic organizations, but she is slowly turning business operations over to her son, Dennis, while her other son, DJ, runs a store in Copley.
Dennis served in the United States Marine Corps, attended college and worked in the corporate world for a number of years before returning to the family business.
“I never thought I would be here today. I never wanted to come back. I never wanted to live here. I never wanted anything to do with a small town,” said Dennis. “But after my daughter was born, I reconsidered.”
Since coming to work for his mother, Dennis has focused on modernizing operations and building the internet ordering component of the business.
“She has brought the store to this level and she is wonderful for public relations,” Dennis said. “She really brought this place to the next level from a marketing standpoint. She built up the retail business, and I want to expand it online and focus on website sales.”
A steady stream of loyal customers were pouring in on Friday as Rita was celebrating six decades of business with friends and family while offering bratwursts and cheese samples to customers outside.
“I have been making the trip here from Massillon for more than 30 years for Swiss cheese,” said Robert May. “Everything they have is great and the people are so friendly.”
Linda Nussbaum of Orrville has been frequenting the store for 40 years.
“We used to stop here and get cheese on our way to our grandparents’ house nearby,” said Nussbaum. “We would have it eaten before we got there.”
Rita attributes much of the success of the business to her mentor, Harold Freedlander, of the former Freedlander’s department store.
“I was struggling with the business and I went to SCORE (service corps of retired executives), and he became my mentor,” Rita said. “He helped and guided me and that is when things started to connect and the business began to turn around. I thank Harold Freedlander from the bottom of my heart.”
Visit Shisler’s Cheese House online at www.shislerscheese.net and www.wordpress-436460-1531479.cloudwaysapps.com for additional information.
The original article in The Daily Record can be found here.
Carolina Reaper Cheese: Our Hottest Cheese Yet!
We know that you love spicy cheeses and that’s why we’re super excited to tell you about our Carolina Reaper Cheese. This is a rich and creamy cheddar blended with Carolina Reaper Chili Peppers. Tasting Carolina Reaper Cheese is an experience that you won’t forget! This cheese may actually cause a rush of endorphins, and may even put hair on your chest!
For reference, the Scoville Heat Scale measures how spicy foods are in Scoville units. A bell pepper has a Scoville rating of 0, with paprika reaching 1,000 and a jalapeno heading up towards 10,000. A Cayenne Pepper is between 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville units. Carolina Reaper pepper is between 1.4 million and 2.2 million Scoville units!
This is a cheese to try with friends. Watch their reactions as they try to withstand the spice. You could use this in recipes but be careful to only add a little at a time if you want to make something that is enjoyable to eat as well as surprisingly spicy! Our favorite way to enjoy it is to simply pair it with crackers and challenge our friends to eat it.
If you know the spice might be too much, have a glass of milk or a square of chocolate on hand. Casein, the protein found in milk, breaks down the bonds that capsaicin (the active component that makes chili peppers spicy) forms on our nerve receptors. Milk chocolate is best because of its higher volume of casein, but capsaicin is also more soluble in fat than in water, so it will be carried away by the fat content of the chocolate. We don’t need another excuse to eat some chocolate, but we think this fiery cheese might just need it!
If you want to try a whole range of spicy cheeses then we have you covered:
Scorpion Cheddar is our second hottest cheese. It has 1.2 million Scoville units of heat. This is another one to take to a party and challenge your friends to take a bite.
Ghost Pepper Cheese is made from the Indian Bhut Jolokia pepper. It has a Scoville score of 855,000. This is a slow burner so be sure not to eat too much at once!
Hot Pepper Cheese is perfect for adding just a hint of spice, whilst still enjoying a creamy cheese.
We even offer a Hot Stuff Collection, which includes Hot Pepper Cheese, Habanero Cheese, Troyer’s Trail Bologna with Hot Pepper Cheese, Shisler’s Private Label Hot Pepper Relish, Shisler’s private label Hot Jalapeno Mustard, Hot Pepper Jelly, and Carr’s Crackers.
Do you love spicy cheeses? Let us know if you would try Carolina Reaper Cheese in the comments!
CAUTION: This cheese is extremely hot and can cause eye and skin irritation.
Asiago Cheese – Everything You Need to Know
We are very proud of our cheese selection. We know that for some of you we might be stocking cheeses that you haven’t tried before, so we like to give you tips and tricks for how to use them. Today we are focusing on Asiago Cheese.
At Shisler’s we carry the aged version of Asiago (ah-SYAH-goh) Cheese, an Italian cheese more specifically known as Asiago d´Allevo. It is aged anywhere from three months to up to a year. The texture also varies from semi-firm to firm depending on how long it is aged and it contains small to medium holes throughout its body. It has a sweet and nutty flavor, reminiscent of Parmesan.
It is popular as a table cheese and is good when enjoyed with crackers, fruits, and red wine. Asiago is treated as interchangeable with parmesan and romano cheeses in some cuisines.
History of Asiago Cheese
Asiago cheese is an Italian cheese named after a region in Italy where it was first produced. This region is known as the Asiago High Plateau, which lies within the Italian Alps. As far back as the year 1000 AD, Asiago cheese was produced by farmers in this region for use locally. Now, it is manufactured commercially in northeast Italy, specifically in the provinces of Vincenza e Trento, Padua, and in Treviso.
How to Use Asiago Cheese
The aged cheese is often grated into salads, soups, pastas, and sauces while the fresh Asiago cheese is sliced to prepare panini or sandwiches. It can also be melted on a variety of dishes.
It is a brilliant cheese to bake into bread for a cheesy treat or grate over soft pretzels before baking. We also think it works particularly well with chicken dishes. Try pasta with asiago, chicken and a cream sauce or stuff a chicken breast with slices of Asiago and wrap it in pancetta or prosciutto before cooking. You could also try it instead of Parmesan when making a Caesar salad.
For a vegetarian dish, try roasted cauliflower with a cheese sauce made from asiago. Add toasted flaked almonds for a crunchy topping or even some raisins if you like sweet and savory dishes.
Wine Pairing with Asiago Cheese
Asiago Cheese, like many Italian cheeses, is fairly universal when it comes to wine pairing. It is more commonly paired with reds such as Beaujolais, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and of course Chianti. For those who prefer white wines, Asiago cheese also pairs well with Chardonnay, Riesling, or Sauvignon Blanc. If you like to try cheeses with beer, we recommend an IPA or a Saison style beer, as the fruitiness will work well with the cheese.
Have you tried asiago cheese? What’s your favorite way to eat it? Let us know in the comments!
Love Cheese? Then You’ll Love These Cheese Desserts!
If you love cheese as much as we do, then you’re probably already eating it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But have you tried cheese desserts? Read on to find out how you can add cheese to every course of your meal for delicious fun.
1. Cheesecake
This is the classic. When you saw ‘cheese desserts’ your mind probably went straight to cheesecake. It’s a classic for a reason; delicious, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser, cheesecake has a place in all of our hearts. Try experimenting with different biscuits for your base, add flavors to the cheese or even create a glaze to go on the top. The possibilities really are endless!
2. Fritters
Soft cheeses like ricotta make delicious fritters. Combine it with orange and honey in this recipe to create a sweet treat. You can even keep the leftovers and serve them for breakfast!
3. Cake with Goat’s Cheese Frosting
You’ve tried cream cheese frosting on carrot cake, but you can take this to the next level with an apple cake and goat’s cheese frosting. Apple is often combined with cheese because it has just the right acidity and this cake is no exception. Try the recipe here.
4. Dessert Pizza
We love pizza and we love dessert, but have you combined the two?
Try topping puff pastry with a spreadable cheese like mascarpone and delicious fruits like peaches or raspberries. You could even whip up a pizza dough and top it with chocolate spread and marshmallows for a rocky road style dessert pizza. You can find more inspiration here.
5. Cookies and whoopie pies
Instead of sandwiching your cookies or whoopie pies with buttercream, try mascarpone or ricotta. This works especially well with caramel flavors. Trust us, you’ll be convinced!
6. Parmesan pound cake
Are you always on the hunt for a great pound cake recipe? This one is a little bit unusual, with the addition of parmesan, but you’re sure to have fun asking your friends to guess what the secret ingredient is.
7. Rhubarb and ricotta
You might usually think of turning rhubarb into a pie or a cobbler. Instead, simply stew it down and then serve it with a spoonful of ricotta on top. The creaminess of the cheese cuts through the tart fruit; it’s a perfect combination.
8. Strawberries and mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella pairs beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries. Stew the strawberries down and simply spoon them over mozzarella. You can add black pepper or basil to the dish, although you might find that this strays too far from the realms of dessert.
9. Apple Pies with Cheddar
Cheddar and apple is a well-known combination on a cheeseboard, but you can also use cheddar in your apple pies. There are several ways to add the cheese but our favorite is to mix some into the pastry and then grate some over the crust before it goes in the oven.
10. Dessert Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese can be sweet or savoury. Try brioche with brie and raspberry for a great dessert. Serve it up at a party to wow your guests!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of cheese desserts! Which would you try making? Let us know in the comments?
A Merry Christmas from all of us!
Here at Shisler’s Cheese House, we are incredibly lucky to share the Christmas season with all of our amazing customers.
Cheese is a big part of our Christmas, as you would expect, but it is for lots of you too.
Did you know that in Yorkshire, in England, it is traditional to eat cheese with Christmas cake? The sweet and savory pair really well together. England also plays host to the Annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheese. It is based on a 300-year-old tradition. In 1692, a local cheese maker provided the Royal Hospital with cheese for the war veterans over the holiday. Ever since local cheesemongers have continued to provide cheese to the Royal Hospital.
In Plymouth, Wisconsin, cheese is a part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. An 80lb pound replica of a cheese wedge is dropped at midnight to celebrate the town’s cheese industry. This is known as the “Big Cheese Drop”.
In Sweden, a Christmas smorgasbord of caviar, shellfish, cooked and raw fish and cheeses is enjoyed for the festive celebrations.
In Italy, the cheese will be just one of seven or more courses, often eaten over the course of many hours.
However you enjoy your cheese this Christmas, we hope that it’s merry and bright.
Happy Christmas everyone!
This Coeur A La Crème Is To Die For!
Every now and then you just want something a little different to satisfy your cravings. Perhaps you’re planning a meal with your significant other or maybe you’re just in the mood for dessert. There really is no better plate to took into than Coeur a la Crème with delicious strawberries smothering it. The name Coeur a la Crème literally translates from French to “Heart of the cream”, that’s how you know it’s gonna be good!
Although there are many different variations of this particular dessert, this has got to be one of the best. It not only satisfies your sweet tooth, but it is satisfying for us cheese lovers too!
If you want to get all romantic with it, you can use a heart shaped mold to really top off this dessert.
Recipe
What You Need
– 1 tbsp granulated sugar
– 1 tbsp heavy cream
– 1 cup fromage blanc
– 2 egg whites, beaten
What To Do
Firstly, combine the sugar, cream, and cheese. Then fold in the egg whites. You now spoon the mixture into a mold lined with a butter muslin and allow it to set in the fridge for 6-10 hours.
Once it is set, gently pull the butter muslin up to remove heat from the mold.
It is all up to you what to serve it with. From experience, enjoying it topped with strawberries and syrup or even melted chocolate can leave your mouth watering!
Get Cheesy This Fourth Of July!
With the 4th of July being a huge milestone in our country’s history, it is a day where families and friends get together and celebrate it at parades, cookouts, parties- you name it! And the biggest things that center these celebrations are food, alcohol, and fireworks (in no particular order!)
Now, focusing on the food aspect which I’m sure we are all most excited for, let’s take a look at one particular dish which is not only patriotic but also a cheesy delight. Here is a delicious cheese dip that you can make ahead of time so you only have to warm it up before the festivities.
The best cheese found for this delicious dip has got to be our White Cheddar at Shisler’s Cheese House. With its sharp flavor, it really pairs well with the sweet Vidalia onions which are also used in this recipe.
This cheese is so high quality and has such a creamy texture and flavor that it makes it perfect for this recipe as it focuses mainly around the cheese. Not only that but it is a great melting cheese, as discussed in some of our other articles, the type of cheese you melt is important, as not all melt the same or at all. You might know already about how good white cheddar is for melting with it being the season for grilling!
To impress even more at your event, you can keep it festive by making your own tortilla chips to go with the dip. It is very easy, all you have to do is take some flour tortillas and a star cutter and go nuts! You bake for a few minutes on 350 or until they begin to become golden.
Be warned, these are addictive so you might want to make a lot! Enjoy!
Recipe For Cheese Dip
What You Need
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1-1/2 cups Cracker Barrel Vermont White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
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1/3 cup mayonnaise
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3 ounces cream cheese, softened
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1/3 cup diced Vidalia onion
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
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1/4 teaspoon herbs de Provence
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1/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
What To Do
1. Mix all ingredients fully and place in a baking dish.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden.
A How-To: Making Hard, Aged Cheese From Scratch
You may think that making hard cheese is more difficult than making soft cheese, but there’s not much difference when it comes both of them. When making soft cheese, you have to make curds, which can be quite difficult, as opposed to the few minutes of work you have to put in with hard cheese. It is just the long wait time which makes hard cheese making, a little challenging.
Image source: walksofitaly.com
When it comes to making hard, aged cheese from scratch, it takes some specialized equipment which you can purchase from special cheese- making suppliers.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
* Cheese Mold and Press- The two are quite expensive but it makes sense if you are going to be making hard cheese a lot.
* Cheese Salt- used to rub the cheese in prior to aging.
* Cheesecloth, butter muslin and a fat of your choice- used to wrap the cheese for aging.
* Waxed Paper
* Plastic Wrap
* Aluminum Foil
Pressing the curds into cheese
1. Line the mold with the damp cheese cloth.
2. Fill the cloth-lined mold to the top with cheese curds, pressing the curds down to fill all gaps. Fill mold to the top.
3. Cover the top of the curds with the extra cloth. Do this carefully to avoid any indents in the cheese.
4. Put the plastic or steel disc (that comes with the press) into the top of the mold and apply pressure for the time allocated by the specific recipe you are using. Whey will ooze out as you press, use a container to catch the liquid.
Now, it is important to follow the times the recipe advises, but if no times are provided, follow these times:
* Press for one hour at 5 pounds pressure.
* Flip the cheese, replace the mold, press for 8 to 12 hours at 20 pounds of pressure.
* Flip again, replace mold, press for 8 to 10 hours at 20 pounds of pressure.
5. Once pressing is done, remove the cheese from the mold and unwrap the cloth from around it and place it on a rack to cool off. Be sure it’s in a dark place away from drafts to air dry. Air dry according to the recipe.
Time to age your cheese!
An easy way to age cheese is by salt-rubbing. This means sprinkling salt over every inch of the cheese and rubbing it in. You then leave the cheese in a draft free, dark area for whatever time the recipe specifies.
Another way to age your cheese is to soak it in brine. This is used for cheeses with a short aging process. Brining makes bad bacteria grow on the outside of the cheese to age it further. It helps make the flavor a lot better and it develops the rind of the cheese.
* The type of brine depends on the cheese. The recipe will specify whether it is light, medium or fully saturated brine.
* Brine should be kept at 55 degrees if you want to reuse.
Whichever method you choose to age your cheese, you must remember where in your home you do this, is important. The place must be warm enough, dark, humid and completely clean. It can be as simple as a closet or in your basement. A long as the temperature is between 55 and 70 degrees, it will be a perfect place to age.
Do not get disheartened if your cheese doesn’t turn out perfect. It’s a process which takes time and patience and eventually, you’ll get a feel of what temperatures, places work best. Practice is the key to success in everything, especially Hard, Aged Cheese making.
Best Practices For Keeping Cheese Fresh
Cheese is one of the most widely consumed foods across the world, on both a daily and annual basis. No matter what type of cheese you have, whether it be an imported chunk of Gouda or sliced Swiss from your local deli, it’s important to know how to keep cheese fresh and mold-free for as long as possible.
Here are a few ways that you can use to keep the cheese you purchase as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
NEVER USE PLASTIC WRAP to wrap cheese up. While it might be easy and convenient to throw cheese in some plastic wrap, doing such will just suffocate the cheese and prohibit the flavor from immersing from the cheese while adding a plastic-like taste to the cheese which would all but mask the actual flavor of the cheese.
DO NOT WRAP TOO TIGHT, DO NOT WRAP TOO LOOSE as cheese is very sensitive when it comes to its flavor and freshness. Ammonia is a natural odor that is emitted from cheese. When wrapping cheese too tightly, it will eventually take on the smell of this ammonia. When wrapping cheese to loosely, air is able to quickly work its way in and the cheese dries up and becomes hard very quickly.
CHEESE PAPER is the route you want to take to optimize the freshness of cheese. Cheese paper keeps cheese fresh as it is porous and acts as a safety net for the cheese from air while allowing room for the cheese to breathe.
WAX OR PARCHMENT PAPER is a good alternative to cheese paper. Wax or parchment paper serves the same benefit in keeping cheese fresh but only if you wrap cheese in wax paper, then place it in a partially sealed plastic bag. As an alternative measure, you can wrap the wax paper-wrapped cheese in aluminum foil if plastic bags are not your thing.
REPLACE your cheese wrapping agent. Whatever you are using to wrap up your cheese to keep it fresh, replace the paper after every instance in which you unwrap the cheese to ensure the freshest quality of cheese.
SOFT AND FRESH CHEESE go against the grain. When dealing with cheeses that are best aged, it is a best practice to keep these cheese sealed in their original containers. Such cheese include mozzarella, ricotta and chevre.
DATING IT will allow you to monitor the freshness value of your cheese with greater ease. Before putting your cheese in the fridge, add a date on the bag indicating when the cheese was wrapped.
A LITTLE AT A TIME will allow you to get the most freshness out of your cheese-eating experience. If you buy too much at once, it will take longer to consume all of the cheese. In order to maximize the freshness experience of cheese, but in smaller quantities and it will be easier to refrigerate as needed.
