Catch the wave -- of cheese!
Have you run out of ways to eat cheese? Cheesemakers haven't run out of ways to sell it to you. The cheese case at the store is overflowing with several kinds of cheese, seasoned cheese mixtures and cheese in assorted shapes. And now there is a new one of those. Yes, a new shape of cheese.You might not have thought that possible. We've long had blocks and slices and shreds (regular and fine). Not long ago, Kraft introduced little cubes of cheese. And now . . . waves.
Cheese Waves, from Crystal Farms, are little ripple-cut squares of cheese, about an inch on a side. Exactly what benefits ripple-cutting brings to a square of cheese is not clear, but it does add a little to the cost: At the store where I found them, the three flavors of Cheese Waves -- Cheddar, Marble Jack and sharp Cheddar -- were selling for $1.69 for a 6-ounce bag (28 cents an ounce), while 8-ounce bags of shredded Cheddar were selling for $1.99 -- 25 cents an ounce.
I admit I see what Cheese Waves might be about: They provide a way for somebody to eat just a little cheese as a snack without having to either get out a knife or resort to the indignity of eating a handful of shredded cheese. There are five waves in a 1-ounce (9 grams of fat) serving.
-- Al Sicherman