Talk:Cheese curds

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[edit] Tasty, tasty, tasty

I removed this:

Curds are tasty, tasty, tasty. All Wisconsinites develop a lifelong craving for them at an early age.

I think it's a little too subjective. If it could be sourced (if a similar statement could be attributed to a writer, newspaper columnist, famous person, etc.) it could go back. Not that they aren't tasty. Dpbsmith (talk) 14:16, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

[edit] A&W status?

User:FunkyChicken! recently added:

In the United States, cheese curds are available at A&W Restaurants nationwide. [1]

I am slightly skeptical. I don't know of any A&W's nearby but will be on the lookout.

Has FunkyChicken! seen them in an A&W outside WIsconsin? Has anyone actually tried them?

I am troubled by these things:

  • Despite the announcement, they are not listed anywhere in the Menus section that I can find; for example, not at sides.
  • I would like clarification of whether these are cheese curds, or fried cheese curds. (I suspect the latter).
  • And, I would like someone who has actually tried them to report on whether or not they have any true cheese curd characteristics (e.g. squeak), as I do not see how A&W could possibly have solved the shipping problems. They do not mention any special techniques used. Dpbsmith (talk) 14:48, 30 July 2005 (UTC)
  • I have had the cheese curds outside of Wisconsin at A&W's in California, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey. The press release said they were a nationwide addition. [2]
    • They are fried cheese curds, and I changed that in the article.
    • They are as close as you can get to fried cheese curds outside of Wisconsin and do have a bit of the squeak. They are white cheddar, unlike what I am used to in Wisconsin, they are also a bit smaller. My guess is they are flash frozen and shipped akin methods used for mozzarella sticks.
    • If you want to find an A&W near you, check their store locator. [3] FunkyChicken! 19:50, July 31, 2005 (UTC)
      • Thanks for the personal confirmation. Dpbsmith (talk) 23:59, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
        • Not a problem, and several other displaced Cheeseheads I know have reported to me that they have found them at A&Ws in their neck of the woods and they are not bad for that craving in a pinch! FunkyChicken! 04:43, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
          • I just made a six-mile pilgrimage to Stoughton, Massachusetts on a quest for an A&W. I have never had fried cheese curds so cannot say how they compare to fried cheese curds in Wisconsin. But I was greatly disappointed. Frankly, you could have told me they were mozzarella sticks and apart from the shape I wouldn't have known the difference. As you note, the cheese is white, which surprised me as all the (fresh) cheese curds I've had in Wisconsin were orange. The shape was ball-like, rather than peanut-like. And the taste was just that of mild, grocery-store cheddar cheese; no "fresh cheese curd" character that I could detect at all. Oh, and they cost a small fortune: $2.99 for a package about the size of small McDonald's fries. Maybe yours squeaked; mine certainly did not. But at any rate I can confirm that it does indeed seem to be a nationalwide menu item. (I bet: not for long.) Dpbsmith (talk) 21:58, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
            • Fried cheese curds don't squeak... but the best cheese curds are in Dyckesville, WI.

[edit] They are NOT a Wisconsin-only food

Contrary to the apparent belief of its residents, cheese actually is manufactured in (U.S.) places other than Wisconsin. (Gasp!) I know, I know, what a horrid thing to say--but it's true. Sunnyside, Washington, for one. Every time I'm passing through the area (a couple times a year, maybe), I stop by the Darigold factory and pick up some fresh cheese curds. Yellow, squeaky, and insanely good. Because of my city's proximity to Sunnyside, we can actually buy curds at a couple of spots in town. (They're not quite as good as the ones purchased at the source, but still decent.)

Long story made short (too late!), the article is getting a factual makeover. Matt Yeager 23:15, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Ridiculous. Next you'll be claiming that New York produces more dairy products than Wisconsin, or some such absurdity... Dpbsmith (talk) 23:33, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Notable locations of cheese curds?

So, I grew up in WI, and yea, cheese curds are great. Whenever I go up there, or relatives come down here, they bring cheese curds along with them at my request lol. So, where are some cheese factories that distribute cheese curds? Any reasoning why they aren't "big" in other parts of the U.S.?

  • They have to be fresh and that means they are really only available at cheese factories. That probably accounts for the geographical distribution. I tried some fried cheese curds at the local A&W in Canton, Massachusetts and you couldn't tell the difference between them and mozzarella sticks. Tasteless. And they were very pricey, $3.95 for a little container the size of a small order French fries. Dpbsmith (talk) 03:31, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] pix

I got a coupla shots of cheese curds and finally uploaded them... I put one of them in the article, but it's not the highest quality image ever made. I'll try to do better next time I gots curd. These are the images:

pic 1

pic 2

pic 3

Tomertalk 03:11, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Um. what *are* they?

Ok, the article explains where you can get them, what they're like, and what you can do with them. But what the heck *are* they? How are they made? Are they a byproduct of cheese? Are they a stage in the production of cheese? What are cheese curds? spikey 23:51, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Cheese is made up of curds and whey. There's a header atop the page explaining that for an explanation of what curds are, you should go to the curd article. (But because you asked... they're basically solidified milk proteins.) Matt Yeager ♫ (Talk?) 23:14, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dipping them???

Some places have marinara sauce to dip them in... particularly in Illinois. I don't see the need to dip them myself, but some people like it that way, and some places with cheap knockoffs for cheese curds (i.e. Monical's Pizza, a central illinois chain serve "cheddar nuggets" with red sauce).--69.21.146.227 02:34, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other states

I added Minnesota and Iowa as locations you often find deep fried cheese curds at carnivals and fairs, as well as "occasionally" finding them in restaurants, etc. I lived in the midwest my whole life, and I nearly always seem them at a fair, but not very often in a restaurant (which is probably a good thing because I dont think I'd be able to resist them).

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