How to Restore the 'Squeak-Squeak' to Cheese Curds That Have Been Refrigerated

One of the culinary flagships of Quebec is cheese curds. The famous 'squeak-squeak cheese.' It is the star of our famous poutines, and it is delicious when eaten as is, straight from the dripping bag.

Have you ever wondered why this famous fresh-of-the-day cheese is always found on the convenience store counter or at the grocery store and not in the refrigerator?

After all, we refrigerate all our other cheeses. Why not this one?

It's because during its first 24 hours of 'life,' cheese curds (also called 'crottes cheese') maintain their good taste thanks to their cultures, which continue to work and acidify the cheese, preventing the development of bad bacteria. But the room temperature shouldn't be too hot! 35°C is really too much…

A few (rare) people like to refrigerate this type of cheese… tastes vary. But 'true' fans would never commit such sacrilege! This leads to debates in certain couples and families…

'Who put the cheese curds in the fridge AGAIN?'

Does this cry of despair sound familiar?

What a frustration it is to want to enjoy a bag of cheese bought a little earlier and to realize that someone has put it in the cold! It's the death of the squeak-squeak.. A little tear, everyone!

So what do you do? Should you return to the cheese shop or convenience store to get a bag full of whey?

Before doing that, try this trick, tested by two friends, Annie and Vicky.

Here's what it involves:

1. Fill a bowl with very hot water (about 60 °C).
2. Place the mistakenly refrigerated cheese into a Ziploc-type bag.
3. Submerge the Ziploc bag in the water and leave it in the bowl until the water returns to room temperature. (This can take about 2 hours).

That's it! Taste your cheese now! Can you hear the squeak-squeak?

NOTE: If you bought a large amount of cheese curds, you probably won't be able to eat it all within 24 hours. You can then freeze it. And, unlike fridge storage, the freezer won't kill the squeak-squeak! Just let the cheese thaw to find it in the same state as if it were only a few hours old!

Enjoy your tasting!

Here's the demonstration of this trick on video: