Skip to content
  • About
    • Collaborate
    • Press
    • Contact
  • Kitchen Tools
  • Meet the Team
  • Travel
  • Video
  • Press
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Youtube

Savory Experiments

  • Recipe Index
  • Cooking Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • BBQ
    • Casserole
    • Cast Iron
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Kid-Friendly
    • No-Bake
    • No-Cook
    • One-Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Under 30 Minutes
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Creole
    • French
    • German
    • Indian
    • International Cuisine
    • Irish
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
    • Polish
    • Spanish
    • Thai
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Ingredient
    • All Ingredients
    • Beef
    • Butter
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Eggs
    • Pork
    • Salt
    • Tomato
  • Order My Book!

Savory Experiments

  • Recipe Index
  • Cooking Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • BBQ
    • Casserole
    • Cast Iron
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Kid-Friendly
    • No-Bake
    • No-Cook
    • One-Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Under 30 Minutes
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Creole
    • French
    • German
    • Indian
    • International Cuisine
    • Irish
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
    • Polish
    • Spanish
    • Thai
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Ingredient
    • All Ingredients
    • Beef
    • Butter
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Eggs
    • Pork
    • Salt
    • Tomato
  • Order My Book!

Savory Experiments

Blue Cheese

Blue cheese is one of those ingredients that can be incredibly divisive. Its bold flavor (and aroma) is either cherished or abhorred. There are many types and they vary from the more intense to the more mild.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a quick and easy appetizer that will spice up any party! Simmered in spicy wing sauce and blue cheese, these will be a winner! #buffalochicken #partymeatballs #buffalochickenmeatballs www.savoryexperiments.com

Let’s break down what blue cheese is. At the core, it is not a dressing or a single type of cheese. Truth be told, it is a classification of cheese that have cultures of mold (the good kind that makes things delicious) added to it.

That mold is what gives blue cheese its look. The blue, green, grey, or black part is referred to as the “vein”. This subset of cheese stands out not only because of its distinctive look but also because of its salty and sharp flavor as well as the pungent aroma they pack.

The general consensus on how blue cheese came to be was by accident. In the Middle Ages, cheese was aged and stored in caves that gave the person making them the ability to control the temperature and moisture reaching the cheese.

The story is as follows: the cheesemaker leaves a loaf of bread behind in the cheese cave. Said bread gets moldy. Mold from bread meets the cheese and the mold makes the cheese more delicious.

Whether or not that story is true remains to be seen, but I like it and am thankful we have blue cheese today.

Blue cheese can be made from pasteurized cow, sheep, or goat’s milk. It is “ripened,” as I mentioned earlier with a mold called penicillium. Texture can vary from crumbly to soft and creamy.

And just like with other cheese, the flavor and smell vary as well. Some are downright stinky (in a good way) while others are less offensive and great for those that are less than excited to give it a go.

Some popular cheeses that fall into the blue category include:  

  • Roquefort
  • Blue Stilton
  • Gorgonzola
  • Cambozola

This type of cheese is delicious as part of a salad dressing or wing dip of course, but it is also incredible as part of a fruit and cheese board, on top of your favorite burger, or paired with a bit of sweetness in something like my Bacon Wrapped Dates.

Here are some terrific recipes using blue cheese:

  • Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
  • Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
  • Cowboy Burger
  • Bacon Wrapped Dates
  • Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Is it safe to eat blue cheese?

The mold used specifically in making blue cheese does not produce any dangerous toxins. In fact, it is the reason this cheese is so delicious in the first place.

Why is blue cheese so smelly?

Let’s call it aromatic instead of smelly. That would be the mold we were just talking about. While the mold gives this cheese its unusual and striking look and breaks down the cheese to give it a unique creaminess, it also breaks down the fats in the cheese. The fat breaking down is what gives it that funky quality in terms of aroma.

Is blue cheese healthy?

It just so happens that it is relatively nutritious and touts more calcium than most cheese. That said, it is also high in sodium and fat in most cases and should be enjoyed in moderation.

            spoon with cheesy mac and cheese

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Pastas
            close up of sliced chicken on cobb salad

Best Cobb Salad

Salads
            blue cheese dressing pouring over greens

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Dips, Dressings, + Sauces
            black bowl of buffalo chicken dip

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

Appetizers + Snacks
            Pulled Pork Potato Chip Nachos are an easy appetizer or meal that your whole family will love made with kettle cooked potato chips and zesty pulled pork!

Pulled Pork Potato Chip Nachos

Tacos + Nachos
            close up of cowboy burger

Zesty Cowboy Burger

Burgers, Sandwiches, + Paninis
            pile of bacon wrapped dates with pot of honey

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Appetizers + Snacks
            yellow basket of chicken wings with celery and dip

Garlic Buffalo Potato Chicken Wings

Appetizers + Snacks
            This Garlic Peppercorn Crusted Mahi Mahi recipe is serve with a sherry blue cheese cream sauce give it a restaurant quality flavor. #mahimahirecipes #howtocookmahimahi www.savoryexperiments.com

Garlic Peppercorn Crusted Mahi Mahi

Dinners + Entrees
            Cream Cheese Spread

Red Wine Cheese Spread

Dips, Dressings, + Sauces
            Mushroom Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak is a delicious and succulent main dish with cheese, mushrooms and garlic. The best flank steak pinwheel recipe! #stuffedflanksteak #flanksteakrecipe www.savoryexperiments.com

Mushroom Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak

Dinners + Entrees
            Apricot Bruschetta

Apricot Pear Crostini

Appetizers + Snacks
subscribe via bloglovin

Posts navigation

1 2
Welcome!
Welcome!
Jessica is an author, blog coach, photographer, recipe creator and spokesperson, TV personality, globetrotter and contributor to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, Mashed and The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more! Let her help you create restaurant quality family meals using the four S's.
What are the Four S's?
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
FREE Email Course
CLICK: 7 Days to Being a Better Home Cook!
Looking For Something?
Buy My Book!
Jessica is the author of the new book Beef It Up! 50 recipes showcasing classic beef recipes all made in the comfort of your kitchen and without special equipment.
Get Your Copy!
book cover for beef it up

FREE 7 Day Email Course- How to be a Better Home Cook!

Click to Subscribe
Breakfast
Breakfast
Desserts
Desserts
Dinner
Dinner
Salads
Salads
Sandwich
Sandwiches
Side dishes
Side Dishes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Media Kit
  • Kitchen Tools
  • Shop
  • Travel
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Copyright © 2022 Savory Experiments, All Rights Reserved.
Design by Lindsay Humes.
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers + Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinners + Entrees
    • Dips, Dressings, + Sauces
    • Side Dishes
  • Cooking Method
    • Baking
    • BBQ
    • Casserole
    • Cast Iron
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Cook
    • One-Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Under 30 Minutes
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Creole
    • French
    • German
    • Indian
    • Irish
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
    • Polish
    • Spanish
    • Thai
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Travel
  • About
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Press
    • Work With Me
  • Order My Book!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Youtube