A method to produce cheese chips provides that cut cheese slices are frozen and then raised by means of rapid water evaporation due to the application of microwave and vacuum drying. The freezing step is preceded by drying and cooling, and the raised cheese chips containing cheese and flavourings are characterised in that their density does not exceed 0.46 g/cm.sup.3, the porosity does exceed 40%, and the crunchiness does exceed 4.

Heating the natural cheese to cause at least one of modification of the structural chemistry of the proteins, completely or partially denaturing proteins, and inactivating proteolytic enzymes, lipolytic enzymes, and microbial organisms within the cheese allows for the cheese to be fried or grilled while maintaining its consistency and shape, baked as Juustoleipa; heated and mechanically processed as in cooking-stretching process used for mozzarella. The method produces cheese with various structural and melting properties using a single recipe and manufacturing facility.

A method and baking oven (1) for baking food products comprising cheese or constituted by cheese are described. The baking oven comprising a baking chamber (2), a conveyor belt (3) movable in a continuous way in the baking chamber for supplying the ingredients and for unloading the food products, heating means (4) to heat the ingredients in the baking chamber and extracting means (9) to extract air and vapor from the baking chamber, which are configured to obtain a food product having residual humidity of less than 5% by weight and a consequent shelf-life longer than 4 months.

A method performs sous-vide style cooking in an oven cavity of a cooking appliance, where air, not water, serves as the cooking medium. The oven cavity temperature is regulated around a desired final food temperature using a PID algorithm to control a convection heating element and associated fan.

A process for preparing a soft cheesecake mixture places the ingredients for preparing the soft mixture in a pre-mixing member. The process also includes pre-mixing the ingredients so as to blend them together to obtain a pre-mixed mixture having a density between 0.72 g/mL and 0.84 g/mL; transferring the pre-mixed mixture into a collection tank whose temperature is maintained between 25 ? C. and 40 ? C.; continuously transferring a part of the pre-mixed mixture in the collection tank towards a homogenising member; and homogenising the pre-mixed mixture by the homogenising member, whose temperature is maintained between 25? C. and 40? C. so as to obtain an emulsified mixture having a density between 0.81 g/mL and 0.92 g/mL.

A food product of the milk biscuit type mainly constituted of milk ingredients having organoleptic qualities, in particular crunchiness and puffiness, of a biscuit, where the milk biscuit includes 30 to 60% by weight of the total weight of the milk biscuit of proteins, of which at least 80% is of milk origin, 12 to 45% by weight of the total weight of the milk biscuit of mono- and/or disaccharides, of which at least 60% by weight of said mono- and/or disaccharides is lactose, 1 to 40% by weight of the total weight of the milk biscuit of lipids; and less than 6% by weight of the total weight of the milk biscuit of water.

The present invention relates to a heat stable milk protein product. Particularly, the invention relates to a heat stable milk protein product which can be used as a meat substitute that can be heated by microwaves, fried or grilled. The present invention relates also processes for producing such heat stable milk protein products.

The invention pertains to whey-bound fresh cheese such as cream cheese, and the stabilization thereof using granular starch and an amylomaltase-treated starch and/or an emulsifier, and to methods of making such fresh cheeses. Whey-bound fresh cheeses with these additional ingredients display increased stability, which makes them suitable for application in heated food products. In addition, the invention is directed to food products comprising such whey-bound fresh cheeses, as well to methods of making these food products, and to use of a granular starch and amylomaltase-treated starch for the stabilization of a whey-bound fresh cheese.

The invention relates to a method for preparing a partially cooked cheese product, as well as the partially cooked cheese product itself. The method appears applies specific times and temperatures to produce a pliable, carbohydrate free cheese product, which is free of carbohydrates. The product can be used, for example, as a carbohydrate free all cheese bread substitute in sandwich wraps or other applications.'

Cheese products with improved flavor, texture and melting properties are disclosed. Topical application of a dairy powder, and in particular a cream cheese powder, to a cheese product improves not only dairy flavor when consumed cold, but unexpectedly also melted appearance, texture and taste.