WCIF Queso Quesadilla?

I have never seen this cheese in Taipei. Not in Willie’s Dellie, Jason’s, City Super, Carrefour Tianmu, Costso or on PnP foods’ price list.

Is this cheese available in Taiwan? I’ve been dying for some good Quesadillas. Costco sells a Mexican cheese blend, but I’m looking for this particular cheese (Queso Quesadilla).

I’ve never seen it here, but somewhat to my chagrin I’d also never heard of it. (Lessening my chagrin is Diana Kennedy apparently saying it doesn’t exist in Mexico.)

For “basic” quesadillas I usually use a pepper jack / cheddar mix, although depending on the recipe I may use goat cheese (from Costco, although I haven’t seen it lately) or feta.

I don’t know much about cheese, but as far as I can tell the more impressive-for-Taiwan cheese counters mainly focus on European varieties.

Off-topic for Queso Quesdilla, on-topic for Mexican cheese in general: this page talks about common substitutes for Mexican cheeses in Australia, and is probably a reasonable guideline of what we can get here:

I’ve never heard of it, either. It appears that the term originated in Wisconsin. You can tell it’s not an actual Spanish term, because it would be redundant, since the word cheese (queso) is already in quesadilla. It would be like saying “grilled cheese sandwich cheese” or “beef noodle beef.” The type of cheese traditionally used in quesadillas from Mexico is Oaxaca.

I’ve seen pepper jack in Carrefour and elsewhere in Taipei. That’s probably what I would use here, if I really had to have a quesadilla.

There’s no such thing in Mexico. It’s just a U.S. marketing term. It’s like saying “I want hamburger sauce” instead of 'ketchup", or “I want pizza cheese” instead of mozzarella etc.
Quesadillas are made from a mild melting cheese like Oaxaca, which does not have very distinctive characteristics, so given that we are in Taiwan and exact ingredients are hard to come by (as much as we’d like the original), the reasonable thing to do is substitute the most similar and economical thing. Do let us all know if you find actual Oaxaca, though.
The cheapest near substitute is as far as I know mozzarella from Costco. They are essentially produced based on the same idea. I prefer the block version, and grate then freeze it, as that does not contain adjuncts like cellulose. Or use something similar like Monterey Jack. If you happen across Asadero, that’s a very good substitute.
The thing to do IMO is try that, as well as similar cheeses and blends thereof, and see which you personally like. I like a bit of character, so things like Costco’s affordable Manchego and blends of mozzarella and so on are nice to play with. My boys love blends of those with other cheeses. A quesadilla with a bit of smoked Gouda thrown in is really nice. As one plays with the ingredients, one may find that variations are actually preferable to the original!


I found these at carrefour. Idk if that’s what you are asking

Definitely not. Those are a vaguely cheese-based sauce. He’s talking about actual cheese.

You heretic.

I think the OP might be looking for queso fresco. We need to have a talk with that Cheese Guy.

Thanks, but that’s not it.

Others have mentioned Oaxaca.

queso fresco is dead easy - all you need is (hot) milk and acid. I use citric acid, but in theory you can use lemon juice or something similar.

I don’t think he means that, though; queso fresco doesn’t melt.

Yeah, queso fresco doesn’t really work for quesadillas…at least not the kind usually found in stores. I may sprinkle it on a tostada or put it in a burrito. For quesadillas, a mild Monterrey Jack does the trick.

I would like to reminiscense on the different kinds of fresh cheeses we use back in the ol country, but I already have enough things to be depressed about right now…

Is that just a bad GIF, or is that individual ralphing out of his/her eyes?

I was looking for a gif to illustrate “cry me a river”. Oh well, bac to the ol standards:

Sorry, you gave me an opening… back on topic:

https://i.imgur.com/YHu7wgW.gifv

Yes, but do they have pelvic thrusting cats?

Right, queso blanco/fresco made at home is usually acid-curdled and is good for crumbling on tostadas, not melting. (I’ve read that that should be called blanco not fresco, e.g. http://www.cheesemaking.com/QuesoFresco.html) Supposedly rennet-curdled cheeses are the ones that melt. There’s a nice, more detailed explanation here: https://brooklynbrainery.com/blog/when-cheese-doesn-t-melt

Any mild white melting cheese is fine for quesadillas: mozzarella, Jack, etc.

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Yeah, my experience is with the kind you usually find at Mexican groceries (Costco carries it too) in the U.S., like this one, which is crumbly and not melty:

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