Ann J. Kelley
If I had to use one word to describe Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme, it would be versatile. You can put a dollop or two in vegetables, pasta, or mashed potatoes, or use the entire container in your favorite dish.
Most members of the Times-Union Consumer Panel made entrees with Italian cheese and herb cream and said that once heated, it turns into a sauce.
But don't let the Philadelphia brand fool you. This is not flavored cream cheese. Several panelists describe it as having the consistency of thick sour cream. “It's more like a flavored ricotta,” says homemaker Susan Drain.
She used the Italian cheese and herb cream in a dish with baked penne pasta. "I was skeptical before using it, but I loved it. The taste was the best. I tasted Italian herbs and lots of cheese."
She describes the cream as very smooth and said it melts but doesn't melt away and remains very creamy. "Everyone loved it. I will buy it again"
“I like it because you can use it in a lot of different ways,” said retiree Cheryl Lacombe, who said the cream melts easily and liquefies into a nice creamy sauce.
She sauteed some mushrooms with fresh chicken pieces, added the cooking cream, diluted it by half and half and served it with white rice and peas.
"The sauce has a mild cheesy flavor and I tasted some garlic and a mix of Italian herbs. It made the chicken a little different. I would like to try some other flavors, I will definitely buy it again."
Personal banker Roger Bridge was disappointed with the Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme, which he mixed with bow tie paste. Although he said it was a creamy dish, he found the taste very mild. "We added spices to give it flavor. It was very bland."
However, he had very different results when he tried the tasty garlic variety. "We ate it on pasta and it was delicious, a big difference. It was creamy and had a wonderful, rich flavor."
Both senior computer analyst Mac McKernan and his wife Karen loved the cooking cream. "It's easy and has an excellent flavor. You could use it as a dip, but it's mainly for cooking."
He fried shrimp and garlic in butter, added the cream and served it over the pasta, like an Alfredo. "The recipe calls for half a pound of spaghetti, but there is more than enough. The price goes a long way."
Chief Technology Officer Marcella Lowney liked the thick creamy "Alfredo-like" quality of the sauce, as well as the blend of cheeses and the flavor of herbs.
She made a special Valentine's Day meal for husband William, mixing the cream into heart-shaped pasta and serving it with crab cakes and asparagus. "He loved it. You could replace the cream with homemade, throw it into some kind of macaroni and then eat it."
A quarter cup of cream contains 110 calories, 9 grams of fat, 480 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of sugars, 30 milligrams of cholesterol and no trans fat.
