I had some friends over and we opened my 15 year old can of Cougar Gold. We ate some plain, with crackers and then made a Dungeness crab Mac and cheese with some of it. I was expecting it to be good, but it blew us all away. It tasted like Cougar Gold, but turned way up. Very sharp, kind of sour (in a good way) and quite sweet (also in a good way). The cheese itself was very crumbly, quite a bit dryer than the fresh cheese and loaded with crystals. One of the tastiest parts was the liquid in the bottom of the can – sweet, sharp and sour. To all the naysayers who were grossed out by a fifteen year old can of cheese, or canned cheese in general: I pity you. Waiting all these years and finally enjoying this amazing cheese was very much worth it…and I still have about half of it left!
by HerculesAmadeusAmore
42 Comments
Nice! I’m glad you liked it. 15 year aged cheddar isn’t for everyone so it’s fortunate you ended up enjoying it 🙂
I have never tried canned cheese. Where would I start?
❤️ one of my favorite cheeses. I’ve got a 4yo can in my fridge. I’m going to open it this year at a holiday party.
Honest question How old is too old?
I’ve tried 15, 20 and 23 year old cheddar that was very good, but these weren’t canned.
https://preview.redd.it/lprw71ynb3wf1.jpeg?width=236&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c681ea62744d02c256510f88038b19a27b496b59
*Alright, let’s get this out onto a tray!*
People really are out here able to NOT open their Cougar Golds for 15 YEARS… My multiple cans lasted 3 weeks max. 😔
That looks amazing 🤤
Are those pilot boy crackers??
Oh hell yes!!! Enjoy 😎😎
Go Cougs!
Thanks for the post. Follow me for my posts on bologna sandwiches next week.
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve had the fresh version many times, when I lived in Portland around 1990 there was a store that kept random weight cuts in stock at their cheese counter.
I currently have a can in my fridge that is approximately 10 years old (I need to check it, but I think it was given to me in 2014).
At first, I was waiting because of emotional reasons, it was a gift from a person who is extremely important to me. Then, while routinely cleaning my fridge one day, I happened to glance at the packed-on date and was very surprised that it had been far longer than the year or two that I had thought.
Now, a couple of years later, I just keep forgetting. I keep meaning to not buy any cheddar-adjacent cheeses, eat what I have, and open my Cougar Gold. But then I see an interesting Scottish Cheddar or something, and totally forget my plan.
One day. Hopefully soon. Tomorrow is my birthday, maybe I’ll just open it tomorrow.
Amazing
It can really be good after 15 years? Amazing.
You must have the willpower of a god. I can’t imagine even getting halfway to 15 years before opening it.
THAT’S how big they are?? I always assumed they were the size of a can of tuna. That’s huge!
I guess it’s time to finally buy some already.
I tried cougar gold for the first time a few years ago (when I stopped going out to eat at restaurants due to covid, I diverted my ‘entertainment food’ budget into ordering interesting regional stuff that I’d never tried before through the mail), and was honestly sort of underwhelmed relative to all the hype. It didn’t strike me as any more interesting or complex than the Cabot reserve I can pick up at my very non-bougie grocery store, except for being a bit drier and more crumbly (which isn’t necessarily a good thing in my book).
Maybe I should have let it age awhile before trying it? I do love some crystallization. And busting open an old can is a nice excuse for a gathering.
Want
I’ve had cougar gold and I can only imagine how amazing it would be super aged … Cheese goals I guess lol
You have a lot more willpower than me. Mine never last very long at all.
One time I tried a 25 year aged cheddar and it was very dry and crumbly, but a very deep flavor. What you have shared with us looks like it would be similar. And for either one, I could only imagine how good it would be sprinkled on top of beer cheese soup.
I feel so lucky to be so close to where they make it. Our grocery store frequently has segmented pieces for sale so I never have to open a can. Get to let mine age.
Story time! I used to work for the WSU creamery when I lived in Pullman, WA for a short stint in my life. I didn’t attend school there, I’d just moved to the area to play in a band that my friends had started. I needed work ASAP so I applied to the first few openings I saw in the paper and they were the only ones who called me back.
I was hired on to help work through their “holiday rush” season. All I did for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for was pack boxes full of Cougar Gold cheese, palletize them, and load them onto semi trucks to get shipped out. At the end of every shift, I was allowed to take as many wheels of cheese as I wanted from the “dented/broken” pile of basically useless (to them) product. Me and my broke as fu*k friends lived on nothing but this cheese for almost the entirety of my time in Pullman. It was glorious. We never tired of it. What a time to be alive.
Side story: All of us seasonal workers were given rolls of customized stickers that we slapped on every box of each order that we put together. They said “ Packed with Cougar Pride by (insert my name here). I saved a few of them after I was done working there and still have them to this day. It’s been almost 20 years. Anyway, yeah, that cheese is Godly.
I thought the can looked small, but the knife suggests your crackers are huge.
Ooh… i kinda want some now
I live in WA and I’ve never had it 🥲 looks great chef
I had never heard of this cheese. It sounds delightful!
Can I please have that Dungeness crab and macaroni and cheese recipe?! Pleeeease
I went to WSU and majored in food science so cougar gold was plentiful in our department. My senior year someone found a can that had been aging for 25 years. The staff said it was immaculate. We all were so jealous.
I noticed a package when at a friends house and mentioned that cougar cheese huh. He kinda blushed and said “maybe :D”.
It one of the things on my list, I’d love to buy two a year, one to store and one for special occasions.
Ive only hand it a few times but it’s ridiculously delicious in ways I don’t understand and I’d say I’m at least a B- student in the cheese world.
Damn, i should submit my 12 year old cheddar
Thanks for reminding me to keep my 4 year old can safe by ordering two more cans now. You’re an inspiration
https://preview.redd.it/9efaqry175wf1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43db55e14429cfa4a61491989950415d19c488ba
I have three cans that are about that old, I’ve been staring them down and wondering what to do with them. You’ve inspired me to open one now, then stagger the other two a few years out.
Did you have any other recipes that you thought about using it in? Maybe I’ll do a dinner party. Cheese tray, soup, main and dessert. Incorporating it in all of the courses would be a fun challenge.
I have a can in my fridge that might be about that old too. This gives me some motivation to crack it open and have some fun with it.
Alright after many posts seeing this cheese I cracked. Just ordered 2 golds, 2 cheddars and 1 Viking. You finally got me WSU. You win.
Ok y’all raving about this cheese have convinced me I have ordered two cans, one to age and one to eat. 🤤
Til about canned cheese.
You kept this can in your fridge the whole time? I’m not sure I could look at it for 15 years and not open it.
It freezes well so you don’t have to eat at once. We do it all the time.
I have a can produced in 2017 that I’m holding onto. I was thinking of going for ten years.