What is Koch Kase? A Spreadable Cheese That Makes a Perfect Snack

When someone asked about a Koch Kase recipe, I have to admit I drew a total blank. The words are straightforward… Koch Kaese = Cook Cheese… but, I have no idea what it is. To my knowledge we never had it at home. So I did a little asking around, was given a recipe (thanks Dale), compared it to other recipes… and came up with my daughter’s new favorite after-school snack.

What is Koch Kase?

Koch Käse started out as a way for Germans to preserve the leftover dairy, like Quark, once it started to turn bad, and make it something still edible. Honestly, I don’t know about the rest of you, but in our house, NO food was or is wasted.. anything leftover would be eaten the next meal, or transformed into something else. In this case, in the days before refrigeration, dairy would be cooked to extend its life. Then butter and flavoring would be added to create a cheese spread that is tastes great on Rye bread or crackers.

This Koch Kase recipe uses Cottage Cheese, which is much more common in American Kitchens… and processed cheese, because it melts beautifully, and is quite flavorful. It’s similar to Obatzda… but not the same. (Obatzda uses Camembert, and isn’t cooked.)

What you end up with is a spreadable cheese that is wonderful snack. My daughter warms it up, and dips pretty much anything (including her fingers) into the pot. We’ve also spread some on bread and put it under the broiler for a toasted cheese sandwich. (Hmmm…. maybe we should try it with ham and pineapple…Toast Hawaii anyone?)

The recipe makes a few cups of Koch Kase… go ahead and double it if you want, it freezes easily. Caraway seeds are the traditional addition, but go ahead and experiment with dill or red pepper flakes.

How to Make Koch Kaese

what is koch kase

Koch Käse

This creamy spreadable cheese tastes great on Rye bread or as a dip.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cuisine German
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 LB. Small Curd Cottage Cheese
  • ½ TSP. Baking Soda
  • 4 TBL. Butter or Margarine I prefer Butter
  • 8 OZ. Process Cheese ex. Velveeta cubed
  • 2 TBL. Grated Parmesan Cheese a little more is good too
  • Caraway Seeds
  • 2 TBLS. Milk optional

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese and baking soda. Let stand at room temperature for one hour. This allows the curds to break down, and melt smooth. Don't add more baking soda, it will taste funny, and don't worry if it's not perfectly smooth after an hour.
  • In a large saucepan, melt Butter and Process Cheese. Stir occasionally until completely melted.
  • Add the broken down Cottage Cheese and Parmesan Cheese, then stir until smooth.
  • Add in the Caraway seeds (maybe a teaspoon or more) Stir.
  • If mixture is very thick, add some milk.
  • Pour into containers (for serving or storing) and cool
  • Serve with Rye Bread, Crackers, Pretzels or a spoon!
  • *note- The texture is like a cream cheese or Brie Cheese... my daughter loves to warm it up in the microwave a bit so it's more of a dip.

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8 thoughts on “What is Koch Kase? A Spreadable Cheese That Makes a Perfect Snack

  1. What kind of cheese could you use if you wanted to use real cheese and not processed cheese (velveeta/etc)?

    1. maybe Cheddar? but it might separate, so keep stirring

    2. Harzer Roller or any hard cheese with very low fat content

  2. I am a Texan German American. I grew up eating Koch Kaese that my grandmother and mother made. Mom’s recipe is : 8 thick slices of Swiss cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 cup milk, 2 Tbsp flour, dash salt. Cook in a double boiler until thickens, then add 3/4 tsp caraway seeds. Serve with rye bread or wheat thin crackers. My daughters love it too!

  3. Works just as well and has fewer calories without processed cheese and just 1-2 spoons of butter.

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