# Pan fried cheese flares up my GERD



## mj1 (Aug 21, 2013)

The other day I got the brilliant idea to cook a slice of sharp cheddar cheese in my new non-stick pan after a small accident with a quesadilla. To my surprise, the cheese cooked very well and didn't stick at all. More importantly, it tasted delicious. But I'm wondering what the oily like substance was that was secreted from the cheese during cooking? Is that fat or something else?

The reason I'm asking is because I have GERD and LPR (acid reflux) and cooking the cheese in a pan like this really flared up my symptoms. I seem to have no problems with eating the cheese uncooked or even melted over tortilla chips in the microwave. But eating this pan cooked/fried cheese really bothered me. What changes during the cooking process? If that oily substance is fat, maybe liquid fat bothers me or something. 

Would there be a healthier cheese to try cooking/frying in a pan like this? I'm not really familiar with cheese, other than it tastes darn good.


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## Janet H (Aug 21, 2013)

Since fatty foods are usually off limits if you suffer from heartburn, you might not have much luck with other kinds of cheese. Yummy as fried cheese is it sits around in your stomach a long time. This makes your stomach produce more acid, irritating your digestive system. Fatty and greasy foods can also lead to a lazy, relaxed LES (the ring of muscle that keeps stomach acids from moving in the wrong direction). So not only do you have more irritating stomach acids, you're more likely to have the contents splash back.

Still if you want to experiment, you might try the same drill with a handful of grated parm.  It's very yummy and can take on a crisp, cracker like texture when fried in a non-stick pan.


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## Addie (Aug 21, 2013)

Hard cheeses (Parm, pecorino) vs. soft cheeses (cheddar, Colby) have less fat as they are aged for a longer time. Thus more of the fat evaporates. I have GERD also and am on a prescription drug to control it. I can eat Parm by the spoonful. NO side effect. Use a hard cheese and incorporate other foods with it such as a piece of bread to help avoid the GERD. Dairy products are notorious for GERD problems. Remember, milk has fat in it. And I have never seen a cheese made with skim milk that tasted very good. You can buy skim milk cheeses and experiment with them. But I don't give you much encouragement in that direction.


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## Oldvine (Aug 21, 2013)

The oily substance was the butter fat in the dairy product used to make the cheese..... melted fat.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 21, 2013)

Addie said:


> Hard cheeses (Parm, pecorino) vs. soft cheeses (cheddar, Colby) have less fat as they are aged for a longer time. Thus more of the fat evaporates. I have GERD also and am on a prescription drug to control it. I can eat Parm by the spoonful. NO side effect. Use a hard cheese and incorporate other foods with it such as a piece of bread to help avoid the GERD. Dairy products are notorious for GERD problems. Remember, milk has fat in it. And I have never seen a cheese made with skim milk that tasted very good. You can buy skim milk cheeses and experiment with them. But I don't give you much encouragement in that direction.



Addie, hard cheeses have less fat because it's converted to other substances; it doesn't evaporate. Here's a good explanation of aging cheese from Age Does Matter - Aging Home Made Cheese | Curd-Nerd :


> Aging (also known as ripening or maturing) is an important part of developing the signature of the particular cheese you are making. It allows time for millions of microbes and enzymes to do their thing, breaking down the proteins and fats into a complex combination of acids that influences how texture, taste and aroma are expressed in your chosen cheese. A longer aging time causes a firmer, more intense cheese, whereas short aging times result in a more mild taste and a softer ‘paste’.


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## Cooking Goddess (Aug 21, 2013)

mj1, look for haloumi in your grocery store.  I ran across it somehow (magazine?  TV?  newspaper?  maybe an unusual store? don't remember...) about 10 years ago.  Found it in several regular grocery stores since then.  We've fried it on the grill and in a frypan.  It's a drier cheese, but rather salty.  Was fun to eat both cooked and "raw".  It squeaks when you chew it!


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## salt and pepper (Aug 21, 2013)

When I was younger I worked for Nabisco, they would take big blocks of cheddar cheese and press all the oil out of it. Once the crackers reached the end of the oven, they were sprayed with the hot cheese oil.So I would have to say its a natural cheese oil. If its processed cheese, veg oil.


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## Mad Cook (Aug 22, 2013)

mj1 said:


> The other day I got the brilliant idea to cook a slice of sharp cheddar cheese in my new non-stick pan after a small accident with a quesadilla. To my surprise, the cheese cooked very well and didn't stick at all. More importantly, it tasted delicious. But I'm wondering what the oily like substance was that was secreted from the cheese during cooking? Is that fat or something else?
> 
> The reason I'm asking is because I have GERD and LPR (acid reflux) and cooking the cheese in a pan like this really flared up my symptoms. I seem to have no problems with eating the cheese uncooked or even melted over tortilla chips in the microwave. But eating this pan cooked/fried cheese really bothered me. What changes during the cooking process? If that oily substance is fat, maybe liquid fat bothers me or something.
> 
> Would there be a healthier cheese to try cooking/frying in a pan like this? I'm not really familiar with cheese, other than it tastes darn good.


 It will be the naturally occurring milk fat coming out of the cheese. What about low- or reduced-fat cheese?


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## mj1 (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I'll look into some of the other cheeses mentioned. 

My stomach and thoat are really bothering me after the other night (Sunday or Monday) when I fixed pan fried tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. It was delicious (almost close to a fried green tomato), but I shouldn't have eaten it. I allowed a relative to talk me into it.

Anyway... In the future, if I were to cook the oily substance out of the cheese and soak it up with a paper towel, would that help my problem even a little? I don't expect it to solve the problem, but hopefully help.


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## Addie (Aug 23, 2013)

mj1 said:


> Thanks for the replies. I'll look into some of the other cheeses mentioned.
> 
> My stomach and thoat are really bothering me after the other night (Sunday or Monday) when I fixed pan fried tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. It was delicious (almost close to a fried green tomato), but I shouldn't have eaten it. I allowed a relative to talk me into it.
> 
> Anyway... In the future, if I were to cook the oily substance out of the cheese and soak it up with a paper towel, would that help my problem even a little? I don't expect it to solve the problem, but hopefully help.



Aren't you on any medication for your Gerd? The less fat you have in your diet, the better you will feel and the less the Gerd will act up. Stop using your frying pan. The next time someone tries to talk you into eating something you know is going to make you sick, ask them if they want to pay the hospital bill. 

You do realize that Gerd is an excess amount of acid in your stomach. Abuse your use of greasy foods and you will find yourself with ulcers in your stomach and throat. Get yourself some Malloxx or Mylanta. It isn't the greatest tasting thing in the world, but it will help your stomach and throat and calm down the Gerd.


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