Alright, so today I tackled something I’ve been meaning to try for ages: making my own gluten-free cheese curls. You know, those puffy, cheesy, crunchy things? Yeah, those. But without the gluten, which can be tricky.
Getting Started – The Prep
First thing, I raided my pantry. Needed a good gluten-free base. I grabbed:
- Some cornmeal I had
- A bit of tapioca starch for lightness, I hoped
- Rice flour, just a standard one
- Of course, the cheese powder. That bright orange stuff is key.
- Butter, unsalted
- A pinch of salt, maybe a dash of onion powder too
- Some water
No real exact measurements at first, I kinda eyeballed it based on what felt right. Figured I could adjust.
Mixing It Up
I dumped all the dry stuff – the flours, starch, salt, onion powder, and a good amount of that cheese powder – into a decent-sized bowl. Gave it a quick whisk just to combine things evenly.
Then, I melted the butter. Just zapped it in the microwave until it was liquid gold. Poured that into the dry mix. Started stirring with a spoon, it looked kinda crumbly.
Next came the water. Added it slowly, maybe a tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition. Didn’t want a sloppy mess. Kept going until it formed a sort of thick, sticky paste. Not quite a dough, but something I could hopefully shape. This part felt a bit hit-or-miss, honestly.
The Shaping Challenge
Okay, this was the fiddly bit. I wanted that classic curl shape. I thought about using a piping bag with a star tip. Loaded the paste in. Started piping onto my baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Some looked okay, others just kinda blobbed out. The paste was maybe a bit too stiff, or maybe my piping skills are just terrible. Probably the latter.
After a few frustrating attempts, I ditched the piping bag. Just started rolling small bits of the paste between my palms into little log shapes. Some fat, some thin. Let’s just say they had character. Not uniform at all, but hey, homemade, right?
Baking Time
Got my oven preheated, I think around 375°F (about 190°C). Slid the baking sheet full of my weirdly shaped proto-curls into the oven.
Now, the waiting game. I kept a close eye on them. Gluten-free stuff can burn fast, or just stay stubbornly soft. I wanted crunchy. After about 10 minutes, they were starting to look golden brown at the edges. I rotated the pan. Gave them maybe another 5-7 minutes? Hard to say exactly, I just pulled them when they looked dry and slightly puffed and firm to a gentle poke.
The Grand Finale – More Cheese!
Pulled the sheet out and let them cool for just a minute or two on the tray. You want them warm, not piping hot.
Then, the crucial step: I dumped the warm curls into a bigger bowl, sprinkled over even more cheese powder, and gave it a good toss. Gotta get that extra layer of cheesy goodness coating the outside. The warmth helps it stick.
And that was pretty much it. Let them cool completely on a wire rack to maximize crispiness.
The Verdict?
So, how did they turn out? Honestly? Surprisingly good! They weren’t identical to the bagged kind, definitely denser and not as airy. But they had a solid crunch and a really nice, real cheese flavor (plus that addictive cheese powder hit). They were definitely cheesy curls. And knowing I made them myself, gluten-free, felt pretty awesome. They disappeared fast, which is always a good sign.