How to Choose Dil Cheese (Turkish Braided Cheese) and Pull It into Strands

The clearest signs to look for when choosing dil cheese (Turkish braided cheese) are an ivory-white color and a surface that looks slightly moist but is not sticky. A yellowed or dry-looking cheese has either been stored for a long time or stored incorrectly. The second important point is that it should be flexible enough to pull apart into fine strands; this flexibility indicates that the cheese was kneaded and stretched at the correct temperature during production.

What Do Color and Surface Tell You?
When fresh dil cheese is cut, the inside is uniformly white, the same color as the outside; yellowish rings inside indicate that the cheese has been stored for some time. A thin layer of salt crystals on the surface is normal, but a thick, crisp salt crust indicates that the cheese is starting to dry out. The outer layer should flex when pressed lightly with a finger and spring back right away. A hard, brittle surface indicates that the cheese has aged.

Should You Choose Brine-Packed or Vacuum-Packed?
Dil cheese sold in brine (salt water) generally stays fresh longer because the liquid prevents the cheese from drying out; in vacuum packs, the cheese has a shorter shelf life because it is without air, but tastes less salty. In addition to checking the package’s production date, check whether the brine is clear; cloudy or foamy brine is an early sign that the cheese is starting to spoil.

How Do You Pull It into Strands?
First, cut the cheese crosswise into thin slices, one centimeter thick. Then hold each slice with two hands and gently pull it in the direction of the cheese’s natural fibers to separate it into fine strands. Pulling against the direction of the fibers breaks the cheese into uneven pieces, and clean strands will not form. If the cheese is pulled while very cold, right after taking it out of the refrigerator, it will break. Letting it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes until it warms slightly makes it easier to pull into even strands.

How Can You Test Freshness?
When you try to bend a slice of cheese gently, it should flex without breaking; dil cheese that breaks and crumbles has lost its freshness. When smelled, it should have only a mildly sour milky aroma; a sharp ammonia smell is a sign that the cheese has spoiled. For cheese sold in brine, the color of the brine is another indicator: clear, whitish brine indicates freshness, while yellowish, cloudy brine indicates that it has been stored longer.

Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is trying to pull the cheese into strands as soon as it comes out of the refrigerator; cold cheese is brittle and will not pull cleanly. The second mistake is leaving opened cheese with its brine drained off uncovered in the refrigerator; in that case it dries out and hardens quickly. After opening, store the remaining piece in its original brine or in lightly salted water you prepare; cheese left in a dry container hardens and loses flavor within a few days. The third common mistake is trying to use all the strands at once after pulling them apart. If you store unused strands in a separate container with brine, they keep their texture for a few more days. The fourth mistake is trying to store the cheese in the freezer; after dil cheese is frozen and thawed, its fibrous structure is damaged and it will no longer pull into clean strands. So if you buy extra cheese, limit the amount to what you can use within a few days, without freezing it.