Cheese and paneer are both milk products that form after coagulation of milk. Cheese has its own wide variety, and some cheese could even taste like paneer.
Cheese vs Paneer
The difference between cheese and paneer is that cheese is made after curdling the milk using a rennet enzyme, whereas paneer is curdled using vinegar, lemon juice, yoghurt, etc. Cheese has very high fat and cholesterol content when compared to paneer. Paneer is a much healthier option compared to cheese. Cheese contains saturated fat and cholesterol, whereas paneer contains healthy fat and also milk protein.
Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!
Cheese is a milk product. It is a whole food which means it can be super unhealthy if consumed in large quantities. Cheese contains a high level of calories.
Paneer is also a milk product that can be easily made at home by solidifying hot milk using lactic acids. Paneer is said to be an origin from Persians and Afghans.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Cheese | Paneer |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | It is coagulated with the help of rennet. | It is coagulated with the help of vinegar, lemon juice, curd, etc. |
| Health | It is less healthy compared to paneer. | It is healthy compared to cheese. |
| Texture | It is soft and smooth. | It is fluffy and crumbly. |
| Types | There are various types of cheese. | Paneer generally has no types. |
| Consumed in | It is consumed all over the world. | It is mostly consumed in South Asian countries. |
What is Cheese?
Cheese is a dairy product. It is made from the milk of cows, buffalos, goats, and sheep. Cheese is a rich source of protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin-A, fat, etc.
Cheese has a wide variety, such as mozzarella, cheddar, feta, cotija, hard cheese, blue cheese, Roquefort, Parmesan cheese, etc.
Cheese could be freshly made and eaten. However, many kinds of cheese can even be consumed after months and years of their manufacture.
Countries like France, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland have the highest cheese consumption when compared to the entire world.
Cheese, however, may lead to various health risks if consumed in large quantities. High fat and cholesterol in cheese can lead to cardiovascular diseases.
What is Paneer?
Paneer is a dairy product that is produced in factories and farms. Paneer can be easily made as home as well.
Paneer is consumed in countries like India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Many of the dishes of north India comprise the use of paneer.
Paneer is very healthy as it contains vitamin D, calcium, essential fats, and proteins. Paneer is used in dishes like paneer tikka, paneer chilly, paneer momos, paneer butter, etc.
Freshly made paneer is also used to make several sweets. Paneer easily absorbs spices and seasoning mixed to it and easily gets blended with vegetables to give a soft texture to any dish.
Main Differences Between Cheese and Paneer
- Cheese is even consumed after months and years of its manufacture, whereas paneer is mostly consumed when fresh.
- Cheese does melt at room temperature or at high temperature, whereas paneer to not melt. Hence cheese can not be fried, but paneer is fried to make various types of dishes.
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-4899-7681-9.pdf
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13197-011-0247-x
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
