For a cheese to melt it needs a protein structure that stretches in the frying pan or under the grill. Halloumi contains a tightly knit three-dimensional network of milk proteins that hold fast during cooking.
My halloumi melted
Since legitimate Cypriot halloumi can't melt / won't melt, the likely problem is that you're using an imitation which didn't follow all the rules of Cypriot halloumi making and therefore does have a melting point.
Halloumi is also unique in having a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. It is the high pH (low acid) of the cheese that causes this non-melting characteristic.
Slice: Slice cheese into ½ inch thick slices. Prepare Grill: Grease the grill grates and light the grill. Grill: Grill the slices of halloumi for 3 minutes on the first side without touching them. Then flip and grill for 3 more minutes to get beautiful grill marks on both sides.
Soak the halloumi in water for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours to remove the salty taste. I love the salty taste of halloumi, so I prefer not to soak it. However, if you find the kind you have to be too salty, the soak will help alleviate that. Allow the halloumi cheese to grill without touching it.
- don't overcook the halloumi - a couple of minutes on each side is all it needs! You still want it to be soft, not totally crispy. - eat the halloumi within 5 minutes or so of cooking it - if you leave it to cool, it will become a little more rubbery.
There are many cheeses that don't melt, including Lithuanian white cheese, queso fresco, juustoleipä (often called bread cheese), halloumi, and Indian paneer. Let's look at two different cheesemaking processes that result in a nonmelting cheese.
Simply patting the haloumi dry with paper towel will remove some of the saltiness, but you can also place it in a bowl of cold water to remove more of the salt, if you prefer. Just soak for 5 minutes, then pat dry with paper towel – patting dry is important to ensure the lovely golden crispy edges!
Carefully cut the Halloumi with a very sharp, even-bladed, fine knife and use very finely pointed and round (not flat edged) skewers, to avoid 'splitting' the cheese.
You can also grill halloumi from above and it becomes less runny - just lay it in a non-stick pan or on lightly oiled foil (not paper) and put under the grill until coloured. Leave it to firm up for a few minutes before cutting into shape and using as you describe.
An unopened packet of halloumi will keep in the fridge for up to a year. Once opened store in salt water in the fridge.
Why won't my cheese melt? There are many reasons, but the biggest is the moisture content. The moisture content of the cheese has a great effect on the melting process. Cheese that contains higher amounts of fat will melt better than one that doesn't.
Acid-curd cheeses aren't suitable for melting. They contain an acid that dissolves the calcium glue that keeps casein proteins together. As the milk heats, the acid curds become closer to one another, and the water content decreases. Without the calcium glue, the cheese will continue to solidify and will not melt.
Fry. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and arrange the halloumi sticks in one single layer. Cook on each side for 1 to 2 minute over medium-high heat, managing the heat down as needed, until all sides have crisped and turned a nice golden brown. Garnish and Serve immediately!
Why Halloumi Doesn't Melt. During the second heating, halloumi is cooked in its own whey and brought to a temperature past the curd's melting point, 135 degrees.
The basic building blocks of cheese are milk protein (casein), water, fat, and salt. When heated, the protein molecules break apart and become fluid. Melting, a phase change from a solid to a liquid isn't really happening, the cheese becomes fluid, much like what happens to plastic when it's heated.
The hard cheese is then kept in brine or salty water to keep it fresh. This increasingly popular cheese is usually sold in a packet in a kind of 'log' shape and in a little brine to keep it moist and fresh. It's actually a 'roll' of cheese so you might notice a split through the middle when you slice it up.
The chemistry gets more complicated here, but in simplified terms, the milk proteins become rigid so the cheese lacks stretch. After draining the whey, the fresh slabs of halloumi are sprinkled with salt and dried mint, then folded in half and placed in brine. That's why halloumi slices can look as if they have split.
Haloumi was created at a time before refrigeration when it was vital that foods were made to last. Thankfully, because haloumi was stored in salty brine it could keep for long periods without spoiling and early producers found that wrapping haloumi in mint leaves further helped to maintain its freshness and flavour.
Heat a seasoned or non-stick griddle pan over a very high heat. Meanwhile brush each halloumi piece with olive oil and season well with freshly ground pepper. Cook the cheese for a minute or two on each side, trying not to move it around the pan so it forms nice golden lines.
'Halloumi is high in protein (to help you maintain and grow your lean muscle mass), contains calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), phosphorus (for bone health), zinc (for cognitive, immune and fertility functions), iodine (for thyroid and cognitive function) and vitamin A (to support your immunity, vision and skin),' ...
Being a brined cheese, halloumi has a very high salt content, therefore it's very salty when eaten raw. However, it is possible to eat it raw, but the chargrilling of the cheese helps to tone down the saltiness and gives a really complex smoky flavour. Because of its high salt content, halloumi doesn't need seasoning.
A unique property of halloumi cheese is that it has a higher melting point than other cheeses. This means it can be grilled, baked, and fried without changes shapes and totally melting when compared to other cheeses.
But as the weather gets hotter, maybe we should take a look at some cheeses that don't melt. There's a family of semi-firm cheeses — among them, queso panela, queso fresco, paneer, halloumi, feta, cotija, ricotta and soft goat cheese — that won't melt over direct or indirect heat in your kitchen.
Originating from Cyprus, halloumi is a semi-hard, un-ripened, brined cheese that can be made from cow, sheep or goat's milk. It can be eaten raw but is truly delicious cooked, having a high melting point, makes it an excellent choice for grilling or frying.