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Does anyone want to share how they make pimento cheese? I thought I didn’t like it, but tried some made in house at a food truck and now I’m dying to make my own! I have found two ways, one with Mayo and one with cream cheese.

thanks!

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I don't, but if I want to learn a new recipe I generally google, read the New York Times recipe and America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country recipes if they have them, then I go to All Recipes and read the recipes plus the first 10 helpful reviews on each.  Then I usually have a good idea of which recipe I want to try first, as well as various spice & flavor variations.

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I dunno whether I'd start with the New York-anything for pimento cheese. It's such a quintessentially Southern dish. But anyway--I have made my own several times, but I don't very often because no one else in my house likes it, and I would eat the whole batch myself with a spoon. I LOVE pimento cheese. There are a ton of recipes, as you have seen, and I've always used one with a mayo base. But the one tip I can give is to shred your own cheese. For the love of all that is good and holy, pull out your box grater (or food processor) and grate it yourself. Then it is just a matter of finding the cheese combination and spices you like.

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I'd never had pimento cheese until a couple of years ago when a company that just made pimento cheese handed me a sample. Delicious! They made theirs with jalapeno relish (it had a nice little kick). 
I use this recipe - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/189930/southern-pimento-cheese/ - but I add thinly sliced green onions too. I usually skip the jalapeno pepper as I don't always have one around. 

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True southern pimento cheese is made with mayo. Sour cream . . . I just can't even go there in my mind.

I buy a locally made product from a small country type store that's been selling pimento cheese since 1938. The original owners were friends of my in laws. Their pimento cheese is so popular here it's sold in all the local Walmarts and quite a few other grocery stores. I couldn't possibly make anything better myself.

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11 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

True southern pimento cheese is made with mayo. Sour cream . . . I just can't even go there in my mind.

I buy a locally made product from a small country type store that's been selling pimento cheese since 1938. The original owners were friends of my in laws. Their pimento cheese is so popular here it's sold in all the local Walmarts and quite a few other grocery stores. I couldn't possibly make anything better myself.

 So funny! I was just reading a book where pimento cheese made an appearance. The guy who wrote the book and grew up in Georgia was all about the mayo!

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14 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

True southern pimento cheese is made with mayo. Sour cream . . . I just can't even go there in my mind.

I buy a locally made product from a small country type store that's been selling pimento cheese since 1938. The original owners were friends of my in laws. Their pimento cheese is so popular here it's sold in all the local Walmarts and quite a few other grocery stores. I couldn't possibly make anything better myself.

Which brand is it? I have one in mind, but I can’t think of the name. If the one you mentioned is the one I’m thinking of, maybe I’ll recognize/remember it. It’s in Harris Teeter and others. 

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2 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Oh, that’s not it. Wildflower mom just posted Palmetto. That’s it. It’s in lots of stores here in NC. I haven’t seen the one you mentioned. I’ll look for it tomorrow when I’m out, because my older son is coming in for a long visit. He likes it, so I’m planning to make him a toasted pimento cheese sandwich.

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11 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Oh. Yes. *That* is pimento cheese.  Everything else is just a substitute.  That’s the pimento cheese I grew up eating, too.  Pimento cheese sandwiches, cut into little triangles.  

Has to be mayo here, too.

I buy Palmetto for my mom, usually.  I think it’s palmetto - whatever Costco is currently carrying.  

It’s honestly never occurred to me to make it.  Strange.

And now, for some bizarre reason, I have NC BBQ on the brain…

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6 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Oh. Yes. *That* is pimento cheese.  Everything else is just a substitute.  That’s the pimento cheese I grew up eating, too.  Pimento cheese sandwiches, cut into little triangles.  

Has to be mayo here, too.

I buy Palmetto for my mom, usually.  I think it’s palmetto - whatever Costco is currently carrying.  

It’s honestly never occurred to me to make it.  Strange.

And now, for some bizarre reason, I have NC BBQ on the brain…

Ok. I have to find that tomorrow! Ds also wants BBQ while he is here. Of course, vinegar-based sauce. 
 

I’ll probably have a veggie Moe’s Bowl thingie I make at home. 

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43 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Palmetto brand is the best.   I wouldn't even make it, I'd just buy it; that brand is that good.   

I never liked pimento cheese growing up, but lately my mom has been bringing the above brand on our camping vacations. We eat it on everything, lol:  burgers, hotdogs and scooped onto plain potato chips. 😋

I never have it at home, though. Just as a camping indulgence. 

She did make it homemade, once, and left out the pimentos. I quite liked that but really...it was just cheese and mayo and such at that point. What's not to like?

Edited by alisoncooks
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44 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Palmetto brand is the best.   I wouldn't even make it, I'd just buy it; that brand is that good.   

I used to like this, til I tried My Three Sons brand….

 

Homemade, I love Paula Deen’s recipe.

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18 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Yeah, I bought Palmetto one time and DH wouldn’t eat it. I’m not a pimento cheese connoisseur, but I didn’t like it either. Maybe it’s what you get used to?

Maybe?  My mother will eat it.  It’s not my thing, for some reason, I prefer the other.

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My mom used to buy it when I was a kid, sometimes I loved it other times it made me gag. She also bought pimento loaf from the deli. I don’t think I ever cared for that.

Funny, I never realized it’s a regional item— my dad reminisced about a lot of southern foods but not that. I guess I just figured it was a ‘70s food. Lol

It also never occurred to me it could be homemade. My mom made most things by scratch but I distinctly remember the glass jar the spread came in. 

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37 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

 

 

Homemade, I love Paula Deen’s recipe.

I've been watching some of her quarantine cooking videos on you tube, and I remember this recipe.    I haven't tried it because I can't eat dairy, but I'm thinking of making some for my family.    About how many days will this keep in the refrigerator?  ...just in case only one person likes it which always seems to be an issue here...

Thanks!  

 

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My pimento cheese story:

One time, when I was at a funeral in Georgia, this woman came to the after-after meal at my cousin’s house.

She was a little tipsy, and her husband had dropped her off so she could deliver a plate of pimento cheese sandwiches.

Those were THE BEST pimento cheese **ANYTHINGS** I had ever tasted! 

Unrelated to the sandwiches, but probably related to the tipsy, she kept complimenting my breasts. LOL 

My cousin (her friend) told her do NOT touch my boobs and told me “Do NOT let her hug you goodbye.”

more LOLs

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4 minutes ago, Laurie said:

I've been watching some of her quarantine cooking videos on you tube, and I remember this recipe.    I haven't tried it because I can't eat dairy, but I'm thinking of making some for my family.    About how many days will this keep in the refrigerator?  ...just in case only one person likes it which always seems to be an issue here...

Thanks!  

 

It doesn’t keep here bc everyone likes it! 

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2 hours ago, plansrme said:

I dunno whether I'd start with the New York-anything for pimento cheese. It's such a quintessentially Southern dish. But anyway--I have made my own several times, but I don't very often because no one else in my house likes it, and I would eat the whole batch myself with a spoon. I LOVE pimento cheese. There are a ton of recipes, as you have seen, and I've always used one with a mayo base. But the one tip I can give is to shred your own cheese. For the love of all that is good and holy, pull out your box grater (or food processor) and grate it yourself. Then it is just a matter of finding the cheese combination and spices you like.

I know, I’m from a rural area of North Florida.  But the NYT is the reason I figured out why I can’t make decent biscuits in the Midwest.  Wrong kind of wheat in the flour. 

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The mayo and cream cheese recipe is super good. That’s the one my younger ds makes. 
 

I remember Ruth’s pimento cheese was the one we had growing up. I had nothing else to compare it to then, but there are much better store bought ones out there. Then, I loved the Ruth’s. Thinking back, it is pretty runny in comparison to some others. 
 

The homemade with mayo and cream cheese is super thick, at least my son’s recipe is. 
 

 

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1 hour ago, pinball said:

My pimento cheese story:

One time, when I was at a funeral in Georgia, this woman came to the after-after meal at my cousin’s house.

She was a little tipsy, and her husband had dropped her off so she could deliver a plate of pimento cheese sandwiches.

Those were THE BEST pimento cheese **ANYTHINGS** I had ever tasted! 

Unrelated to the sandwiches, but probably related to the tipsy, she kept complimenting my breasts. LOL 

My cousin (her friend) told her do NOT touch my boobs and told me “Do NOT let her hug you goodbye.”

more LOLs

Who shows up tipsy to a funeral meal???? I mean, I live in Georgia and have plenty of crazy stories but sheesh...that one is something else!

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15 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

This doesn’t happen where your from? lol

I did attend a visitation in Illinois that was for an Irish woman and the whiskey was flowing...and by the end of the evening there were plenty of folks past tipsy stage. 
At least the Georgia lady was kind enough to bring delicious pimento cheese sandwiches. Ya don’t show up without food here, and everyone has their ‘funeral’ food.  Some of the best eating I’ve ever done is back at the house after a funeral!

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3 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I did attend a visitation in Illinois that was for an Irish woman and the whiskey was flowing...and by the end of the evening there were plenty of folks past tipsy stage. 
At least the Georgia lady was kind enough to bring delicious pimento cheese sandwiches. Ya don’t show up without food here, and everyone has their ‘funeral’ food.  Some of the best eating I’ve ever done is back at the house after a funeral!

True story. After funerals are some of the best times with family as odd as that sounds. The food gets out of control. People are like here take this chicken and cake with you when you go.

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2 hours ago, Laurie said:

I've been watching some of her quarantine cooking videos on you tube, and I remember this recipe.    I haven't tried it because I can't eat dairy, but I'm thinking of making some for my family.    About how many days will this keep in the refrigerator?  ...just in case only one person likes it which always seems to be an issue here...

Thanks!  

 

I’m thinking of trying to make it with Good Planet cheddar since we are dairy free here.  

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I thought the Palmetto brand was very good, and have bought it several times, but today I bought the Sam's Club version of Pimento Cheese made with smoked gouda and I ate 1/4 of the container in one sitting.  SO GOOD!  

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-smoked-gouda-pimento-spread/prod20596913?xid=plp_product_2

A super decadent thing to do with pimento cheese is to add it to grilled cheese.  It's almost embarassing, but I make grilled cheese using cheddar cheese and then after it's cooked, open it up and slather in a pile of pimento cheese.  When you put the sandwich back together it warms up the pimento cheese just a bit, and then it's pure heaven.  A huge mess to eat it, but good gravy it's comfort food all the way. 

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12 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

I thought the Palmetto brand was very good, and have bought it several times, but today I bought the Sam's Club version of Pimento Cheese made with smoked gouda and I ate 1/4 of the container in one sitting.  SO GOOD!  

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-smoked-gouda-pimento-spread/prod20596913?xid=plp_product_2

A super decadent thing to do with pimento cheese is to add it to grilled cheese.  It's almost embarassing, but I make grilled cheese using cheddar cheese and then after it's cooked, open it up and slather in a pile of pimento cheese.  When you put the sandwich back together it warms up the pimento cheese just a bit, and then it's pure heaven.  A huge mess to eat it, but good gravy it's comfort food all the way. 

I make a grilled cheese I learned about from Barefoot Contessa....You mix mayo, and parmesan and a little mustard into a thick paste.  slather your bread, top it with grated cheddar and then grill.  So delicious.  I will never forget her saying, 'You can use any kind of bread-  well not store bought'.  I think about that line every time I make one of her sandwiches.  With store bought bread.

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25 minutes ago, plansrme said:

All this passion for pimento cheese does my Southern heart good. That's all. Carry on.

Same here. I really needed this thread. I wasn’t born in the south but I live here now and I’m tired of people assuming everyone in the south is either a racist or a redneck or both.  I mean, sure, we have both of those here, but so does everywhere else in this country. 
 

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49 minutes ago, plansrme said:

All this passion for pimento cheese does my Southern heart good. That's all. Carry on.

The best pimento cheese I’ve ever had was at a reception at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion summer of 2019. I swear they served it on Keebler Townhouse Crackers. I’m so not a Southerner, but I got turned a little that day. 

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On 6/22/2021 at 2:51 PM, Bambam said:

I'd never had pimento cheese until a couple of years ago when a company that just made pimento cheese handed me a sample. Delicious! They made theirs with jalapeno relish (it had a nice little kick). 
I use this recipe - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/189930/southern-pimento-cheese/ - but I add thinly sliced green onions too. I usually skip the jalapeno pepper as I don't always have one around. 

I just made this and it is delicious.  Dh loved it.

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On 6/22/2021 at 8:26 PM, Elizabeth86 said:

True story. After funerals are some of the best times with family as odd as that sounds. The food gets out of control. People are like here take this chicken and cake with you when you go.

I was at a house once after a death and a woman dropped off a half ham in a flowered casserole dish.

She said, “Go ahead and keep that dish. I can’t stand the ugly thing.”

Why, thank you for the ham in the ugly dish!

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