It would be hard to disagree with anyone who argued that the spiritual home for a dollop of cream cheese is on a toasted bagel, in my case accompanied by an equally large spoonful of crunchy peanut butter.

As I hope the Iron Chef and his challenger proved during their exciting battle, however, this fresh, tangy cheese is far more versatile than some people might imagine and is definitely worth keeping on hand as a refrigerator basic.

What is cream cheese?
Cream cheese is a soft, fresh unripened cheese that is made from a combination of milk and heavy cream and by definition must contain at least 33 percent milk fats and less than 55 percent moisture.

It is one of the most popular cheeses in the United States and the most recent research I could find from 2008 reports that the average American consumes a little over 2.5 pounds of cream cheese every year.

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This question tends to pop up at least once during our weekly “Ask the Editor” Facebook chats: Do cakes with cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated? With the holidays right around the corner, it’s a great time to explore and answer this question. From Paula’s Pumpkin Bars to Giada’s Spiced Apple-Walnut Cake With Cream Cheese Icing to the classic Red Velvet Cake, it’s hard to escape cream cheese frosting’s creamy goodness.

So does it need refrigeration?

Food Network Kitchens answer the question »