Taste-Off: The best cream cheese in local markets — and the bad ones

Cream cheese is one of the most versatile dairy ingredients. It’s required for a proper bagel, and it’s used in everything from cheesecake to dips, cakes, and casseroles.

This fresh, non-aged cheese made from cow’s milk and cream is buttery rich with a mild, sour cream-like kick that’s delicious straight up, mixed with herbs, or stirred into eggs, pasta, or soup. But it’s the thick consistency of cream cheese that makes it so popular among home cooks; it adds body and creaminess to everything from carrot cake frosting to spinach dip.

Interestingly, despite its appearance, cream cheese is a nutritional step up from butter, with half the calories and higher protein levels. Cream cheese, like butter, has a high fat content that allows it to last for weeks in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. Just keep in mind that even the smallest amount of bacteria can turn it into a moldy package.

Great cream cheese has a delicate, mouthwatering, slightly sour tang and is soft and creamy. Even when cold, it spreads evenly and literally melts on the tongue. Bad cream cheese is not only flavorless, but also sticky and gluey due to an excess of stabilizers. The worst cream cheese is simply a rubbery, greasy white block.

Here are the cream cheeses that will elevate any holiday dish, as well as those to avoid. The nutrition information is for 2 tablespoons.

Organic Valley Cream Cheese

Those who enjoy the tanginess of sour cream should try this dreamy, fresh cheese. It’s silky, lush, and cheesy. 110 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 100 milligrams of sodium. Whole Foods charges $6.49 for 8 ounces.(4 stars)

Clover Sonoma Organic Cream Cheese

This buttery block exudes the sweet flavor of fresh cream. It has a distinct buttery flavor that goes great on bagels and toast. 90 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 95 milligrams of sodium. Whole Foods charges $4.99 for 8 ounces. (4 stars)

Lucerne Cream Cheese

This is one of the best low-cost cream cheeses on the market, with a soft, creamy texture and a pleasant tang. It contains three types of stabilizer, but they are used sparingly enough to keep the cream cheese’s velvety texture. 90 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 95 milligrams of sodium. Safeway charges $2.50 for 8 ounces. (3½ stars)

Philadelphia Cream Cheese

This popular brand gets it mostly right: it’s creamy and tangy, and it’s far more spreadable than most. It lacks the freshness of the best-rated brands, but it works well in any recipe. 100 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 110 milligrams of sodium. Raley’s charges $4.99, while Target charges $1.99. (3 stars)

365 Organic Cream Cheese

If flavor were the only criterion, this buttery cheese would get a much higher rating. Unfortunately, too much locust bean gum turns it gummy. 100 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 95 milligrams of sodium. Whole Foods charges $3.49 for 8 ounces. (2½ stars)

Raley’s Original Cream Cheese

This will suffice in a pinch, but it’s best in highly flavored, hot foods because it’s sticky rather than creamy and has only a trace of flavor. 90 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 95 milligrams of sodium. 8 ounces for $2.50. (1½ stars)

Trader Joe’s Cream Cheese

Great Value Cream Cheese

This regrettable white block is an efficient way to derail any dish. It is greasy and literally tasteless. 90 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 95 milligrams of sodium. Walmart charges $1.54 for 8 ounces. (There are no stars.)

Tillamook Original Cream Cheese Spread

This tub’s sweet-sour chalky stuff is so strange that it barely qualifies as cream cheese. It has the consistency of bouncy sour cream. 100 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 120 milligrams of sodium. Raley’s sells 7 ounces for $3.99. (There are no stars.)