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‘Schitt’s Creek’ Fans: Here’s How to “Fold in the Cheese” Like Moira and David Rose

Lauren Masur
Lauren Masur
Lauren was the Groceries Editor for Kitchn.
published Feb 4, 2020
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Credit: Pop TV

Among countless iconic TV food moments, a current favorite among Kitchn staffers is the enchiladas scene from Season 2, Episode 2 of Schitt’s Creek in which Moira and David Rose attempt to cook an family recipe of dubious origin in an effort to prove that they have a sliver of culinary competency.

For those unfamiliar, Schitt’s Creek is a sitcom about an extremely wealthy family that finds itself left for broke in the opening scene of the first episode. The Roses have no choice but to accept a drastic lifestyle change and move into a run-down motel in the humble town of Schitt’s Creek, the deed of which they jokingly purchased years prior with their former disposable income. (The show’s 6th and final season is currently airing on Pop TV, but you can binge the others on Netflix to catch up.)

Okay, now back to the enchiladas. While Moira and David struggle through the recipe, the “fold in the cheese” step surfaces and confuses the “Schitt” out of them both.

“What does that mean? What does ‘fold in the cheese’ mean?”

“You fold it in.”

“I understand that, but how, how do you fold it? Do you fold it in half like a piece of paper and drop it in the pot, or what do you do?”

“David, I cannot show you everything.”

“You just…here’s what you do. You just fold it in.”

It’s one of the show’s funniest exchanges (of which there are too many to count) and actually got us thinking about the fact that there’s a valuable cooking lesson here. So, what should you do exactly when a recipe tells you to “fold” in an ingredient?

To help illustrate this technique, may I direct you to Kitchn’s instructions for “How To Fold Egg Whites or Whipped Cream Into a Batter?” (I realize this is not specifically about folding cheese, but the general folding concept is the same.)

“So many recipes take it for granted that we know how to do this basic technique, but in reality, “folding” batter isn’t exactly the easiest idea to grasp,” Emma Christensen writes, validating David and Moira’s bewilderment. Different than stirring, folding involves a swoop-lift-and-turn motion, and is usually executed with a rubber spatula. The goal is to more gently incorporate the ingredients without adding air rather than whipping the contents of your bowl into oblivion.

Here’s what our Food Director, Chris Michel has to say: “Folding is the more gentle, version of stirring — usually when you’re stirring, you’re trying to mix everything to one consistency. When you fold, you’re trying (generally) to keep something delicate, like meringue, from deflating. Also, stirring kind of happens horizontally, while folding often happens more vertically, like you scoop under the outside of the stuff you’re combining, and then turn it and press it (gently!) down into the middle.”

Honestly, though, we’re glad that David and Moira did not have this comprehensive tutorial, because the episode wouldn’t have been nearly as funny otherwise.