All About Cheese

Lynne's Country Kitchen
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All About Cheese

Tips for Learning About and Buying Cheese

Find a cheese shop with a knowledgeable staff who are willing to teach you and let you taste as many cheeses as you want.

Get to know the person who sells you your cheese otherwise known as the Cheesemonger. Not a particulary nice sounding name but he or she will be able to point you in the right direction once they know your tastes.

Ask to try a different cheese every time you go into a market that sells cheese.

Start with the three main milk types (goat, sheep or cow). Figure out which you like best, second, third. If there is one you really dislike, fine, you just made it easy for future choices.

Try different textures (soft, semi-soft, hard) to see which appeals to you most.

Try the same cheese from different countries. You will be surprised at some of the differences.

Experiment with food and wine. Different cheeses go better with some foods and wines than others. Ask or read about what pairings work and then give them a try.

Read about cheese in one of the many great books on the subject.

How to Identify Cheese

TYPE'S OF MILK - Cow's milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk

PROCESSING

FRESH - Usually unripened and packed into tubs or crocks (cottage, cream cheese, ricotta)

RIPENED BUT UNPRESSED - Quick-ripened (1 month) by surface molds; allowed to drain naturally (Brie, Point L'Eveque)

UNCOOKED BUT PRESSED - Pressed and ripened from 2 to 18 months (Gouda)

COOKED AND PRESSED - Cooked, then molded, heavily pressed and then ripened for up to 4 years (Cheddar, Parmesan, Pecorino)

TEXTURE

VERY SOFT - Fresh, spoonable

SOFT - Neither cooked nor pressed, spreadable

SEMISOFT - Pressed, can or cannot be pressed, firm but moist, sometime crumbly

SEMIHARD - Cooked and pressed, sliceable

HARD - Cooked and pressed, very firm, can be both sliced and grated

SHAPES - Six basic shapes - sphere, rectangular, wheel, square, roll, or drum

COLOR - Cheese colors can range from white to yellow to chocolate brown in various shade degrees. Much depends on the length of ripening along with how much butter fat is present. Rule of thumb: the longer the ripening, and the more butter fat content, the darker the cheese.

RINDS

DRY NATURAL RINDS - Are formed by the curds on the edge of the cheese as it dries out.

SOFT WHITE BLOOMY RINDS - Have a thin or thick growth of white mold on surface.

WASHED RINDS - A smeary bacterial growth washed by water, wine, or brine.