All About Cheese

Tired of buying those same three or four cheeses just because you always have?

Here are some of my favorite cheeses that may be new to you including my current Top 5 Cheese Picks.

I suggest try finding these or any of the cheeses I talk about at a local cheese shop but sometimes they just aren't available so I've included a few good online sources at the bottom of the page.

For a listing of some of my favorite cheeses with detailed descriptions about them, check out Types of Cheeses.

Illustration by Niki Vukadinova

The Reluctant Gourmet's Top Tips for Learning About & Buying Cheese

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

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

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

4. 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.

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

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

7. Experiment with food and wine. Different cheeses go better with some foods and wines than others.

8. Ask or read about what pairing work and then give them a try.

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

10. Visit my main Cheese Guide for Home Cooks describing many of my favorite cheeses

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Good Cheese books to learn from

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The Reluctant Gourmet's Top 5 Cheese Picks

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How to Identify Cheese

Type of milk: Cow's milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk

Processing:
Fresh - usually un ripened and packed into tubs or crocks (cottage, cream cheese, ricotta) Ripened but Un pressed - 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 & 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
Semi soft - pressed, can or cannot be pressed, firm but moist, sometime crumbly
Semi hard - 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.

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onlinesources: Cheese and Cheese Baskets

You can pick up common cheese most anywhere, but if you want to buy the more difficult to find cheeses, I recommend you one of these soureces. They have a great selection of US, French, Italian & other cheeses from around the world along with cheese boards, knives and accessories

GourmetFoodStore		iGourmet.com

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For Great Cheese Baskets & Gifts

The Wiconsin Cheeseman - Great Wisconsin Cheese Gifts

Cheese & Wine Unlimited - If you are looking for the ultimate gift basket for any occasion, check out Cheese & Wine Unlimited. These guys have baskets for every occasion and their cheese baskets include some really great products. A great choice for if you are looking for that something special for business or personal.

All Posters Cheese - a good collection of posters featuring cheese.