Bushra Griffith
Cheese is a beloved food for many, but with so many varieties, it can be hard to know which to choose. The right cheese for you will depend on your personal preferences, how you plan to use it, and whether you're looking for a healthy option. When it comes to cooking, soft cheeses like mozzarella, burrata, and goat cheese are great for melting on pizzas and in pasta dishes. Harder cheeses like Parmesan and Pecorino are better for grating and garnishing. For snacking, Brie, Camembert, and Manchego are popular choices. If health is a priority, consider lower-calorie options like feta, cottage cheese, or quark, which is also high in protein and virtually fat-free.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Creamy, crumbly, soft, semi-firm, hard |
| Flavor | Mild, nutty, sharp, tangy, salty, strong |
| Type of milk | Cow, sheep, buffalo, goat |
| Country of origin | England, France, Italy, Greece, US |
| Color | White, orange |
| Serving suggestions | Grated, sliced, melted, cubed, crumbled |
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What You'll Learn
Choose based on use case: melting, grating, snacking, etc
When choosing a cheese, it's important to consider how you plan to use it. Here are some tips for choosing the right cheese for melting, grating, or snacking:
Melting
If you're looking for a cheese to melt, there are several options that work well. American cheese, for example, is often used by professional chefs and is known for its melting capabilities. Other good melting cheeses include Havarti, Mueller, and Gouda. For a more pungent option, try smoked Gouda, which has a robust flavour and smooth, supple texture that melts beautifully. If you're making a grilled cheese sandwich, thick-sliced Land-o-Lakes White American cheese is a popular choice.
Grating
When it comes to grating cheese, you'll want to choose a harder variety. Good options include Parmesan, a hard, aged cheese with a gritty texture and salty, nutty flavour. It can be expensive, but a little goes a long way in terms of flavour. Other options for grating include hard or semi-hard cheeses like cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Swiss. These cheeses offer a range of flavours and are typically more affordable.
Snacking
For snacking, there are a variety of cheeses to choose from depending on your taste preferences. Fresh mozzarella balls are a popular choice, as they have a high moisture content and a soft, white texture. Feta, a salty white cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk, is another option that pairs well with crackers or sandwiches. If you're looking for something more indulgent, Brie or Camembert can be eaten as a snack, though some may find these soft cheeses a bit challenging to eat on their own. Aged Gouda, Asiago, and Manchego are also tasty snacking options.
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Consider the flavour profile: mild, tangy, sharp, nutty, etc
When it comes to cheese, there is a whole spectrum of flavour profiles to consider. Each type of cheese has a unique flavour, ranging from mild to sharp, tangy, nutty, sweet, salty, pungent, or even metallic. The flavour of cheese is influenced by several factors, including the source of milk, the animal's diet, the geographical location where the animal grazes, the cheese-making process, and the duration of ageing.
Mild cheeses, such as young Comté from France, are known for their subtle and forgettable notes of butter and caramel. These cheeses are often used for cooking in France but are considered special occasion cheeses in the United States due to their price point. On the other hand, mature Comté is described as "Saturday afternoon cheese," with a smoother, less salty flavour than Gruyère and hints of stone fruit.
Tangy cheeses offer a pleasant sharpness to the taste buds. Examples include Brick cheese from Wisconsin, which starts out mild when young but develops a tangy sharpness as it ages. Another tangy cheese is Cheshire from England, which has a dense, crumbly texture and a lightly salty flavour.
Sharp cheeses, like aged Cheddar, provide a bold and pronounced flavour. The sharpness of Cheddar increases with age, and its colour can vary from cream to pumpkin orange. Cheddar is a versatile cheese, delicious on a cheese board or in dishes like macaroni and cheese.
Nutty cheeses, such as Asiago, offer a distinct flavour profile that complements both fresh and mature forms. Sheep's milk cheeses, such as Pecorino and Roquefort, are also known for their nutty and earthy nuances, contributing to their rich and complex flavour profiles.
When considering flavour profiles, it's important to note that some cheeses have protected designations of origin, like Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy and Greek Feta, which is made from a blend of sheep and goat milk. These designations ensure that only cheeses produced in specific regions can bear these names, highlighting the unique flavour profiles that develop based on terroir, or the natural environment in which the cheese is produced.
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Texture is key: soft, crumbly, creamy, hard, etc
Texture is a key differentiator between the various types of cheese and is considered a determinant of overall quality and consumer preference. The texture of a cheese is developed throughout the ripening process, which involves a series of biochemical, microbiological, and chemical reactions. The main factors that determine the texture of a cheese are its moisture content and aging time. The lower the moisture content, the firmer the cheese; the longer the aging process, the firmer the texture.
Cheeses are typically classified into four categories based on texture: soft, semi-soft (or semi-hard), and hard. Fresh cheese is another category of very young and soft cheese that has not been cooked or ripened and does not have a rind. Examples of fresh cheese include ricotta, feta, goat cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mascarpone. Soft cheeses have a higher moisture content and no rinds. They can be spread on toast and are often added to sauces or fillings. Common soft cheeses include mascarpone, mozzarella, feta, and chèvre.
Semi-soft cheeses usually have a soft and edible rind due to a mold that forms during the short aging process. They tend to have a smooth, creamy interior. Examples of semi-soft cheeses include fontal, muenster, havarti, butterkäse, and provolone. Semi-hard cheeses, on the other hand, tend to have a rind and are relatively mild in flavor. Common semi-hard cheeses include cheddar, Swiss, gouda, havarti, and asiago.
Hard cheeses are made by removing most of the whey from the curds and applying pressure. They are then left to develop their own unique edible rind or are given a wax rind. Hard cheeses are aged longer, resulting in a richer flavor spectrum. Examples of hard cheeses include Parmesan, Grana Padano, Cheddar, Gruyère, Manchego, and Pecorino Romano.
In addition to these main categories, there are other types of cheese with unique textures. For example, blue-veined cheeses are distinctive due to the veins and pockets of color caused by the addition of Penicillium mold spores during manufacture. Double and triple-crème cheeses are known for their buttery, rich, and velvety soft texture, as cream is added to the milk during production. Finally, it's important to note that changes in texture can also indicate spoilage. For example, soft white mold cheeses like Camembert can become slimy when they spoil, while hard cheeses like Cheddar can start to crack due to changes in moisture content and bacterial growth.
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Origin and ingredients: cow's milk, goat's milk, etc
The flavour of cheese primarily depends on its style, but there are some characteristics that are common for each type of milk. Cow's milk cheeses can highlight the flavour of the grass the cows graze on, and are often described as 'grassy' or 'like the pasture'. Other common tasting notes include sweet cream, butterscotch, mushroom, and nuts. Cow's milk is also preferred for cheese production because of its mild, neutral flavour and more cohesive protein structure.
Goat's milk cheeses generally fall into one of two camps: limestone-y and citrusy, or musky and barnyard-y. Goat's milk has a low casein content, which results in tiny, breakable curds. Goat cheese can turn chalky, brittle, or earthy as it matures. When young, goat cheese is typically creamy and spreadable, and tart. Goat cheese is also packed with vitamins E, K, B6, and B3 (niacin). The taste of goat cheese is quite unique because of the presence of medium-chain fatty acids like caprylic and capric acid. Goat's milk cheeses tend to be tangier, saltier, and lighter than cow's milk cheeses. Goat's milk also has a higher proportion of smaller-chain fats, which gives goat's cheese its distinctive goaty flavour. Goat's milk also shows the aromatic compounds from their quite diverse herbaceous feed, such as thyme, lavender, rosemary, barnyard, earthy, and hazelnut. Goat's milk has less of a protein called casein, which is needed to make a 'firm' curd in cheese-making, and therefore produces a more delicate, fragile curd. Goat's milk also has less lactose than cow's milk, which is why some lactose-intolerant people can consume goat's milk products.
Sheep milk cheeses are on the other side of the spectrum, being richer and fattier. Sheep milk is highly nutritious, containing more vitamin A, B, E, and calcium than cow's milk. They are usually semi-soft and are known for their soft texture and for being slightly oily. Some varieties include Manchego, Idiazábal, or Torta del Casar cheese. Italian Pecorino or Feta are also made from sheep's milk and are known for their sour and salty taste and for being widely used in Greek cuisine.
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Health benefits: calcium, protein, probiotics, etc
Cheese is a widely consumed dairy product that can be a good source of protein, calcium, and several other nutrients. In particular, certain cheeses may provide nutrients that promote gut health, aid weight loss, improve bone health, and decrease your risk of heart disease.
Calcium
Calcium is necessary for optimal bone health and can help prevent osteoporosis, which causes bones to become weak and brittle. Cheese is a good source of calcium, with some cheeses, like blue cheese, being particularly high in this nutrient. Other good sources of calcium include cottage cheese, providing 103 milligrams of calcium per 100-gram serving, and mozzarella.
Protein
Cheese is also an excellent source of protein, with some varieties, like cottage cheese, being especially high in this nutrient. Eating a high-protein diet can help curb your appetite and manage hormones associated with appetite, digestion, and insulin release, making it beneficial for weight loss.
Probiotics
Some types of cheese, including cheddar, mozzarella, and Gouda, contain probiotics, which are live microorganisms that can improve the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut. Eating fermented foods with live probiotics can have powerful benefits for your body and brain and may even lower your risk of heart disease.
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Frequently asked questions
Hard or semi-hard cheeses are best for grating. Examples include Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, and Manchego.
Soft cheeses are best for melting. Common melting cheeses include Brie, Havarti, Gouda, and Swiss.
A good cheese board should offer a range of flavours and textures. Include a mix of soft and hard cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Manchego, Cheddar, and a blue cheese like Stilton.
