I'm on the wait list for Cheese 101 at Whole Foods, however I put together this pocket list for the next time you want to do a little cheese tasting! And check out this amazing cheese lover iphone app I downloaded called Cheese Plate! Happy Wednesday! xoxo, Julie
Raw Milk: Milk that has not been pasteurized. In the USA, cheese made from raw milk must be aged at least 60 days before being sold.
Aged: Cheese with a hard, crumbly texture or a semi-hard texture. Aged can mean several months or several years.
Tips
Semi-Hard (a.k.a. Semi-Firm)
Hard (a.k.a. Firm)
Grating cheeses and ones like Mimolette and aged Asiago.
The outside has an orange or reddish hue because it is washed in brine and/or alcohol.
Purposely exposed to mold spores to create a gently white and fuzzy rind like Brie and Triple Cremes.
Pungent cheeses marked with blue mold because mold spores are injected or added to the cheese.
Additionally
Milk Type: Type of milk used to make the cheese; typically either cow, sheep, or goat.
Artisanal: Cheese that is handmade, rather than mass-produced in a factory. If the artisanal cheese makers also raise their own animals for milk, their cheese is "farmstead".
Natural Rind: When some types of cheese age, the surface naturally hardens from being exposed to air. Cheeses with natural rinds are sometimes rubbed down with oil, encased with cloth, or covered with foil.
Raw Milk: Milk that has not been pasteurized. In the USA, cheese made from raw milk must be aged at least 60 days before being sold.
Triple Creme: Cheese made with the addition of extra cream, bringing the milk fat content up to at least 75%.
Double Creme: This is a step below a triple creme in terms of richness and milk fat content. (Brie)
Aged: Cheese with a hard, crumbly texture or a semi-hard texture. Aged can mean several months or several years.
Tips
Blue, green, and even fuzzy mold on a rind are usually perfectly fine, but shades of yellow or pink indicate spoilage. Stay away from cheese that is bulging out of its rind or has a rind that is brittle and cracked. If the cheese smells strongly of ammonia, it’s not a piece you want to bring home.
Cheese 101 via Whole Foods, Allrecipes and About.com. Chalkboard Cheese Boards HERE