Cheese 101: A Beginnger's Guide

I may be predisposed to appreciate the complex, wonderful world of cheese but I am certainly no Maitre Fromager (master of cheese). Rather, like so many, I am a simple caseophile (cheese lover), trying to wade through the jargon and junk to find a rind I can sink my teeth into. And let's face it, we have a lot of rinds to choose from. No longer are Americans relegated to Velveeta or squeeze; with the rise of artisanal, small farm, and imported techniques and craft, cheeses like wine, tea, chocolate, and beer has a world unto itself.

Cheese Makes Everything Better

The beauty of cheese is that it is at once simple and complex, blending the fine line between spoiled milk and crafted delicacy, and producing such varied products as mild cottage cheese to foot-smelling taleggio.

Cheese making starts with the simplest of ingredients - milk. However, depending on where you are in the world, it can be cow, goat, buffalo, pig, or sheep's milk, and it can be pasteurized or raw. In America, most of our cheese comes from pasteurized cow's milk. Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to kill both good and bad bacteria; only those cheeses aged for over sixty days can use “raw” or unpastuerized milk. In other parts of the world, these requirements are less stringent and raw milk cheeses, which supposedly have better flavor, are common and coveted.

After pasteurization, the milk is inoculated with a bacterial starter culture. The bacteria convert lactose, a naturally-occurring sugar, into lactic acid, which begins the curdling process. Rennet, derived from either animal intestine or vegetarian sources, is added. Rennet contains an enzyme called rennin that helps turn the milk into curds and whey. Curds are clumps of milk protein that compromise the majority of the final cheese product, while whey, the liquid part, is separated out and used for animal feed or other food products.

The curds are then sold as fresh cheese. They can be kept in molds and aged for days, months, or years, salted and brined, or dusted with flavor and color-producing molds. In addition to the type of starter culture and milk, the final steps help develop the flavors and textures that make the many types of cheeses.

Fresh Cheese

A cheese is considered fresh if it hasn't been aged, or is only slightly cured. Most of these young cheeses have a mild flavor and, because they are highly perishable, are best eaten soon after purchase. They contain higher moisture content than their aged counterparts and usually have a creamy feel in the mouth. You may see these cheeses spruced up with an ash coating, blended with herbs, or covered with fruits and nuts.

The Big Fresh Cheeses: mozzarella, chevre, feta, queso fresca, cream cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, cheese curds, farmer's cheese, and robiola.

Soft Cheese

Not yet hard cheese, but past the point of fresh cheese, soft (or soft-ripened) cheeses are the oozing triangles found on many a cocktail party cheese plate and are often only appreciated after you're old enough to attend such parties.

Since these cheeses still have a high percentage of water and are so soft, they are sometimes part liquid at room temperature. Most notably, soft ripened cheeses usually have an edible white or yellowish rind with a smooth, creamy interior. Many of these cheeses are mold-ripened, meaning that the cheese makers spray or inoculate the outside of the cheese with strains of fungi, like penicillium camemberti and geotrichum candidum, which help break down the fat and protein present in the curd. This helps soften the cheese as well as contribute to its unique flavor. These cheeses are aged briefly in cool temperatures caves, and usually consumed within a month or two of production.

The Big Soft Cheeses: brie, camembert, Saint Marcellin.

Semi-Soft Cheeses

Semi-soft cheeses are the versatile ones, found in everything from quesadillas and sandwiches to snacks. With no rind, they usually appeal to the moldy cheese-averse eaters, but their creamy texture and taste make almost everyone a fan. High in moisture, they don't last as long as the hard cheeses.

The Big Semi-Soft Cheeses: Fontina, Colby, havarti, Monterey Jack.

Blue Cheese

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where these cheeses get their name; the blue-green vein running through the otherwise white cheese tips one off that it has been streaked with molds, such as penicillium roqueforti or penicillium glaucum. The blue molds require oxygen to grow, so cheese makers poke air pockets, which allows the mold to grow and color the interior and exterior of the cheese. Not only do the molds impart a unique color, they also contribute to the sharp, tangy, love-it-or-hate-it flavor. Blue cheese isn't necessarily a category unto itself many semi-soft cheeses are also blues but all are notable for the color.

The Big Blue Cheeses: Roquefort, Danish blue, stilton, cabrales, gorgonzola.

Hard Cheeses

Hard cheese is made by expelling as much whey as possible and aging the resultant curd for months to years. Because of their low-liquid content, hard cheeses typically last longer than the softer cheeses. Their texture is diverse from the elasticity of swiss to the hard, dryness of reggiano. Some of the well-aged cheeses have a crunchy mouthfeel, which is due to denatured proteins forming crystals.

The Big Hard Cheeses: Aged Gouda, sharp cheddar, parmesan, reggiano, dry jack, swiss, gruyere, manchego, momolette, pecorino.

Washed Rind Cheeses

Washed rind cheeses are surface-ripened from the outside in. After the curds are pressed into a mold, they are washed down with flavoring agents such as beer, wine, brandy, or other solutions that help promote bacterial growth. The result is a thick exterior with a soft interior.

The Big Washed-Rind Cheeses: Limburger, taleggio, Livarot

What Cheese to Buy Now?

People don't really think of cheese having seasons, but some do. Assuming your cheese comes from cows that eat seasonally fresh grasses, clovers, and wildflowers in the spring, summer, and fall and hay and grain in the winter the milk will taste differently at different times of the year and in different regions.

In general, the best time to eat young cheese is when the milk is most tasty, so spring, summer, and fall are good times for the fresh cheeses. Similarly, the semi-soft cheeses, which only age a few months, are best in the autumn and winter. Because their flavor depends on aging more than season, hard cheeses can be enjoyed all year.

This, of course, is just a teaser into the many types of cheese on the market. The best way to choose among the many is to make friends with your local cheese monger, ask for samples, and eat often.