Cheese!
What is everyone's favorite cheese? The best for grating? With pasta? I pretty much grew up on Kraft grated parmesan and know there must be a plethora of other options out there. I need any and all cheese tips I can get. Help!
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22 Comments:
Hmmmm ... I think my favorite "grating cheese" would probably be manchego, a classic Spanish sheepsmilk cheese. For pasta, it depends on what kind of flavor profile you're going for - fresh chevre (young - i.e. soft - goat cheese) usually improves just about everything it touches, though :-).
For sandwiches, grilled or no, I still adore smoked gouda. And my go-to decadent, yummy, snacking cheese is probably taleggio. It's a big, gooey, stinky, fruity, and usually relatively reasonably priced Italian cheese. Hope this helps some!
If you're feeling adventurous, have a nice cheese shop in your area, and want to try something really special, ask the counter staff for a taste of Truffle Tremor from Cypress Hill, a domestic artisanal cheese maker.
If you're looking for a sort of tasting primer on the spectrum of cheeses out there, and have some fun money available to spend on it, you could do worse than to check out the Award Winner's assortment from Wisconsin's Carr Valley (http://www4.mailordercentral.com/carrvalleycheeseco/products.asp?dept=23). It's only got hard and semi-hard cheeses, but it'll give you a sense of different milks, rinds, ages, etc. Another option is to take a cheese-tasting class. Good luck, and have fun exploring the magical world of cheese :-).
tacroy80 at 8:35PM on 05/24/08
Stephie, I saw your post about meatballs, too (and I'm trying to find my meatball recipe, as soon as I do, I'll post it). Are you having Italian in-laws over for dinner and you're in a panic? LOL.
I really love getting a nice big wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano (a bit pricey ranging from $14 to $17 per pound). I use a fine microplane to grate PR over pastas and a wide microplane to shave slivers of it over fresh arugula (dressed with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper).
Grana Padano is very very similar to PR and much cheaper! I think it's just as good. I use it the exact same way I would use PR.
wookie at 8:40PM on 05/24/08
I love to eat Emmentaler. I'd eat it every day. I also liked the cheddars I ate in England -- such variety and taste!
For grating, it's Parmigiano Reggiano.
I like Peccorino in the kitchen as well for lighter dishes, but it's a bit difficult to get a good selection right now where we live.
Going out on a limb, here's what I don't like: the rubbery brand-name cheeses around here; the dull Mexican (think Mennonitas) cheeses, and the crap that gets exported from Wisconsin. Come on, Wisconsin! Are you hoarding the best for yourself? They also sell some NY cheeses in the local Uber-Market, and they're crap too. The French Bries and Camemberts are a poor imitation to their same-name brethren we ate in Belgium and France, too. Pasteurization? I dunno.
TikiPundit at 9:34PM on 05/24/08
I swear that in the last week I've literally eaten a pound of feta. I found a killer little Greek market near my house, they will not be on the receiving end of so much of my hard earned money. Crumbled feta on a salad of any kind is heavenly.
PumpkinBear at 10:45PM on 05/24/08
For some reason, nobody in my family touches Parmigiano, it's Pecorino Romano ALWAYS. I use it on and in EVERYTHING, and it must be fresh grated, or just eaten in a big chunk mmmm.
Other than that I always have some good fontinella and sharp white cheddar in the fridge, I use them in a LOT of things. Oh and feta for salads....and mozarella. But if we're out of romano, there's trouble.
embolini9 at 9:38AM on 05/25/08
My dad worked for Polly-O Dairy for 38 years. He would put me in a meat grinder if I used green box cheese. He had a saying about that cheese, "That just means they swept the floor that day." LOL
Parm Reg for grating.
Ricotta Salata for shredding on hot dishes.
Love Provolone for serving on an antipasto tray.
Also love Romano for grating - it's got tons of flavor.
Love Feta for Greek-Inspired dishes.
Gruyere has also become a favorite - it's quite pungent but very nutty.
chiff0nade at 1:27PM on 05/25/08
I very rarely eat cheese, but I love gouda with cumin seeds (kaas komijn), and jarlsberg. Both are nice on sour rye bread (buttered) with sweet gherkins. Lovely. Both are very basic, functional, everyday cheeses, but delicious.
caley at 4:33PM on 05/25/08
Mountain Gorgonzola, 4 year old aged Gouda, almost any kind of goat cheese and Parm Reg for eating out of hand or grating.
bessfour at 4:47PM on 05/25/08
Smoked Fontina (or Gouda, or Cheddar - I love smoked cheese, as long as it has really been smoked, not "smoke flavoring added")
Gooey melty brie
Goat cheese, sauteed, on a salad
Sharp Irish cheddar
lo82070 at 7:42PM on 05/25/08
I always have a hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano for grating, and I also am a big fan of manchego. I also have to have, at the very least: brie, provolone, mozzarella and boursin at all times. While I use both mozzarella and boursin in salads as well, I love these four just for eating. Often with some fruit (usually, apples, strawberries, pineapple or grapes), but have no problem just eating them "straight up" as well. I absolutely love Emmentaler, Havarti, Gorgonzola and feta (again, gorgonzola and feta are wonderful in different salads, but I've been known to eat them without any. Emmentaler, provolone and Havarti are also wonderful on a slice of whole grain bread, with a thin layer of butter underneath).
I also like smoked cheeses a lot (like smoked provolone). Back home I used to favour Stilton, Buxton Blue, various Cheddars, Cheshire, Yorkshire feta, Huntsman cheese... You can tell I love my cheese! And since my husband is lactose intolerant, I don't even need to share:-)
brooke29 at 8:03PM on 05/25/08
Thanks everyone for the great cheese advice, (and no wookie, no Italian in-laws!!!), just trying to improve my cooking with all of you great cooks out there! Thanks.
stephie at 10:02PM on 05/25/08
Epoisses. It's stinky and expensive, but I promise you no regrets.
Catharine56 at 10:54PM on 05/25/08
d'affinois is a new favorite of mine. it's a soft, nutty cheese kind of like brie but doesn't have the ammonia smell that ripe brie can develop.
cybercita at 11:22PM on 05/25/08
MMmm. Overall, I'd say mozzarella--it melts wonderfully and goes well with many dishes. Feta is perfect in salads. These days, honestly not a day goes by for me without some parm--fresh is best!! I also like swiss, provolone, and occasionally brie.
luswim06 at 10:36AM on 05/26/08
I do not believe I have ever met a cheese I didn't like. For grating or shaving parm reg or grana padano. For snacking, give me hot gooey brie. For a sauce, give me emmentaler or gruyer. *getting hungry here*. Big chunks of feta in my greek salad. Yum! Yum! Yum! I could go on all day, but I am going to get some cheese now. ;-)
izatryt at 10:48AM on 05/26/08
Good Italian Fontina is my favorite all-around cheese for melting and eating. The flavor is awesome! The Scandinavian version doesn't hold a candle to it.
For grating, I think Parmesano Reggiano is good, but (I know I'll be in the minority here...) I prefer a really good Pecorino Romano, myself. I like that it has more of a "bite".
For dessert, a lovely Gorgonzola Dolce is great with fruit and maybe just a drizzle of really good local honey. Yum!
Brownie at 12:15PM on 05/26/08
Try Asiago for a bit stronger bite than regular Parmesan. It grates up nice - we love it on pasta and over grilled veggies. We also mix it up with mozz and parm on our pizzas.
moibec at 5:25PM on 05/26/08
@Brownie - you're not alone, Romano is the only way to go!!
embolini9 at 6:24PM on 05/26/08
It's hard for me to choose a favorite cheese. I love the cheeses that have been mentioned....they are delicious. I also love blue cheese. There is a salad recipe I use and the cheese gives it a great tangy flavor. If you are willing to try something exotic, I have tried Boschetto al Tartufo Stagionato - it is a sheep's milk blend studded with white truffles. The first time I tried this was at La Goulue; it was served with crusty bread and honey...so good!
fatitalianbroad at 6:25PM on 05/26/08
Get out there and try some cheese..yum- what a fun adventure! The Whole Foods where I am often has samples set out and will also let you try before you buy on some cheeses, they also will cut down small wedges to order if you don't need a pound of cheese, also look for the basket of tiny wedges "the bargain bin"- they usually have it set in the case and I have found some tiny treasures there as well! I'm usually on a budget and want to try new things- so this way has worked out great for me! Have fun!
bisbee at 1:40PM on 05/27/08
I believe I was a mouse in another life, because I love cheeses so much... I can't just pick one.
Parmegiano Regiano for any pasta
Fresh Mozzarella for pizzas and quesadillas...
Goat Cheese on french bread toasts... drizzled with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper
Gruyere Cheese for Sandwiches or just snacking with grapes and other fruits
Fontina is the best for creamy white sauces on baked pastas
Smoked Gouda is awesome on risotto with spinach and mushrooms
A tangy danish blue cheese is one of my new discoveries in top of roasted pears drizzled with maple syrup
I also use parmesan cheese instead of tahini in hummus
Swiss cheese to eat with cereal in the mornings... I eat my cereal dry BTW.
And who can forget about the versatile cream cheese for anything and everything... but awesome on party dips
And if you're somewhat intolerant to lactose... you can also try yogurt cheese, !!! it's good and super easy to make at home...
All this is making me too hungry....
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:18PM on 05/27/08
Halloumi, a salty, lovely cheese from Cyprus. sometimes fried, sometimes just cold. LOVELY in a pita. It's "squicky" on your teeth, like I imagine a good Wisconsin cheese curd is supposed to be... I'll wake up from my reverie eventually and put together a full sentence...
scornell at 8:34AM on 05/28/08