Level up your cheese game with these tips
Cheese’s super power might be its ability to please palates even when it’s been cut improperly, served at the wrong temperature or gobbled too speedily.
Those are just a few mistakes being made with cheese. There are plenty more, said Molly Browne, education manager for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. And Browne knows a cheese mistake when she sees it. A culmination of her expertise is built on working at a cheese shop and creameries on her way to earning American Cheese Society certifications as a cheese professional and cheese sensory evaluator.
The very nature of cheese (as a way to preserve and extend milk’s shelf life) makes it a nearly foolproof food.
It might be difficult to ruin a good piece of cheese, but there are steps you can take to maximize your cheese experience.
Start by slowing your chewing. “The worst thing you can do is gobble a cheese. You miss all the good stuff,” said Mark Johnson, assistant director of the Center for Dairy Research. “If you want to savor a cheese, you have to warm it up in your mouth and eat it slowly.”
Johnson has been with CDR for more than 30 years, holds a food science doctorate and regularly judges U.S. and international cheese competitions.
Browne and Johnson offer more tips to maximize your cheese experience during National Dairy Month and beyond.
How do you cut wedge and other non-block shape cheeses?
Before getting into the how of slicing cheese, Johnson says to grab a knife with a thin blade when delving into a firm cheese to reduce the likelihood of slices sticking to the blade. For crumbly cheeses like aged cheddar, Parmesan or blue cheese, use a fork or cheese spreader knife.
Slice a cheese wheel like you’d cut a piece of pie. Cut cheese wedges lengthwise into thin pieces.
Regardless of the shape of the cheese, Browne says to keep the rind in mind when divvying it up. The goal is to put out slices with consistent rind-tocheese ratio. For something like a caveaged cheddar you don’t want a piece that’s heavy on hard-to-chew rind. For soft-ripened cheeses there is a different culinary goal.
Should you eat the cheese rind?
This is a question cheese experts have been asked thousands of times, said Browne. Her response? “Rind your own business.”
It is safe to eat but not always ideal, so enjoyment of the rind depends on the cheese and personal taste.
It’s a must for soft-ripened cheeses like Camembert, said Johnson. Flavor works into the cheese from the outside, so the rind has a more intense flavor than the softer middle.
Eating the rind with center brings those flavors together, and the difference in texture adds another layer to the experience. The rind of a brie should be quite tender and mild, said Browne.
Bonus tip: If the cheese flows or oozes out of the middle of a Camembert or other similar cheese, don’t eat it. It’s too old. The middle should be soft, but still hold its form.
When it comes to cheeses like Limburger or an aged Gruyere, Johnson said, he trims off a little bit of the rind.
Hard rinds like those on an aged Parmesan should be cut away because they can be difficult to chew and don’t add much to the cheese experience. But save those rinds.
“I see people cutting off a quarter inch of rind and I’m thinking you paid $20 a pound for that cheese,” said Johnson. “I save the rind and put it on soup or something. I don’t waste it.”
Should you let cheese warm before serving?
Yes. Absolutely yes.
Cold temperatures mute cheese flavors, said Johnson. Warming it up to 60 degrees or room temperature releases more flavor.
Cheese is volatile, meaning flavors evaporate. Ideally the smell evaporates into your nose, which aids in taste. The smellier, the tastier.
As cheese softens it’s easier to slice and will melt a little in your mouth, which releases more flavor.
If you want maximum flavor, cheese is a plan-ahead food. Depending on the size of the chunk and temperature in your house, take it out 30 minutes to an hour before eating.
Only warm up what you plan to eat and leave the rest in the refrigerator.
Leave the hunk in one piece until it warms, said Johnson. Smaller pieces have a tendency to dry out.
How long can cheese be kept at room temperature?
Cheese was invented to preserve milk before there was a refrigeration, said Browne. Still, it’s best to keep cheese refrigerated between servings.
Assuming room temperature is in the 70s and the cheese isn’t in direct sunlight, Browne said, most cheeses can be out for about two hours. A bit less for soft cheeses. Johnson said as rule of thumb, don’t leave cheese out more than four hours.
However, increased volatility while sitting at room temperature means cheese left on the counter loses flavor that can’t be restored.
Every time cheese goes through a warming and cooling cycle, the quality diminishes, Browne said.
Should that cheese smell like that?
Most cheeses like Havarti or Colby don’t have a strong smell, said Johnson but some have distinct aromas. And it’s not all roses.
Romano or Asiago might actually smell a little rancid, said Johnson, but they’re supposed to.
“I want that little stink with these cheeses. If I don’t want that smell I’ll grab Parmesan.”
Though if another style of cheese smelled like those hard Italian cheeses, toss it.
Johnson said he won’t eat a blue cheese or Camembert if it’s giving off an slight ammonia aroma.
Should you grate your own cheese?
As a cheese expert, Browne, said she believes in shredding your own cheese because it melts better than pre-shredded cheese. As a mom of a toddler, sometimes you need to make a cheese quesadilla — quick. So, having a bag of pre-shredded cheddar in the fridge isn’t going to harm your cheese cred.
Manufacturers use anti-caking agents to keep shredded cheese from clumping. Those agents dry out the cheese, said Johnson, which hinders melting.
Clean, cold and covered
Storing cheese is a delicate balance. Most cheese benefits from being wrapped in something other than plastic, but left unprotected in the wilds of the fridge there’s no telling what flavors the cheese will absorb. Or maybe you like your cheddar infused with green pepper.
Using cheese paper, a special two-ply paper, controls air flow and humidity while preventing the cheese from drying out. Cheese paper is available on Amazon, said Browne, but wrapping cheese in waxed paper before storing in a resealable bag or airtight container achieves similar results.