How to pick the meltiest cheeses
You’ve read the term plenty of times in recipes: “Use your favorite melting cheese.”
And though that seems easy enough, how do you know if a cheese is a good melting cheese?
A lot of science is behind what makes a cheese melt well, but we could never cover it all here. So, let’s talk Melting Cheese 101.
At the most basic, cheese is made up of water, protein, fat and acid. Fat and water are key in determining whether a cheese will melt well, so if a cheese is high-fat and/or high-moisture, you can expect good meltability (but there’s an asterisk; keep reading).
High-moisture cheeses include mozzarella, Brie, raclette, young Gouda, young cheddar and good, old American cheese. If you aren’t sure about the moisture content of your cheese, give it a gentle squeeze. Higher-moisture cheeses will yield to a gentle touch. Very hard cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or aged dry Jack, will be dry and won’t melt well, though they can be incorporated into melty cheese dishes as a secondary cheese for a punch of flavor.
High-fat cheeses include Swiss, cheddar, Gouda, Edam, blue cheeses and Colby or Monterey Jack. These should be melted gently to keep the water and fat from separating, which can make the cheese appear greasy or curdled.
As you’ve likely experienced, some cheese become creamy when melted, such as Brie, and some become stringy, including mozzarella, or stretchy, like cheddar. This is the result of the cheesemaking process and is distinct to every type of cheese.
For a cheese that will be fonduelike fresh from the rind, choose naturally very soft cheeses, such as Camembert or cream cheese. Firmer cheeses such as cheddar and Gruyère need to be incorporated with other ingredients, such as liquids and starch, to achieve that same consistency. Some high-moisture and high-fat cheeses are just not well suited for melting because of their acidity, or even the type of acid used to create the cheese. Fresh cheeses such as feta, cotija, paneer and halloumi will not melt when heated, making them great additions to hot dishes when you want the cheese to hold its shape. In fact, halloumi is often griddled or grilled, showing how well it holds up to high heat.
Of course, lots of artisan or small-producer cheeses don’t necessarily fall into grocery-store-cheese titles, which can make it hard to determine their meltability. This is when experience comes into play, which means you either need to experiment with a ton of cheese (oh, darn) or find a great cheese seller who can explain the properties of a cheese before you buy it. Don’t be afraid to say what you’re cooking and ask for recommendations; that’s the seller’s job.
Here’s a recipe that incorporates a hard cheese into a gnocchi dish that’s covered in a lusciously gooey melted cheese sauce.