Cheese.

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm a complete cheese noob. Can anyone give me good cheese recommendations? I've only tried the more mainstream cheeses like Muenster, pepperjack, cheddar, blue, etc. I've tried Brie before but to me it's just glorified cream cheese.

I wanted to buy some cheese today but didn't because I had no clue what to buy. Wanted to eat it with a sandwich or something.

 

[rudeguy]

I like the snorgle kind.

 

[AreaCode7O7]

Havarti is awesome sandwich cheese.

Port-wine cheddar is amazing. Actually, you can learn a lot about cheese by trying different cheddars. Mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp, a few different types of smoked, a few specialty cheddars, that can be a lot of fun on its' own.

Try some goat and sheep cheese. You may not like everything you try (especially depending on where you get it; some can be very strong) but it's worth a shot. I particularly like goat cheese chevre, a spreadable tangy cheese that doesn't have a very barnyard flavor or aroma. You can often pick this up pretty cheap at Grocery Outlet if you have one nearby.

Manchego is a good hard sheep cheese to try. It's got a little bit of sheep flavor but not as much as some others, so it's not bad as a beginner sheep cheese.

Going somewhere you can taste different bleu cheeses will be a good palate education, as will trying some things like Roquefort and Gorgonzola.

Also check out various treatments of gouda. Different producers make plain gouda differently, plus they'll smoke it or add other elements that make it interesting. I had the chance to try some goat cheese gouda once, plain, ash-wrapped and white-wine soaked. Very interesting, all three.

Try Gruyere, Camembert, Limburger. You may or may not like them but it'll be an education.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I'm a complete cheese noob. Can anyone give me good cheese recommendations? I've only tried the more mainstream cheeses like Muenster, pepperjack, cheddar, blue, etc. I've tried Brie before but to me it's just glorified cream cheese.

I wanted to buy some cheese today but didn't because I had no clue what to buy. Wanted to eat it with a sandwich or something.

You're doing it wrong. Brie is nothing like cream cheese, or at least it shouldn't be. A good triple-cream Brie is delicious, with loads of flavour.

One of my favourite hard cheese is a good, cave-aged Gruyere, plus it's awesome for a grilled ham & cheese sammich. Yum!

Really you should just go to a cheese shop and tell them what you like/don't like and they will always, in my experience, let you sample. Then buy what you like after all of the sampling. Best way to go IMO.

KT

 

[AreaCode7O7]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Really you should just go to a cheese shop and tell them what you like/don't like and they will always, in my experience, let you sample. Then buy what you like after all of the sampling. Best way to go IMO.

KT

The Seattle Cheese Festival! MMMMM!

Has anyone tried Dubliner? It's got a parmesan-ish flavor but slightly smoother and nuttier. I love it!!

 

[Colt45]

fuck i love cheese so much. mmmm.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

If you like;
Muenster -> you might like Leerdammer, Gouda, Havarti, Asiago or, Limburger.
Pepperjack is a processed cheese and doesn't count.
Cheddar -> comes in a bazillion varieties from colby to cheddar so sharp it will cut your toungue. I like the celtic white cheddar.
Blue comes in almost as many varieties as cheddar from mild Danish and Gorgonzola to my favorites Roquefort and Stilton.
There are so many cheeses you could eat a different one each day for years and never repeat yourself. Find a decent cheese shop and try a bunch.
Behold the power of cheese!

 

[GasX]

To learn about cheese is to eat cheese. There are a million tastes, textures and types to try. Find a good cheese store or supermarket with a good cheese section and buy 3 or 4 kinds. Sit down and try them all with some nice fresh french bread, water crackers, apples and/or grapes. Repeat exercise frequently until desired appreciation of cheese is reached. A good thing about this approach is you can repeat a bit to compare or maintain some consistency from session to session.

 

[waggy]

we have a meat/cheese/wine shop near me. they will let you try any of the cheese's (no problems if you buy some). they also will recomend what cheese to try with what.

I would see if they have anything like that near you.


for me i love the sharp cheese's. heck really haven't found a cheese i do not like.

 

[RKS]

Anything with rennet

 

[Eeezee]

Try some white cheddar. That stuff is good. And then gruyere (sp?).

Brie + crackers is delicious

If the cheese is good, you should be able to eat it on its own. I've heard Wisconsin makes great cheese, but the good stuff doesn't leave the state? If that's true, it's bullshit

 

[bobdole369]

Caerphilly is just awesome.

Had some nice gruyere on a potatoes gratin about 2 weeks ago - cost about $14 for the cheese! Damn Personal Trainer Cooking for showing my wife what she wants me to make!

Feta - Gorgonzola are amazingly good either by themselves or in salad - or on pizza.

Endless cheddar varieties. Get thee to Whole Foods Market if you have one near you. Get a bottle of mead or a nice wine with which to enjoy some cheese.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I'm a complete cheese noob. Can anyone give me good cheese recommendations? I've only tried the more mainstream cheeses like Muenster, pepperjack, cheddar, blue, etc. I've tried Brie before but to me it's just glorified cream cheese.

I wanted to buy some cheese today but didn't because I had no clue what to buy. Wanted to eat it with a sandwich or something.

If you use that attitude, then any decent cheese is glorified Velveeta.

 

[zinfamous]

lol at pepperjack being a cheese.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Find a supermarket with a good cheese department, most will have samples out. Try a bunch free, see what you like.

Originally posted by: zinfamous
lol at pepperjack being a cheese.

Pepperjack is a perfectly valid cheese as it's based on Monterey Jack. If someone ate Jack on a cracker with some hot salsa you wouldn't claim it wasn't a cheese, so what's the big deal about the peppers being processed into it. It's still just Jack.

 

[JohnCU]

i like my cheese on a bun bun

 

[ElFenix]

pecorino romano from italy, not that kraft shit. best off a wheel from a good cheese dept.
stilton, which is english blue, is possibly the best cheese on the planet. eat with some apples and good wine. or port.

mmm port

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
pecorino romano from italy, not that kraft shit. best off a wheel from a good cheese dept.
stilton, which is english blue, is possibly the best cheese on the planet. eat with some apples and good wine. or port.

mmm port

Pecorino romano is pretty much the poor mans' parmesan. It's more brash and lacks the delicate flavor of parmesan but that can be a good thing depending what you're doing with it. Both rock.

 

[zinfamous]

Pecorino isn't Parmesan, it's pecorino.

Besides, romano sucks anyway. Pecorino fresco or fail. Pecorino should be semi-soft, not brick-hard. Pecorino fumare is good too, but GL finding that in the states

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Find a supermarket with a good cheese department, most will have samples out. Try a bunch free, see what you like.

Originally posted by: zinfamous
lol at pepperjack being a cheese.

Pepperjack is a perfectly valid cheese as it's based on Monterey Jack. If someone ate Jack on a cracker with some hot salsa you wouldn't claim it wasn't a cheese, so what's the big deal about the peppers being processed into it. It's still just Jack.

Hey i like it, but I'm not into this factory-processed thing anyway.

Is there some sort of unpasteurized pepperjack?

 

[SonnyDaze]

Gorgonzola

 

[KeithTalent]

I guess we scared him off with our cheesiness.

KT

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I got a wedge of cheap gorgonzola yesterday. It's pretty good. How am I supposed to store an unfinished wedge of cheese? Covered? Uncovered? In the fridge? How long can it store it for after I've opened it?

 

[Extelleron]

Well one thing you always need around the house is some good grating cheese for pasta/etc. There are a wealth of choices but you should definitely try some Parmigiano Reggiano; don't buy cheap American-made Parmesan (aka Kraft), you want the real stuff. Alternatively you could buy Grana Padano which is pretty similar or Pecorino Romano as someone mentioned earlier.....Pecorino has quite a strong taste but I like it a lot. It's usually best to buy the cheese in a block and grate it yourself but you will need to buy a grater.

If you can get fresh mozzarella that is also great just to eat.

 

[sonambulo]

Originally posted by: AreaCode707
Manchego is a good hard sheep cheese to try. It's got a little bit of sheep flavor but not as much as some others, so it's not bad as a beginner sheep cheese.

OH BABY!

I love Manchego. Campo de Montalban, while technically not a Manchego, is easily my favorite cheese and deserves a sampling by any cheese fan.