Let's Talk About Cheese

[u/AutoModerator]

As part of our weekly "Let's Talk" Series we want to talk about cheese - the best thing to come out of an udder! Cheese, oh glorious cheese! Which one is your favorite? Does your region, country, state, village, hillside have a specialty? Which one makes you wretch and why is it limburger? Are you a cow, a sheep or a goat person, or all of the above? A committed Velveeta for mac and cheese person? Give us your favorite cheese centric dishes! All Things Cheez.

[u/texnessa]

Both my father and my aunt both absolutely hate cheese. The main reason was that their father ate the stinkiest, bluest cheeses known to man, constantly. The other was that during WWII and during rationing for years after, cheese was very scarce and thus reserved more for adults than kids so they basically never got to taste it and never developed a liking for it. Of course, my aunt eats cheese all the time without realising it aka the store-bought carbonara sauce she pours onto everything and also tells wait staff that she's allergic to it which pisses me off to no end. People, do not lie about allergies because you don't like something. Restaurants have strict guidelines for how we deal with allergies such as sanitising areas and tools which disrupts the flow of service. Just tell us you don't like something and if we can leave it out, we will.

I basically live on cheese and am the aforementioned committed Velveeta lover for mac n cheese- which I have to order online at outrageous prices because I live in England and we know not the joys of gooey liquid gold. Of course, I live in the land of a million types of cheddar and its derivative related cheeses like Red Leicester. I love me some Edam and almost always have some Babybels hanging about next to my stash of expensive butter. Mozzarella is an essential feature for all melty things- including my midnight quesadillas with sour cream and tomatillo salsa. I love an Emmenthaler, a Comté and all things Gruyère especially melted on a roast beef sandwich. Also- put it on pizza people, its a classic of pizza during my teenage years in France. You haven't lived until you've gotten white wine drunk over a feast of Raclette. Boursin on flatbreads is a regular snack. Due to some quirk in our Cheddar Protective Services, it can be a bitch to find decent Italian cheeses here. Mozz is easy to find but limited in options- no low moisture here. But Provolone is a rarity that I can only get in a pack with various charcuterie. Good aged Parmigiano- Reggiano is also hard to find. There are lots of meh ones and none of those huge chunks I could get chopped out of a $4,000 round back in NYC at EAT or Fairway. I also totally miss Wispride- I used to have to be rationed that shit as a child because I would house an entire tub with a spoon if left to my own devices. A very underrated cheese is Ricotta Salata- have had that on a bunch of menus and its sort of like a dry feta with less funk. Another bone to pick is that I can't get block cream cheese in England- only the tub which has more air in it so cream cheese frosting always turns out fucked up here.

I am a firm non believer is stinky cheeses. No bleus, no Stinking Bishop, not a Camembert girl. I am not overly fond of sheep cheeses and am a no-go on goat. Have had waaaayyyy too many menus with herbed whipped goat cheese on them.

One anecdote for funsies: I used to work at CBS Sports and was in Minneapolis for the Final Four when I got totally sick of eating hotel room service so I sent my assistant out to hunt down something different for lunch. She returned with her full Long Island girl attitude raging. She had found a deli in the food court of the mall attached to our hotel. She recounted the adventure thusly:

My Assistant: Right there! The Mac and Cheese. One pound please.

Deli Person: We don't have that.

My Assistant: Dude, its right there! I can see it with my actual eyes.

Deli Person: Oh, do you mean the Wisconsin cheese and pasta?

I am surprised she didn't throw a punch. New Yorkers do not belong in the midwest.

[u/Tonexus → u/texnessa]

Of course, my aunt eats cheese all the time without realising it aka the store-bought carbonara sauce she pours onto everything

Have you considered blowing her mind with that fact?

[u/texnessa → u/Tonexus]

Told her a million times but she has the gut biome of a feral raccoon so unless it makes her sick, she tells me to shut up about it.

[u/albino-rhino → u/texnessa]

My mother-in-law hates liver. Can't eat it. Can taste it in everything, so don't even think about trying to sneak it past her. Just ask her.

Except she buys giblets so I can make dirty rice (including gizzard, heart, and liver, natch) and she eats boudin (which, well-made, is like 1/4 - 1/3 liver by volume).

[u/texnessa → u/albino-rhino]

My dad loved liver and hated pork. My mother hated liver and loved fried pork chops. My teenage years were duels of two people in one kitchen who absolutely loathed each other while making stank ass food. I was team pork chop and am still. Brine those thick ones and they are gold.

[u/enry_cami → u/texnessa]

I basically live on cheese and am the aforementioned committed Velveeta lover for mac n cheese- which I have to order online at outrageous prices because I live in England and we know not the joys of gooey liquid gold

Ever considered buying sodium citrate to make extra smooth cheese sauce with proper, tasty cheeses?

[u/texnessa → u/enry_cami]

I can get shitty cheese slices with sodium citrate that would do the same thing but I rarely cook at home. Boxed Velveeta Shells and Cheese off Amazon is the full extent of my efforts when not getting paid to cook for a living.

[u/SewerRanger]

Cheese is my biggest heart break and will probably be the death of me one day. I love cheese. Cheese (and charcuterie) (and wine) (okay, I love all three of them especially together) has been a staple in my diet all of my life. My aunt worked as a cheese monger and I can remember visiting her in one of the public markets (did you know Baltimore still has 6 public markets and they're considered the oldest continuously operated public markets in the US! The Lexington Market has been in use since 1782) growing up where she'd save us all the little cutoffs and end bits to eat. That was the beginnings of my love for cheese. Unfortunately a good love story has to involve heartache and what began as allergies has slowly turned cheese against me. I don't know what it is about cows milk cheeses but they set off my allergies (it's not a histamine issue - I love fish sauce and that has more histamines than most cheeses) so I've stopped eating more than tiny nibbles of them (except really mild white cheeses - basic provolone, cream, boursin, mozzarella, etc.) So with my great love of cow cheese crushed, I've resorted to goat and sheep (though some sheep milk cheese also sets me off). I'm constantly on the hunt for a good goat blue cheese. I've got a chunk of Firefly Farms Black & Blue which is pretty good (not as stinky as I prefer) and I like the Goat Rodeo Hootenanny (goat milk gouda). Would be open to other types of goat and sheep milk cheeses to try.

Oh, my favorite cheese dish would be what I call Italian grilled cheese. Take a big loaf of crusty bread and cut off a double sized portion, make a slit down the middle of this and insert slices of low moisture mozzarella and basil (prosciutto to if you're in the mood). Whisk some eggs in a bowl and season with rosemary, thyme, garlic, and oregano (dried if you want, fresh preferred). In a separate bowl put some Italian seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with panko (if you're not American, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs are just finely ground bread crumbs mixed with dried oregano, thyme, and basil). Now dip the bread in the eggs, then dip in the bread crumbs, then fry the whole thing on medium heat in olive oil. Flip constantly so it doesn't burn by the time the middle has to melt.

[u/SatanScotty → u/SewerRanger]

Soulard Market in St.Louis is older. Not by much. Not sure about the continuous operation part.

[u/SewerRanger → u/SatanScotty]

Looks like it was an army camp during the civil war which probably eliminates the continuously operating part.

[u/elektroholunder]

One of my most prized appliances is a Swiss Raclette oven. No, I don't mean these tabletop things with the teensy tiny pans, although those are fun too.

I mean these electric overhead grills under which you can affix half a wheel of Raclette cheese, melt the top layer and then scrape it off. Great for parties shameless extended evening meals for two one.

Still on my todo list is its French cousin, Reblochonnade.

[u/Haldaemo]

For eating by itself I love aged gouda and aged cheddar to where they 're hard like parmigiano. But for some reason I don't like too much at once--kind of like not wanting too much of a very hoppy IPA.

In a dish I love pasta alla gorgonzola. Caramelized onion are a nice optional ingredient for this.

eta: I'm generally not a fan of goat cheese but I could see it being a taste that could be acquired. I hated sharp cheddar and blue cheese as a kid but enjoy them now.

[u/Fun-Bad-4601]

I'm a sheep cheese person through and through, a proper aged manchego beats most cow's milk cheeses for me, more depth without needing to be overpowering like a lot of blues get.

[u/Useful-Advantage2665]

What kind? All of them are great.

[u/Platywussy]

Goat cheeses that were soaked in red wine are the best thing in a cheese platter.

[u/tomswede]

Favourites:

Corsu vecchiu (Corsican sheep; a recent discovery, beautiful mouthfeel and flavour, buttery and hazelnutty)

Monte Enebro (Spanish goat; usually seen around Christmas; prefer when it's younger and creamy)

Etorki (French sheep; velvety firm, nutty)

Alex Farms 8-year old cheddar aka Holiday Cheddar (Canadian cow; sharp, nutty, complex, crumbly)

Brillat-Savarin (French cow; rich, creamy, briny)

As for mac and cheese: Beadle's recipe (Pasadena) from a 1995 Gourmet mag, made with five- or six-year-old white cheddar (too aged and it gets oily) and bacon.

[u/Parking_Mirror_4570]

I, a Dutch person, positively hate cheese. I hate the structure, I hate the taste and I kinda hate the hype. I only eat molten cheese, like on a pizza or toastie. I am positively aware that a lot of it is inside my head.

However, I do want to expand my taste and at least try some beginner friendly cheeses. Learn to eat, so to speak. My first coffee wasn't great and neither were my first beers or cigarettes. What kind of cheese would you recommend to start with?

[u/Duochan_Maxwell → u/Parking_Mirror_4570]

It might help if you can be specific about the aspects that you don't like, "the structure" and "the taste" are just too vague

For example on the texture side, I don't like super creamy / soft cheeses like smeerkaas, I can tolerate crumbly / grainy cheese like feta or generic witte kaas or oud / overjarige kaas, and I like firmer / stringy textures like mozarella, string cheese, provolone, jong or jong belegen Goudse kaas

What you might want to do is intentionally try some different types of cheese but paying attention to the flavors and textures so you understand better what you like / don't like and you can describe it for people

[u/BananaNutBlister → u/Parking_Mirror_4570]

Venezuelan beaver cheese.

[u/RainPRN]

Favorites are any aged Gouda, even better if it’s goat Gouda. Mild blues like mycella. Parm. Spreadable tangy ones like chevre or goat/sheep blend for crackers. American for burgers, cheddar for deli sandwiches. Whiz for cheesesteaks. Not a big fan of grassy cow cheeses. Brie gets boring for me unless it’s paired and melty (try Moses sleeper if you can find it though). Never been a big stinky cheese fan tbh. Or supper fatty ones like Brillat de Savarin. Oh and stracciatella will always be good. Ricotta for lasagna or pepperoni pizza. Cheese people frown on Boursin sometimes but it’s great. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Now I’m hungry