Cheese how to eat

How to Eat Cheese – Cheese Grotto

Here at Cheese Grotto, we’re all about giving you the knowledge you need to buy, store, eat, and enjoy great cheese. We have decades of experience as cheesemongers, cheesemakers, and cheese eaters to share, so we figured we’d bring it all together in one big guide on how to live your best cheese life!

If you’re a budding cheese connoisseur, this guide is a great place to start leveling up your cheese game. Even if you’re a seasoned connoisseur with a Grotto of your own stuffed full of amazing wedges, we bet you’ll learn something new about your favorite food.

How to Shop for Cheese

Knowing which cheeses to buy, whether for a tasting party or just for snacking, can feel like a challenge. With so many styles, from mild types like cottage cheese to funky blue-veined cheeses, how do you know which cheese to purchase?

Luckily, it’s easier than ever to shop for artisan cheese, whether you’re looking at the supermarket or shopping online.

How to Buy Cheese at a Cheese Shop

Hitting up a dedicated cheese shop—or a specialty store, food co-op, or gourmet grocer with a dedicated cheese counter—is one of the best ways to source great cheese and get an education, too.

Cut-to-order shops typically offer samples, which can be a great way to broaden your cheese horizons. A staffed counter also gives you the chance to ask the cheesemonger questions about different varieties in their case. Don’t be shy—it’s their job to guide you to the perfect wedge!

How to Buy Cheese at the Grocery Store

If there’s no cheese shop in your area, you can still pick up quality cheese at a variety of price points. Some supermarket chains, like Whole Foods and Wegmans, feature staffed cheese counters, while others, like Trader Joe’s, offer a wide variety of pre-cut wheels.

Fresh, cut-to-order pieces are generally better quality, but pre-cuts will do in a pinch. The same goes for cheeses you might use for cooking or baking, like parmesan. You’ll get better flavor and a longer shelf life if you buy a hunk and grate it yourself, but pre-shredded or pre-grated work too.

If you don’t have one of these stores nearby, look for the specialty cheese case at your local grocer. It’s often a wide, open-topped cooler or circular display separate from the dairy case (which is where you’ll find items like block cheddars and bags of pre-sliced and pre-shredded cheeses).

How to Buy Cheese Online

No matter what kind of in-person shopping options are available to you, you can still buy tons of amazing cheese online. Peruse our online cheese shop, where we sell a variety of cow, goat, and sheep milk cheeses sourced directly from American artisan cheesemakers. It’s easy to filter styles based on your preferences, and you can purchase individual pieces or buy bundles that show off several styles from a single maker.

If you like surprises catered around your favorite cheese types, consider signing up for our monthly or quarterly artisan cheese subscription. Every month or every three months, you’ll receive a different cheese or bundle of cheeses from a different artisan. We’ll send you a cheese preferences survey when you sign up, so you’ll be sure to enjoy each box while broadening your palate.

As you’re shopping, you might wonder: Are some cheeses healthier than others? Contrary to popular belief, cheese isn’t unhealthy. But depending on your needs (or the needs of those you’re serving), some cheeses may work better than others. Learn how to build a healthy cheese plate.

How to Store Cheese

Proper cheese storage is the best way to keep your investment tasting great for longer. The Cheese Grotto is designed just for this purpose—keeping your cheeses fresh for up to three weeks in the fridge and seven days on the counter, no cheese paper or plastic wrap needed.

For more on how to store cheese, check out our Ultimate Guide to Cheese Storage. And if you’re ready to take your cheese storage to the next level, check out the four Cheese Grotto models in our online store.

How to Pair Cheese

When we teach virtual tastings, people always ask questions about pairing and serving cheese. Folks want to know things like how to eat burrata cheese with wine, or how to eat Brie cheese on a charcuterie board. They even ask which jam to pair with cream cheese.

While finding the right pairing might seem like some kind of complicated calculus, it’s actually really easy: the correct pairing is the one you like! Sensory experiences like smell and taste are so subjective that there is no “right” answer.

To get you started, though, we’ve got some handy guidelines for pairing right here. We’ve also published a ton of pairing guides with tips for how to combine cheese with beer, wine, spirits, tea, chocolate, and honey as well as pairing ideas broken down by season.

How to Eat Cheese

There are a ton of different ways to eat cheese: sliced, melted, crumbled, grated, baked, even grilled. And of course, we all love snacks like cheese and crackers and bountiful, colorful cheese boards stuffed with accompaniments.

But when you meet a new artisan cheese for the first time—or when you want to really enjoy and think about its flavors and textures, as in a “formal” cheese tasting—you can follow a set of steps to get the most bang for your cheese dollar. Our How to Taste Cheese Like a Pro post includes detailed instructions for using your senses to get the most out of your favorite cheeses.

How to Host a Cheese Tasting

Now that you’ve got the knowledge, it’s time to put it into action by inviting a small group of your cheese-loving friends over for a little tasting party.

Gather your cheeses and accompaniments.

Hit up your local cheese counter, farmers’ market, or gourmet shop and pick up a selection of cheeses, accompaniments, and beverages using the tips in this guide.

We recommend a mix of styles: something mild and creamy, like chevre or fromage blanc; a savory, hard cheese like a clothbound cheddar or Alpine style; and something pungent, like a whiffy washed-rind cheese or peppery, salty blue. In our opinion, the best cheeses for a tasting are artisan wheels—it’s best to skip your everyday snack or utility cheeses like string cheese and cottage cheese when you’re building a cheese board.

Plan on four ounces of cheese per person if you’re serving other snacks, or eight ounces per person if cheese is the main event. It’s a good idea to have palate cleansers like grapes, sparkling water, and plain crackers or bread on hand so you can reset between cheeses.

Don’t want to leave the house? We can ship everything right to your door. Our cheese tasting box even includes all the accompaniments you need for a delicious soiree.

Get your tasting supplies together.

In addition to serving ware—small plates, spoons, cheese knives—you’ll want some boards or platters to display your cheeses on, and maybe some small bowls or other vessels for the accompaniments (you can also just keep it simple and leave items like jams, pickles, and honeys in their jars). You can even build a cheese board into your Grotto.

Think about how you’ll identify your cheeses, too. It’s a good idea to include info like name, milk type, producer, region, and whether the cheese is made with raw or pasteurized milk.

You can save the labels from the wrapping and stick them next to the cheese, or you can buy cheese sign holders for this exact purpose. We like using a dark slate board like our Circular Serving Slate, which you can write on with washable soapstone chalk. You can even label our Writable Black Resin Cheese Knives with their corresponding cheeses so your guests don’t get them mixed up.

You’ll also want to provide paper and pens for your guests to take notes and record their impressions. We have a handy cheese tasting workbook you can print out.

Prepare your cheeses on the big day.

At least an hour before start time, you’ll want to remove your cheeses (or your Grotto) from the fridge so your cheeses can come up to room temperature—a super important step that’s sometimes forgotten when eating cheese.

Doing this lets you fully enjoy the flavors, textures, and aromas of your cheese, which becomes hard, waxy, and bland at cold temperatures. Larger pieces will need more time, so plan accordingly.

Dig in and have fun!

After you’ve welcomed your guests and poured some drinks, it’s time to taste! If you like, you can introduce your guests to the tasting steps we’ve outlined above with the first cheese, then proceed through the other options from mildest to strongest.

Of course, it’s a party, so the vibe should be fun and relaxed—if your guests aren’t interested in sensory analysis or taking notes, don’t stress. The whole point is to enjoy yourselves and some amazing cheese, so as long as that happens, your party will be a success!

How to Cook With Cheese

Maybe you have some leftovers from that tasting party, or you’re just excited to experiment with cheese in your cooking. We have a ton of amazing recipes in our archives for you to peruse! Here are some of our favorites.

Breakfast and Brunch Recipes With Cheese

Spring Frittata
Whipped Honey Goat Cheese and Fresh Berries
Cheese and Urfa Pepper Omelette

Lunch Recipes With Cheese

Mozzarella, Roasted Peach, and Tomato Caprese Salad
Tomato-Watermelon Gazpacho With Creme Fraiche
BLT With Pimento Cheese and Pickled Jalapenos
Beet Steak Burgers With Goat Cheese

Dinner Recipes With Cheese

Decadent Truffle Goat Cheese Pasta
Roast Chicken With Grilled Halloumi, Lentils, and Spinach
Slow-Baked Golden Ricotta With Spring Vegetables
Creme Fraiche Mushroom Risotto

Dessert Recipes With Cheese

Cherry Lime Pie Popsicles With Creme Fraiche
Peaches & Creme Fraiche Pops
Grilled Figs Stuffed With Goat Cheese

Now you’re ready to make some fresh, seasonal, and delicious recipes that show off what great cheese and cultured dairy can do in the kitchen.

What other burning cheese questions do you have? Tag us @cheesegrotto on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and let us know!

Cheese Grotto

Cheese Grotto makes internationally award-winning cheese storage pieces. We also sell beautiful American artisan cheeses and accompaniments as gifts and subscriptions. Learn more about the world of specialty cheese with Cheese Grotto! Join our cheese community today.

20 Delicious Ways To Eat Cheese

Cookbook

in Allin Recipesin Newsin Lifestylein How Toin Places

Amanda Shulman Lifestyle

Because life is better with cheese.

Get more Spoon in your feed.

Get Spoon University delivered to you

You tryna be tricky? That email doesn't look right.

By adding your email you agree to get updates about Spoon University Healthier

If you can’t tell, we’re kind of on a cheese kick —we even threw a cheese party in case you haven’t heard. Cheese is easy, delicious and amazingly versatile. Here are 20 foods that taste amazing with cheese, along with some tips for making your lifestyle just a little bit cheesier.

1. Chips. Microwave with cheese for 30 seconds, add some toppings, and you’ve just made the easiest, most delicious nachos to ever to exist.

2. Pasta. Either grate some fancy parmesan over your dish or go full-blown mac-and-cheese…whichever suits your style.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

3. Crackers. This classy snack never gets old. Triscuits with cheddar is especially yummy.

4. Tomatoes. Mix with some mozzarella and add a little olive oil, and you’ll think you’ve been transported to a fancy Italian restaurant.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

5. Cake. It’s called cheesecake. And we highly recommend.

6. Pizza Dough, Sauce, And Pretty Much Anything Else. Self-explanatory.

7. Apples. Feel healthy and indulge at the same time. Breakfast? Appetizer? Late-night snack? The opportunities are truly endless.

8. Bread. Who says grilled cheese is just for kids? Certainly not us. Or Meltkraft in Reading Terminal for that matter.

9. Caramel. Try pairing goat caramel with goat cheese, both available from Whole Foods Market South Street. You won’t regret it and it’s totally meta —which makes it even cooler.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

10. Chili. A bit of grated cheese adds the perfect touch to just about any kind of chili.

11. Bagels. There are so many kinds of bagels. And so many flavors of cream cheese. Think of the delicious combinations that await!

12. Pita. Only feta cheese can really complete the ideal hummus-and-pita dish.

13. Eggs/Omelets. Like most things, an omelet or eggs can only get better if you add cheese.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

14. Potatoes. Add cheese to baked potatoes and you basically have a healthy version of cheese-fries.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

15. Tortillas. Quesadillas are quick, satisfying, and ridiculously easy to make. Plus, you can personalize them however you want.

16. Pie. Some fruit pies and pastries are seriously enhanced by cheese. Give that classic apple pie a cheesy makeover and enjoy the results.

17. Salad. Have you ever eaten a delicious salad that contained only vegetables? Neither have we.

18. Olives. Any decent appetizer plate would just feel sad and empty without these two key ingredients.

19. Figs. A twist on the classic fruit-and-cheese combo, figs can really complement certain cheeses.

20. Itself. Because sometimes, all we want is cheese, and only cheese.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

How to eat cheese. Cooking articles and life hacks

For many of us, a cheese sandwich and hot sweet tea is an unforgettable taste of childhood. But it turns out that this is not the only way to enjoy the delicate cheese aroma and taste. Cheeses are also considered an excellent dessert. There is a whole science of foods and drinks that perfectly complement the taste of a particular type of cheese.

What makes cheese better

The culture of cheese consumption originated in Europe and has a long history. Since ancient times, cheese and wine have been consumed here together, so over time, rules have been formed for choosing the most suitable combination of these products. For example, fruit wines are ideal for white and fresh cheeses. Smooth, fatty cheeses taste better when washed down with slightly oily wines. The taste of very salty cheese will balance the sour wine. Cheese with high acidity complements sweet wine well. For soft cheeses, dry, fresh red wine is the best accompaniment, but as a rule, white wines are more often served with cheeses. But for hard cheeses, the best accompaniment is sherry, port wine or slightly chilled red wine. Interesting combinations of cheese and wine are obtained, which are made in the same region.

For those who like to surprise guests and experiment with tastes, we recommend trying how cheeses and beer go together. Tasting should start with light cheeses and light beers, gradually moving on to cheeses with more pronounced flavors and stronger beers. Beer at the same time should not be icy: slightly chilled it is more aromatic. The main rule is not beer with cheese, but cheese with beer. Take a bite of the cheese, appreciate its aroma, and then take a small sip of beer to enjoy the taste to the fullest.

As for products, the taste of hard cheese is perfectly set off by nuts, dried fruits and fresh fruits, with the exception of citrus fruits. Cheeses are served with fresh white bread, rye bread and crackers. But be careful with proportions: the taste of cheese should not be drowned out by the taste of bread. Hard cheeses are also added to soups, pasta, omelettes, scrambled eggs and pies. It perfectly thickens sauces, is perfect in a melted state (fondue), harmoniously complements meat and vegetable dishes.

Cheese rules

You also need to know how to serve cheese. If you intend to serve cheese as a dessert or gourmet appetizer, you cannot do without a large beautiful dish. It can be ceramic, porcelain and even wood or marble. The main thing is to do everything neatly, beautifully and according to the rules.

Sliced hard cheese is usually placed around the edge of the dish, crumbly cheeses in the middle, and soft cheeses a little to the side. Make sure that sliced wafers and pieces of cheese of one variety do not come into contact with cheese of other varieties, so that flavors do not mix. True, experts believe that the taste of cheese is revealed better if it is cut into cubes, and not into thin slices, as we used to do at home. But you won’t be able to cut aged hard cheese into slices or cubes: due to its structure and the minimum amount of moisture, such cheese can only be chopped into pieces with a special knife or grated.

The cheese plate is served with grapes, apples, pears, raisins, figs and prunes. But, of course, you should not try to surprise guests with the number of varieties of cheese. If cheese is supposed to serve as an accompaniment to an aperitif, two or three varieties of cheese and crackers are quite enough. As a dessert, a cheese plate can be more varied and include a wider variety of cheeses in a variety of textures and flavors. The cheese must be warmed to room temperature, so prepare the cheese plate well in advance.

An excellent combination is obtained when both cheese and drinks are made by the same manufacturer. Thus, table red and white grape wines DŽIUGAS ^® are best suited to Džiugas cheeses. And if the combination of cheese and wine flavors is already familiar to you, then try propolis tincture "Legendinis DŽIUGAS ^®" with a piece of Džiugas cheese. Notes of honey, poplar buds, wax and incense, combined with a touch of nuts and cream, guarantee an unforgettable dining experience. By the way, Džiugas also produces honey of the same name. And, as you know, hard aged cheese and honey is one of the classic flavor combinations.

Those who have not yet become a connoisseur of such an amazing delicacy as cheese have a lot of exciting things to do. Choose, taste cheese with friends, and you will definitely fall in love with this wonderful product.

What cheese is eaten with: the choice of a harmonious duet

Cheese is a tasty and healthy nutritious product enriched with a whole range of vitamins and microelements. Its moderate consumption improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails, strengthens bones, normalizes the functioning of internal organs, and stabilizes the psycho-emotional background. The taste palette of cheeses varies depending on the variety, the degree of aging and the country of origin. Cheeses are spicy, spicy, fresh, sour, brackish. But cheese reveals its taste qualities most fully only in combination with certain products. The selection of a harmonious duet is the key to obtaining a real gastronomic pleasure.

Cheese and wine

A classic, well-known combination. Cheese helps to open up the wine bouquet, and vice versa. Properly selected wine emphasizes the best taste of cheese. When choosing wine for cheese, it is important to follow the rule of taste parity:

Young cheeses with a delicate creamy texture are suitable for light wines;
The richer, more mature the wine, the more piquant should be the taste of its cheese pair.

Cheeses with blue mold will harmoniously complement fortified wines, pickled cheeses will suit fruity and semi-sweet aperitifs, red or white rich wines can be paired with long-aged hard cheeses, delicate creamy taste of soft cheeses with white mold such as Brie from White Cheese from Zhukovka will reveal sparkling guilt.

Cheese and nuts

A classic combination. Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts will be a great addition to a cheese plate and will emphasize the taste of any cheese.

Cheese and vegetables

Not only tasty, but also healthy combination. According to nutritionists, cheese is best absorbed when eaten with vegetables. A fatty, salty cheese product rich in protein is balanced by low-calorie, neutral-tasting vegetables and herbs. At the same time, products can be combined both fresh and after heat treatment. Cheese complements baked cauliflower, decorates pumpkin dishes, diversifies the taste of asparagus, and spices up any vegetable salad.

Young pickled cheeses pair perfectly with beets. With goat cheese, you can cook delicious carpaccio. A fresh salad of beets and feta, complemented by walnuts, will delight even sophisticated gourmets.

Cheese and fruits

An interesting combination of sweet and salty. Juicy, sweet pear and salty cheese with a rich taste can decorate any dish: whether it's a light salad, a gourmet dessert or traditional canapés. Enrich the taste of cheese and pineapple, figs, kiwi, apple. Fruit jams are a great addition to a cheese plate.

Cheese and coffee

A noble combination for gourmets. The most famous example of the success of this tandem is the Tiramisu dessert. The options for consuming cheese with coffee are quite diverse: you can dip a few pieces into a coffee drink and enjoy an extraordinary taste, you can just drink strong coffee and use the cheese as a dessert.

Cheese and honey

A cheese plate cannot be without this ingredient. Honey surprisingly harmoniously complements the taste of cheese. The contrasting combination of sweet and salty in a special way reveals the flavor palette of both products. Soft honey sweetness sets off the spiciness and excessive saltiness of the cheese.

Aged hard varieties are best served with buckwheat honey, soft pickled cheeses such as feta White Cheese from Zhukovka are recommended to be served with floral types of honey.

Cheese and mustard

An unusual combination. As part of any dish, these two ingredients are ideally suited to each other, giving it both creamy tenderness and light spiciness.

Cheese and berries

The perfect combination for a dessert. Cheese is used to make cheesecakes, various puff pastry baskets, pies, butter cream. A baked cheese with sweet berries will give a real gastronomic pleasure and allow you to take a completely new look at the familiar product.

Cheese and grapes are the perfect starter or fresh dessert. Bright, tart taste of cheese will complement juicy, sweet and sour grapes. Strawberries with grated Parmesan are vastly superior in flavor to the battered combination of strawberries and cream.