The 5 Types of Cheese You’ll Meet on Your Quest for THE ONE
Or A Cheese By Any Other Name Might Still Be As Stinky
When I talk about types of cheese, I’m not talking about yellow and white cheddar. No. That’s not really a thing (honestly- it’s, at best, a hopefully-natural coloring). I’m not even referring to difference in styles like gouda, manchego, brie, etc.
We’re talking ultra basics- the 5 Types of Cheese. They are Fresh, Bloomy/Soft-Ripened, Pressed/Cooked, Washed, and Blue.
Fresh cheeses are pretty much what they sound like: younger, fresh cheeses with no to minimal aging. You’re thinking ricotta, fresh mozzarella, chevre (fresh goat cheese, usually in logs or pyramids). Rind-less, soft, and generally pretty mild.
Bloomy/Soft-Ripened cheeses are where you find your brie, camembert, more aged goat etc. Pretty much anything with those softer, white, fuzzy rinds. Theses cheeses age from the outside-in; the older they are, the softer their interiors. Some are fully oozy, some have what we’d call a chalky interior (goat cheeses can be like this). They range from mild to medium in terms of..um..potency. The more full-flavored ones can be mushroom-y or cruciferous. Think broccoli.
Pressed/Cooked is a somewhat broad category. These are generally where most of your firmer cheeses hang out: cheddar, gouda, parmesan. To put it simply: these are cheeses where, during the production process, the curds are ‘cooked’ (meaning agitated in heated whey) or pressed. Cooking and/or pressing both release whey, resulting in a denser cheese. They are often aged longer, which removes even more moisture. The longer the age, the drier the cheese.
Washed cheeses are what they say they are: cheeses that are washed in a brine, wine, spirit, etc. This happens during the aging process, and alters the depth of flavor in the cheese. These cheeses are what most people thing of when they imagine ‘stinky’ or ‘funky’ cheeses. Not all are super pungent- the washing medium and the length of aging have a lot to do with how forceful they smell. That being said, I once heard a man ask for a cheese, describing it as “somewhere between a foot and a fart.” ...It is what it is.
Blue cheese is, in my humble opinion, the green tea of cheese: generally you love it or hate it. The blue-green streaks are mold, which enter the cheese either through naturally forming cracks or by needling- a process that pokes a variety of channels into the cheese with long needles. Blue cheese can be either creamy or firm and crumbly.
Some cheeses might fit into more than one category, depending on how it’s produced or aged. You can have a blue cheese that is washed, and fresh mozzarella curds are cooked. Generally: when finding cheese organized by category, look for the most dominant feature.
Why bother even knowing the different types of cheese at all? Well, when you’re looking to make yourself a cheese plate, it’s nice to get a variety. I usually recommend either one soft/bloomy, one pressed/cooked, and one blue (unless blue is your current nemesis); or one from each major category if you’re throwing a party. It’s also helpful when you’re asking your cheesemonger for something- easiest way to get what you want is to speak the language!
What is your favorite type of cheese?
