Be a Cheese Know-It-All

Ever wish you could maneuver around your local grocery's cheese section like a pro? Choosing great-looking and -smelling cheeses is a practiced skill. With the tips below, you can begin to become the cheese know-it-all you've always dreamed you could be. Then show off that knowledge at your next party.

Judge the Appearance. Begin by evaluating the rind, if the cheese has one. Is it in good condition, or starting to break down? Look for signs of mite damage or for cracks that could allow for contaminants to enter. If the rind is excessively thick, it can reduce the yield of the cheese. If it is a mold-ripened cheese, does the mold look healthy and even? Look at a cut piece. In a blue-veined cheese, the veins should be distributed evenly. For most cheeses, the color of the paste should be uniform, perhaps darkening near the rind. Does the cheese have eyes or cracks when it shouldn't, a sign of undesirable gas formation?
What you don't want: Color defects, such as uneven or mottled color, pinking or browning.

Evaluate the Aroma. Take a few moments to smell the cheese in several places and try to articulate the scents you find. What you don't want: Be on the lookout for undesirable aromas, like sour milk or the so-called "baby burp," that may signal unhealthy fermentation. Cheeses that smell ammoniated, stale, rancid or overly goaty should obviously get the thumbs down.

Assess the Texture. Poke and probe rinds to determine how moist, tacky or powdery they are. Evaluate the body of a firm cheese by squeezing a piece between thumb and forefinger and noting the resistance. A weak-bodied cheese will break down quickly, becoming mushy with one or two squeezes. This breakdown indicates poor cheesemaking practices. What you don't want: Be aware of how much butterfat remains on your fingers. Does the cheese become crumbly or pasty? When you squeeze Comte between your fingers and it doesn't become a homogeneous paste or crumbles, be wary. If a Lancashire becomes a pile of gravely bits, be concerned. If you squeeze a piece of Manchego and it doesn't leave enough fat on your fingers, that's a problem.

Appraise the Flavor. To a purist, there are only five flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (the savory taste). All of those flavors are, or can be, present in cheese, and you should keep them in mind as you taste. Are they in balance? Although aged cheeses contain no sugar, they can have a caramel-like sweetness. All cheeses have acidity and would taste bland without it, but do you taste too much acidity? Salt, too, is essential but should not be the first thing you taste.

Ask for a Sample. Taste slowly, letting the sample dissolve on your tongue and noting its texture. Is it sandy, crumbly, grainy, silky or creamy? And is the texture pleasing? While the cheese is on your palate, you will perceive more aromas, so take the time to articulate them. Instead of noting simply that a cheese is nutty, ask yourself what do you smell? Roasted peanuts? Walnuts? Hazelnuts? Is it a buttery smell like the fragrance of freshly churned or melted butter? Prodding yourself to be more precise will help you build a better taste vocabulary. And remember that flavors often unfold slowly, so make note not only of what you perceive at first, but of how the cheese finishes. -Janet Fletcher and Denise Shoukas

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