Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our local Harris Teeter grocery store has an excellent cheese bar but Im so scared to venture into something new.
I wouldnt mind if I knew what you use each cheese for and knew how they tasted. I just dont want to shell out money for something I will not like the taste.
I just discovered Romano and realize it just like Parmessan.
Other than that Colby, and Cheddar is about only cheese I know.
If you have venture into the wonderful Cheese World please share what the cheeses you have tried taste like and what do they go well with.
Real imported Italian romano and parmesan are so delicious. There is a difference between parmesan and romano.
Real Romano-cheese is called Pecorino-Romano, is a creamy white, and hard cheese, imported from Italy. It also is one of the most used Italian-cheeses. It is more pungent than Parmesan. Romano-cheese is aged for a minimum of 6 months, as compared to 24 months for Parmesan-Reggiano.
Pecorino-Romano, originated in Rome, Italy. It also made from sheeps' milk. It must meet Italy's manufacturing standards before it is labeled Pecorino-Romano.
The king of Italian cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano, is exclusively identified easily by it's name because it's name must be stamped on the rind. It is clearly visible as required by law in Italy.
American made parmesan-cheese only hints at the true flavor of genuine Parmesan-cheese. There is a difference.
These less expensive kinds of Parmesan type cheese are aged approximately 10 months compared to 24 months for Parmesan-Reggiano made in Italy.
Why is Paramgiano-Reggiano cheese expensive? In order for it to be an excellent grating cheese, it is aged a minimum of 24 months. It also takes about 8 gallons of milk to make a pound of Parmigiano-Reggiano! It retails in our country for $14 to $18 per pound.
I adore cheese.
It is probably my biggest weakness.
My romance with cheese has been long and rewarding.
I've noticed that the Harris Teeter here has really good prices on dairy goods, and a very nice selection.
Some faves:
Cantal Cantal
from the Auvergne region of France
This cheese has a strong flavor yet is buttery.
Tetilla
from Spain Tetilla
It is shaped like a boob and has a sweet, mild, creamy flavor.
I also like Manchego from Spain.
I also like the more familiar Havarti, Brie, and Gorgonzola.
Oh, and I love the cheeses that Cattknap mentions.
Muenster is my favorite. I remember growing up and my mom making grilled cheese sandwiches with it. Yum! It's a pretty soft cheese. Room temperature cheese tastes so much better than right outta the fridge cheese. I also like jalapeño cheese, or hot pepper cheese. I melt that stuff on bagels. Oh great, now I'm hungry.
I'm really into feta these days -- can't get enough of it. I've been making salads with tomatoes from my garden, olive oil, feta, and a little cracked pepper. I also like it on spaghetti squash with olive oil as well, and some fresh thyme or oregano. Or both.
Mizithra is another good Greek cheese to try. Very creamy.
And British cheeses with fruit -- white Stilton or Wensleydale. Any kind of fruit, but lemon, blueberries or cranberries are the best.
Smoked gouda. Especially if it's made with goat's milk. Yummy.
Oh, once I tried cheese laced with stout (as in the beer). Wow, was that good!!
This thread reminds me of a cheese chalet I had been to in Ohio's Amish country. Goodness, what a huge variety of cheeses they had there.. I almost went mad figuring out which one to buy .
Ended up buying bricks of sun-dried tomato and garlic cheese and Vidalia onion cheese .. wow.I am still drooling. So if you ever get to go to an Amish farm factory or something , dont miss out on their cheeses
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,330 posts, read 54,428,613 times
Reputation: 40736
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnyKayak
Our local Harris Teeter grocery store has an excellent cheese bar but Im so scared to venture into something new.
I wouldnt mind if I knew what you use each cheese for and knew how they tasted. I just dont want to shell out money for something I will not like the taste.
I don't know about Harris Teeter but most cheese shops will let you sample before you buy.
There are so many wonderful cheeses out there, you have a lifetime of discovery ahead of you.
Starting with simple cheeses, have you ever had a "fresh" mozzarella, one that is not rubbery like the supermarket bricks or tasteless shreds? That would be a good one to try, especially on a real farm tomato, not a supermarket one with thick skin (so a machine can harvest it) and no taste.
Then expand the mozzarella world, and find the kind the Italians use, it is called a "Bufalo" mozzarella. It comes from water buffalo milk, and is better still. There is a big operation in Vermont that ships it all over the country.
Cow cheeses are generally milder, though they do include some hearty cheddars, while cheeses from goat and sheep's milk are usually much stronger. Blue. Roquefort. Gorganzola.
There are pungent washed rind cheeses and still other cheeses made from raw whole milk and aged a long time into harder cheeses. The Pecorino Romanos and Reggio Parmigianos that were discussed earlier for example.
But to me, trying to describe cheese to someone who hasn't tasted much of them is like trying to describe the taste of wine to a teetotaler. It's really not easy to do.
What I would do is get the smallest amount possible of a different cheese each week, or two samples of say domestic gouda and imported gouda. Real swiss is stronger than kraft swiss. It's like anything, most people like the mild stuff since they have never had the real thing.
Once you embrace the concept that most of the American food you buy in a supermarket is a pale, over processed, frankenfood compared to the real thing, you will wonder why you have settled for the people chow all these years when you could have been eating the real thing, and be healthier for it!
That's my opinion and I know I am in a minority. Most Americans are happy with processed cheese food. If that's you, I am surprised you read this far.
But I have been to the best supermarkets in the country, and all I want is to go back to simple, tasty, unprocessed farm food. And one more thing. Don't buy any cheese with coloring added. It doesn't add to the flavor, it's just a marketing ploy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's really not easy to do. 
