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 | Delicatessen & Cheese |
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| Cheese Basics |
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As you can tell from the cheese assortment in our stores, we love cheese! We sell hundreds of different cheeses made with everything from cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, soy, and rice milk to cheeses made with a mix of milk types.
We get lots of questions about our cheese so here are some answers to the most common questions. |
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| What are the different types of cheese? |
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Cheeses can be grouped into categories based upon how they are made. At city'super we group our cheeses into eight categories that we find easy to recognize.
Here are the different types:
Fresh Cheese
These are young, soft, moist, cheeses with no rind and high moisture content.
Taste: mild and fresh.
Try: chèvre, feta, and ricotta.
Pulled Curd Cheese (also called Pasta Filata)
Cheese curd is given a hot whey bath, then kneaded and stretched before shaping into a ball, braid or other shape.
Taste: mild and sometimes creamy.
Try: mozzarella and provolone.
Bloomy Rind Cheese (also called soft-ripened)
These cheeses have a snowy white rind are often smooth, runny, or gooey textured closest to the rind and firmer in the middle.
Taste: mild and buttery or strong and mushroomy.
Try: Brie, Camembert, and Triple Crème cheese.
Washed Rind Cheese
These cheeses have rinds that are usually orange-hued because they are rubbed or washed (sometimes immersed) during the aging process with brine (salt water), wine, or other liquid.
Taste: Pungent, aromatic, and rich.
Try: Epoisses and Taleggio
Semi-Soft Cheese
These supple and creamy cheeses are springy to the touch and range in color from pale white to orange.
Taste: Mild and buttery to pungent and earthy.
Try: Fontina and Young Gouda
Firm Cheese (also called Semi-Hard)
These cheeses are pressed during production to remove moisture and are dense but supple.
Taste: Nutty and round, sharp, and/or grassy.
Try: Cheddar, Gruyère, Manchego, and Comté.
Hard-Grating Cheese
These cheeses are aged for long periods until hard and dry. They become more pungent as they age, so most of the cheeses in this category pack a lot of flavor.
Taste: Salty, nutty, rich, and grainy.
Try: Aged Gouda and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Blue Cheese
There are many types of blue veined cheese and all have distinct blue-green mold growing through out.
Taste: Pungent, salty, piquent and spicy.
Try: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Blue Stilton |
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| How do I serve cheese? |
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| Cheese should be served at room temperature to fully enjoy its flavor and texture. Leave the cheese covered and at room temperature for about half an hour before serving. Try to avoid precutting cheese into cubes or slices as it will dry out quickly, but rather leave to be cut as needed. |
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| What can I serve with cheese? |
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Scatter dried fruits like raisins, figs, or dates across your cheese platter for a tasty addition.
Chutney, honey, and jam (particularly those low in sugar) are a great balance to sharp cheddars and pungent blues. French chèvre (goat's milk cheese) with a drizzle of honey and slices of plump ripe figs is a taste combo you will not soon forget!
Quince and fig pastes sliced and served with firm sheep's milk cheese is another winning combination.
Super sweet fresh fruits are another great combo. Try apples with sharp cheddar, juicy pears with Roquefort, and sweet strawberries with fresh goats' cheese.
Nuts of all kinds. We especially like Spanish Marcona almonds with Manchego cheese.
Olives are a nice complement to sheep's milk cheeses like feta.
Charcuterie is a natural pairing with cheese. Serve thin slices of Prosciutto, Serrano, or salami with your firm cheeses.
Wine is a good partner with cheese, in general, white wines match best with soft cheeses and red wines match best with hard cheeses, whereas sweet wines match very well with pungent cheese like blue cheeses.
Don't forget crackers and bread to put the cheese on! |
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| Tips for Storing Cheese |
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Fresh Cheese
Most of these cheeses come in a plastic or wax-coated paper tub-leave them there, sealing tightly after each use. Store such cheeses in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Any sign of mold means the cheese should be thrown out; there's no way to salvage it.
Pulled Curd Cheese
Many of these cheeses come in a container filled with brine or whey. Keep the liquid and store any leftover cheese in the liquid with a sealed lid. For cheeses without liquid, simply wrap snugly in plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated.
Bloomy Rind Cheese
These sticky cheeses should be lightly wrapped in wax or parchment paper, then plastic wrap. Or place it on a small plate and cover with plastic wrap or in a plastic storage container with a lid. Keep refrigerated.
Washed Rind Cheese
Lightly wrap in wax or parchment paper, then plastic wrap, and return to the box if it came in one. Or place it on a small plate and cover with plastic wrap or in a plastic storage container with a lid. Keep refrigerated.
Semi-Soft Cheese
Loosely wrap in wax or parchment paper, then in plastic wrap or foil. Keep refrigerated.
Hard-Grating and Firm Cheese
Loosely wrap in wax or parchment paper, then in plastic wrap or foil. Keep refrigerated.
Blue Cheese
Wrap snugly in plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated. |
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