Cheese Usage
Click on the links below to read more about using Cheese.
Selecting Cheese
- Wise purchase requires a basic knowledge of cheese styles.
- Get to know your cheese suppliers and seek knowledge and recommendations from them.
- Good
refrigerated distribution has enabled cheese companies to have their
cheeses delivered to interstate markets in good condition.
- Each cheese category ripens differently.
Work
with your supplier to ensure cheese is delivered at the required stage
of maturity. For example, some cheeses may not be ready for immediate
use and should be left in the refrigerator and allowed to ripen.
Some guidelines to serve the best cheese in town
- Ask your cheese supplier what is ripe today, and what will be ripe tomorrow.
- Observe the appearance of the rind as it often indicates the age and condition of the cheese.
- Plan ahead to ensure the cheese is ripe when served.
- Remove from the fridge only the quantity required for a meal.
- Don't over order.
Make the right selection for each cheese style:
Fresh Unripened Cheese
Select if moist, snowy white and sweet smelling. As it has a short life, always check the use-by date.
White Mould Cheese
Ensure
it has a glossy interior and shows signs of breakdown on the surface
mould. The centre of the cheese should ooze or bulge when cut. The
cheese should be as soft in the middle as the edge.Washed Rind Cheese
Choose for its good earthy aroma, red/orange rind and bulge when cut.
Blue Cheese
Select if moist and evenly veined with an aroma that is earthy. The rind should be damp but not too sticky.
Eye Cheese
Choose if smooth and supple with shiny eyes.
Semi-hard Cheese
Select if free from dryness and cracks.
Hard Cheese
Select if free from dryness and cracks.
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Storing Cheese
Place in original wrapper, where possible. - Cheese
may be stored by placing a damp cloth over it. The cloth must be kept
consistently damp otherwise the cloth will draw moisture from the
cheese causing it to dry out twice as fast.
- Use waxed paper if original wrapper is not available, as it allows the cheese to breathe.
- Plastic wrap is only suitable for short periods of time as it can cause the cheese to sweat.
- Avoid
using domestic foil for wrapping blue cheese for more than two weeks as
it will react with the cheese. (Cheesemakers use a foil wrap that is
laminated so no such reaction occurs).
Store and Handle with Care
- Refrigerate at around 4°C to 6°C.
- Keep fresh cheese in a covered container.
- Cover only the cut surface of a cheese so the natural rind is allowed to breathe.
- Ensure cheese is protected from other strong smelling foods.
- Store each cheese separately with the used-by date visible.
- Store robust cheeses such as blue vein or washed rind cheese in an airtight container separate to other foods.
- When
taken from the outer box, do not stack cheese on top of each other. The
rind may be damaged, misshaping the cheese and hindering its further
maturation.
- Purchase only the quantity of cheese that
can be consumed within 1–2 weeks, noting the keeping qualities of each
style of cheese.
- Harmless mould can develop on
cheese, particularly Cheddar. Simply cut it off. However, if the mould
is orange or black in colour, the cheese should be discarded.
How Long Will Cheese Keep?
As
a general rule, the harder the cheese, the longer the shelf life. It
will also depend on the age of the cheese when purchased and how it is
looked after. The key to serving ripe cheese is being able to identify
when the cheese is ready to serve.
Some guidelines to the anticipated shelf-life of cheese styles
- Fresh cheeses should be used within a week of purchase or as indicated by the use-by date.
- White Mould and Washed Rind Cheese vary from one to four weeks.
- Stretched Curd and Blue Cheese types vary from one to four weeks.
- Cheddars and Eye Cheese keep for several weeks.
- Hard Cheese keeps for several months.
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Cutting Cheese
Cut with Precision
The way a cheese is cut will depend on its size and shape. Cheese with a rind should be cut from the centre of the cheese to the edge. This enables each part of the cheese to be enjoyed. The photographs show typical cuts of popular cheeses.
Cheese Wires
To make a straight clean cut, use cheese wires for large cheeses. A spring loaded cheese wire on a board gives an even base to cut smaller cheeses.
Cheese Knives
To prevent cross contamination of the cheeses on a platter, always use a different knife for each cheese.
See images for a step by step guide to cutting cheese:
- Using a cheese wire to cut a Cheddar truckle in half
- Cheddar halves cut into wedges
- Gruyére being cut from a wheel
- Camembert wedges
- Square Washed Rind is diagonally sliced
- Wedges of Brie
- A round ball of Edam is halved before being cut into 'cantaloupe' wedges
- Goats Cheese slices
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Serving and Presenting Cheese
- Select cheese that is ripe, in season and in best condition.
- Choose cheese from different categories to give a variety of textures, colours and tastes.
- Offer a choice of mild and strong cheese.
- Remember, one superb cheese is better than a selection of cheeses not at their best.
- Allow the cheese, not the array of accompaniments, to dominate the plate.
- Enhance the presentation of the platter with different cheese shapes or by placing wedges at different angles on the plate.
- Serve
with breads and soft textured biscuits such as oatmeal rather than hard
crunchy biscuits as their crunchiness detracts from the texture of the
cheese. Try sourdough with Aged Cheddar, fruit or nut loaf with Brie
and Washed Rind and a crusty French stick with Blue Cheese.
- Support your local cheesemakers by serving cheese from your region.
- Serve
with complementary accompaniments that don't overpower. Quince paste,
figs, dried fruits, muscatels, ripe pears, crisp apples and nuts are
all classic partners.
- Take the cheese from the fridge at least an hour before service and serve at room temperature for the best flavour.
- Judge the quantity required and only bring that portion to room temperature, to minimise wastage.
- Allow 20–30 grams of cheese per person.
- Do not clutter the plate, allow plenty of space around each cheese for cutting purposes.
Presented with Style
From
straw mats to muslin and marble to wooden platters, the presentation of
cheese is only limited by imagination. However, ensure the surface
selected is flat!
Make it an Art Form
A simple flat platter decorated with leaves provides a contrast. - A marble platter is an attractive base for cheeses of various textures.
- A wooden platter has rustic appeal. (Ensure the board is well cleaned as cheese can become wedged in the holes and cracks).
- A straw mat or cane tray provides simplicity and allows the cheese to breathe.
Timing in Everything!
- The French serve cheese prior to dessert.
- The
English and Italians prefer to conclude the meal with cheese. Also in
Italy, a piece of hard cheese with good bread and a glass of wine can
be a great meal in itself!
- In Australia, cheese can
feature on the menu in a number of ways – as the full cheese trolley
service, on the buffet or a single well-selected 'cheese of the day'.
- Cheese
can be used to suit an occasion - with a pre-dinner drink, between main
course and dessert or as a substitute for dessert.
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Cooking with Cheese
Cheese is a most versatile ingredient that adds taste, texture and wonderful culinary memories. Two of the most critical factors are the temperature at which the dish is cooked and whether a dish is cooked on top of the stove or in the oven.
At higher temperatures, the casein (protein) in the cheese separates from the fat and water and coagulates into tough, stringy masses. Aside from grilling (intense heat for a short time), cheese is best cooked at low temperatures for short periods of time.
- Add cheese towards the end of cooking time.
- Always add cheese to a sauce, for example, once the pan has been removed from the heat and allow it to melt in gently.
- Grate, shred or chop cheese into small uniform pieces so that it will be incorporated quickly into a dish and melt evenly.
- Harder, ripened cheese with less moisture content (Parmesan, Romano and Pecorino) can withstand higher temperatures.
- The more mature the cheese, the more flavour it will have – and therefore the smaller the quantity required.
- Be aware that most cheese contains added salt, so taste before seasoning cheese dishes. Take note of Blue Cheese in particular.
- Always grate cheese straight from the refrigerator as it will be easier to handle.
- The harder cheeses, such as Parmesan, Cheddar and Gruyere, have great melting qualities and are most popular for cooking. They add warmth and depth of flavour to a dish.
- Age, moisture and fat content will have significant influence over how a cheese behaves when it is cooked. It is often a good idea to melt a small piece of cheese on its own, as a test, to see if it will be appropriat.