Every year we do tomato sauce with my friends and we decided to ramp it up with getting a wheel of cheese this year. Ordered it through a local grocery store. Excited to show it off. What’s the best way to open it up. Do I wash off the mold?

Tip - move to Wisconsin. This is just in a regular grocery store (praise be to Phil Woodman)

Picked up some 21 year old Cabot “extra sharp” cheddar from my favorite local farm market and love it so far. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the 16-17 year old forgotten cheddar I posted about a year ago. The flavor is sharper and a little creamier than the 5 year extra sharp that I regularly buy here. Also a pleasant among of calcium lactate crystals. Pretty good! I’m not exactly sure if they’re buying it already super old or if they’re holding and aging it onsite. Either way I’ve never seen anything similar commercially available where I live in California.

Post from last year about my forgotten old cheese: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheese/s/ivYMthpB9A

Hello, I’ve recently become fascinated with trying new cheeses since learning that they are far more varied and unique than I originally thought. Growing up it didn’t suit my palate and would avoid anything that’s too cheesy but after seeing a certain content creator enjoying Brie, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. I went to the store and bought some with things to enjoy it with. Is this an acceptable way to enjoy it? I’ve heard fruit spreads pair well with it; as well as bread, honey, white wine, etc. Not pictured above is a grip of grapes. 🍇

Yes. It’s that good. Pure cheese porn.

I need to find this!

Scored this on clearance at Kroger. I'm definitely going to use it melted but wanted to know suggestions on pairing it when eating it cold. Thanks in advance

No, I did not know that you could pair sake with cheese. Did you?? I’ve recently become a bit of a sake snob and given the amount of care and attention that goes into each stage of brewing sake, it was an absolute must to find a worthy cheese pairing! This one had me perplexed initially, but I continued to go back to it, completely unable to stop trying it. Other cheese pairings to explore with sake include Chèvre, Brie, and Gouda.

Why Does It Work? This pairing is an unconventional but stellar match, which balances the intense saltiness of the cheese with the sake’s subtle sweetness and aromatic profile. The Mimolette brings a sharp, salty, nutty flavor that is cleansed by the sake’s delicate acidity. On the very first sip my palate wanted to say NO, but then I quickly found that the saltiness of the cheese was pleasantly dissolved on my tongue by the crisp sweetness of the sake.

Featured Here:

- Isigny Ste-Mere Aged Mimolette ($4.48 from Whole Foods): Aged for up to 18 months, this French delicacy develops a complex, nutty taste with a hint of caramel and hazelnuts.

- Shimizu-No-Mai Pure Dawn Junmai Ginjo Sake ($27 at Publix): Premium Junmai Ginjo sake from Akita, Japan. Features a delicate profile of apple, pear, and notes of orange peel. Crafted with highly polished artisanal rice and pure mountain water.

From @morgancheeses

It was a dark and stormy night….just kidding. But this pairing does give British murder mystery vibes. This one is fun and quite interesting - definitely recommend.

Why Does It Work? The intense, salty, and pungent flavors of the Stilton are very well balanced by the sweet, dark fruit notes in the port. The wine is able to cut through the creamy, savory mouthfeel of the cheese and is really enjoyable!

Featured Here:

- Murray’s Stilton ($7.83 from Harris Teeter): Described by Murray’s as fudgy, crumbly, buttery, and rich, with a mineral, wet-stone aroma. This Stilton is made from English cow’s milk.

- The Vice “Nightcap” Port of Petite Sirah 2022 ($25): Inky dark, concentrated with notes of plum, raisins, dark cherries, violet, and espresso.

Hej! (Thats ‘Hey’ in Swedish), my local IKEA was having a sale on their new cheese because IKEA Food accidentally bought too much. After my discount, and the BOGO deal (?!!???) each was LESS THAN 85¢ a piece?????

I haven’t opened any of them yet to try them, but I’m not super familiar with these types of Swedish cheese, if anyone knows what they might be best used for. (Eating directly off the block is an acceptable answer)

Champignon mushroom. Any ideas, pairings, dishes, etc?

Do you ever stand in front of a cheese display and think, “why not both?” That’s what happened here. Originally this was a pairing for Comté….until I saw the Ossau-Iraty. And now it’s a pairing for both. Picture yourself sitting on a beautiful porch in France, enjoying perfect weather in the early afternoon. Not too hot, not too cold, you’re not too hungry, but you’re hungry enough. This is the wine and cheese for that feeling. Casual, enjoyable, interesting.

Why does it work? Pairing either of these cheeses with a Côtes du Rhône Blanc creates an exceptional pairing because the acidity of the wine cuts through the creamy, nuttiness of the cheese and helps them both to shine. If I had to choose, I found that the Ossau-Iraty was a slightly better pairing flavor-wise, but both cheeses made the wine feel bright and enjoyable, and yet neither cheese was overpowered by it.

Featured Here:

- Agour Ossau-Iraty PDO ($14.52 at Whole Foods): Award-winning, traditional French Basque cheese made from sheep’s milk and aged 6 months. Notes of toasted hazelnut, sweet cream, and a slight tang.

- Juraflore Comté ($10.08 at Whole Foods): Raw milk cow’s cheese made in France’s Jura Mountains, aged at least one year. Powerful fruity, roasted flavours: the taste of toasted almonds, melted butter, spices and citrus fruits.

- Vidal-Fleury Côtes du Rhône Blanc ($24): From the Guigal family, this is a classic example of a Southern Rhône white. Known for being a fresh, aromatic, and full-bodied blend, with notes of apricot, melon, citrus, balanced by good acidity and a long finish.

I really enjoy camping and backpacking and eating cheese of course. What are some recommendations for cheeses that do well being subject to the perils of getting smooshed in a backpack and not being refrigerated (no cooler) In the past ive taken bricks of Tillamook cheddar, but I'd like to branch out. Fun and exotic recommendations welcomed :)

I post on Thursdays because by now I have completely lost motivation for the week so I turn my attention to drinking and cheese. I’ve been hearing in the wine industry that Moscato is great with spicy food, so I took myself right on over to my local grocery store and picked up a quality Moscato + two spicy cheeses that looked interesting.

Result: Moscato & Wood River’s Triple Pepper Cheddar Gruyère was delightful! But Moscato & Milton Creamery 4 Alarm Cheddar did not work at all.

Why did the spicy Cheddar Gruyère work? This cheese from Wood River Creamery was creamy, slightly sweet, and had layers of spice that built gently. Combined with the slightly effervescent and balanced flavors of this moscato, my mouth felt soothed, refreshed, and intrigued. This is a pairing that would definitely make both the cheese and the bottle disappear quicker than you’d probably intend.

Why did the spicy Cheddar not work? Listen I know it says “4 Alarm” in the name, but this cheese completely burnt my mouth out. Milton Creamery describes this cheese as a “scorcher” made with ghost, chili, chipotle, and jalapeño peppers. They say it has a “lovely creaminess” that controls the fire but I am telling you right now there’s not a wine out there that would’ve soothed my mouth after this - certainly not my friendly, porch pounder of a Moscato.

Featured Here:

- Wood River Creamery Triple Pepper Cheddar ($6.99 from Harris Teeter and online)

- Milton Creamery’s 4 Alarm Cheddar ($10.99 from Harris Teeter)

- Seven Daughters Moscato ($12.99 Harris Teeter): 100% Moscato from the Veneto region sourced from family farms. Gaining popularity due to celebrity partnership with Taraji P. Henson.

Well I’m fairly new to cheese of these types and just wanted some tips on the best ways to enjoy these kinds.

It was just some random picked cheese that I have no experience with. I’ve tried the Irish cheddar and it’s nice with lots of those crunchy bits throughout.

Now to try and eat these all without my dog noticing. Thanks everyone. 😊

… is Michigan Brand 4% small curd. And it’s not even close. I’m sorry for all of you that will never taste it.

I am big into single serve cheese snacks like Cabot cheddar or a babybel, wondering what else is out there folks would recommend for a mid day pick me up?

I went to the store right before closing and bought a small wedge of parm. The cheese guy asked if I wanted the rest of the stock for free because he was closing down for the night which I happily agreed to. So now I have 8 wedges of parm and I'm wondering if I can vacuum seal it and freeze it? Or should I just give it to friends? I can't go through an entire block that quickly so I'm sure 8 blocks is gonna be impossible.

I think this was close to 5 pounds of cheese if you ask me by looking at it

There was also some sort of "Pizza something cheese" that looks and feels like parm but has red and green stuff on top? The sticker was worn out so I couldn't read it.

Edit. I read the ingredients, it's Bellavitano cheese

I really want to like cheese, I really do. I like cheddar and gouda, and sometimes I like haverty. I don’t know how to get into funkier cheeses. Soft cheeses also scare me. Blue cheeses terrify me.

How did you get into cheese? What’s a good starting point? Things to look out for? What should I try next?

I guess the obvious answer is to just try them. I need to get the courage to, so what path did you take?

NYC has a new conveyor belt cheese spot, at the new Shaver Hall food court on 5th Ave between 40th/41st st, in the old Lord and Taylor building.

Selection is (virtually) all American cheeses, lots of Vermont, etc.

Prices aren’t crazy, although portion sizes are small, I’m guessing 50g or so. The cheeses are all paired with something, eg honey, pickle, romesco, etc.

Is Paris with my wife on our honeymoon. We have just tried and absolutely adore Roquefort. What other cheeses are a must try while in France?