All About Cheese

Cheese is generally made from whole milk, but can be made using skimmed or semi-skimmed milk to give a lower fat content. For a cheese to be “low fat”, it must contain 3% fat or less, or less than 3g of fat per 100g of cheese.  This is outlined on the label, by looking at the nutrition information panel.  

The fat content in cheese can vary according to what type of cheese it is. Some lower fat cheeses include cottage and ricotta cheese, and typically have a fat content around 6g to 10g of fat per 100g of cheese.  It is lower in fat due to the way that it is made, and also the higher moisture content.  

The age of the cheese determines its strength, flavour and texture. Like good wine, cheese becomes fuller and more complex in flavour with age as the proteins in the cheese breakdown and it ripens.  

Mild Cheddars are aged for 3-6 months and have a subtle, buttery flavour. They have a supple body so will slice well for sandwich-making and grating.

Tasty Cheddars  are typically aged from 6–12 months and, at this stage, they have developed a definite tang and more textured body.

Vintage Cheddars are at least 12 months old and have a characteristic cheddar ‘bite’ and full-bodied flavour.

At its simplest, cheese is made of a few natural ingredients: milk, salt, rennet and cultures (refer to the ingredients list on the packaging for details). Salt is important for removing moisture during cheesemaking; for inhibiting the development of bacteria so the cheese keeps better and, of course, for flavour.

The salt content of a cheese will vary, but is lower for quick-ripening soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert, and higher for long-maturing hard cheeses like Parmesan and Blue cheeses. Some fresh cheeses such as Fetta can be very high in salt due to the brine in which the cheese is stored. If the Fettas you have are too salty, soak it in water or milk for 5-10 minutes, or select a lower salt Fetta cheese.

Cheeses are living things, and should be treated in the same way as fruit and vegetables. Different types of cheese will keep for different amounts of time. The more moisture in a cheese, the more perishable it is – so fresh cheeses should be consumed within a few days; soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert or Blue cheeses within a week once opened. Hard cheeses will last for weeks, if not months, in your refrigerator.

Some cheeses may grow moulds that are not meant to be there - such as blue mould on Cheddar, or orange or black mould on fresh cheeses. This may happen due to poor storage, cross-contamination or the cheese has simply aged past its best. In these instances, it is best to discard the cheese.

Firstly, it is important to differentiate between an edible rind and a coating or wrapping, such as wax or cloth, which is definitely not edible.

The most appetising edible rinds are the white coatings on soft white cheeses like Brie and Camembert. Some blue cheeses also have edible rinds (such as those made in the Blue Brie style).

However most blue, hard and even eye cheeses have tough, leathery or gritty rinds which, although safe to eat, are not particularly palatable.  For this reason, although these aged cheeses can be served with their rinds intact, the rinds are generally cut off before eating.

The wrapping of cheeses that are cloth matured (like some vintage Cheddars) or coated with wax (such as the traditional red waxed Edam cheese ball) should not be eaten.  Again, feel free to serve the cheese with its rind intact for display, but encourage guests to cut off the rind before eating.