Semi-Firm Cheeses Category

Semi-Firm Cheeses

Semi-firm (or semi-hard) cheeses are pressed during production to remove moisture. As they age, they become even firmer and more pungent and crumbly. Most of these cheeses are great for snacks and sandwiches, and many can be cooked without becoming rubbery or oily.

Semi-firm cheese tend to have a longer shelf life than softer cheeses. Many can last about 1-2 months in the refrigerator if the package isn't opened, 3-4 weeks if opened, and 2 weeks if sliced.

Most semi-firm cheeses are made with cow's milk. Cheeses made with sheep's milk have more butterfat, which make them richer and creamier. Cheeses made with goat's milk, like Gjetost, tend to have a tangy, earthy, and sometimes barnyard flavor.

Abondance

This French raw cow's milk cheese has a subtle, nutty flavor. It's a good melting cheese.

Appenzell, Appenzeller

This is a creamy and pleasantly stinky cow's milk cheese.

Asiago (fresh)

Asiago is a cow's milk cheese. Don't confuse this with aged Asiago, which is a firm grating cheese.

Beaufort

This semi-firm raw cow's milk cheese is slightly sweet and has a nice texture. It's a great melting cheese, so it's often used in fondues.

Caciotta, Casciotta

This mild Italian cheese is made with a blend of sheep's milk and cow's milk cheese.

Caerphilly

This Welsh cow's milk cheese is crumbly and a good melter.

Cantal

This French cow's milk cheese is sweet when young but earthy and grassy when aged. It's a reliable party-pleaser--mild but complex.

Cheddar, Tillamook

The curds of many English cow's milk cheeses are "cheddared" or cut them into slabs and stacked to allow whey to drain off. Some cheddars have more lactose in them, making them "sharp" or acidic. Less sharp cheddars are often labeled "mild" or "medium." England supplies many fine Cheddars, as does Vermont and Tillamook, Oregon.

Cheshire , Blue Cheshire

Said to be England's oldest cow's milk cheese, is a good cooking cheese. Blue Cheshire is a blue-veined version.

Don't confuse this aged goat cheese with the far more common chevre frais (fresh chevre). Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

This Wisconsin cow's milk cheese resembles a mild Cheddar.

Comte, Comté, Comte Gruyere, Gruyère du Comté

This excellent French cow's milk cheese dates from the time of Charlemagne. It has a mildly sweet, nutty flavor, much like Gruyère. It's a very good melting cheese.

Danbo

This Danish cow's milk cheese. It varies from mild to sharp depending on the aging process.

Derby cheese, Derby Sage cheese, Derbyshire cheese

Includes: Derby Sage cow's milk cheese (pictured), which is flavored with sage.

Edam

This is a mild Dutch cow's milk cheese. This has a red wax coating.

Emmental, Bavarian Swiss cheese, Emmentaler, Emmenthal, Emmenthaler

This Swiss cow's milk cheese is riddled with holes and has a mild, nutty flavor. It's an excellent melting cheese, and a key ingredient in many fondues.

fontina

This well-regarded cow's milk cheese is mild but interesting, and it's a good melter.

gamonedo, gamoneú, queso gamonedo

This expensive Spanish cheese is made from the milks of cows, sheep, and goats. It's smoked, giving it a very complex flavor. It is made from mixture of cow, sheep and goat’s milk.

Gjetost

This tastes a bit like caramelized American cheese. It is made from a combination of goat and cow milk.

Gloucester

This orange cheddar-like cow's milk cheese comes from England. Varieties include Single Gloucester, which is ripened for only two months, and Double Gloucester, which is more highly regarded and flavorful. Huntsman cheese contains layers of Gloucester and Stilton.

Graviera

It is usually made with cow’s milk or a combination of cow and sheep’s milk.

This is a Swedish cow's milk cheese that is similar to Emmental cheese or American Swiss cheese.

Gruyere

Gruyères are excellent melting cow's milk cheeses. They're commonly used to make fondues, soufflés, gratins, and hot sandwiches. Varieties include Swiss Gruyère, Beaufort, and Comte.

Idiazabal cheese, Idiazábal cheese, queso vasco

Idiazabal cheese

This salty, sharp and crumbly Basque cheese is made with raw sheep's milk. It's usually smoked and aged before it hits the stores. It's a good cheese to grate in salads, melt on meats, or eat with crackers. Try serving it with sherry.

Jarlsberg

This is a Norwegian cow's milk cheese. It is a knock-off of Emmentaler. It's mild, creamy yellow, and has large holes.

Kashkaval, Kachkeval

This is a Bulgarian version of Italy's Caciocavallo cheese. It becomes much firmer as it ages and turns into a good grating cheese. It is usually made with cow’s milk or a combination of cow and sheep’s milk.

kasseri

This salty and tangy Greek cheese is made from sheep's milk. It's great on pizza.

Lancashire

This is a rich, tangy, and crumbly cow's milk cheese produced in Britain. It's a good melting cheese.

Leerdammer

This Dutch cow's milk cheese is similar to Emmental or Jarlberg, only milder.

Leicester, Red Leicester, Leicestershire

This is an English cow's milk cheese that's very similar to cheddar.

Leyden, Leiden

This Dutch cow's milk cheese is flavored with cumin and caraway seeds.

mahon, Mahón

This well-regarded Spanish cow's milk cheese is a terrific snacking cheese, but it's also incorporated into casseroles. Try it with sherry.

Manchego cheese

Manchego cheese

Don't confuse this with aged Manchego cheese, which is firm and yellow, and typically used for grating. Younger Manchego sheep's milk cheese is sweet and nutty. It melts nicely and is often used in quesadillas.

mysost, Primost, brunost

This a sweet whey cheese that is made with cow's milk and often some goat's milk.

Nøkkelost, Nokkelost

This Norwegian cow's milk cheese is seasoned with caraway seeds, cumin, and cloves.

raclette

People often melt this Swiss cow's milk cheese and dip new potatoes into it.

Saint Nectaire cheese, St. Nectaire cheese

Saint Nectaire cheese

This French cow's milk cheese has a rich, nutty flavor.

Swiss cheese, American Swiss cheese

This popular cow's milk cheese is an American knock-off of Switzerland's Emmentaler cheese. This difference is that our domestic version usually has smaller eyes (making it easier to slice) and is made from pasteurized milk. Emmentaler has a richer, nuttier flavor.

Tete de Moine, Tête de Moine

This is a very pungent Swiss cow's milk cheese.

Vasterboten cheese

Vasterboten cheese

This hard cow's milk cheese has a strong flavor and is popular in Sweden.