Dairy Category

This soft, creamy French cow's milk cheese is rich and complex.

This mildly acidic fresh cheese is made by pressing much of the moisture out of cottage cheese. Some varieties resemble a very dry, crumbly cottage cheese, while others have can be sliced. It's primarily used for cooking.

This salty, crumbly cheese is common in Greek cuisine. It is made from sheep's milk sometimes combined with goat's milk. It's often stored in brine; if so, you might want to rinse it before using to remove some of the saltiness. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

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

The French claim to have been making this moist cow's milk blue cheese since the time of the Ancient Romans. It's cheaper and milder than many blue cheeses.

Hispanic cooks like their cheese bland and salty, the better to complement their spicy sauces. They also want cheese to hold its shape when heated. Monterey jack, the standard substitute for Hispanic cheeses, tends to ooze out of chiles rellenos and enchiladas when baked. Authentic recipes call for panela or queso blanco, which soften but don't melt when heated. Hispanic fresh cheeses often keep better than other fresh cheeses--some can be stored for months in the refrigerator. Varieties: Best for topping casseroles or bean dishes: queso fresco. Best for fried cheese recipes: queso para freir, queso blanco, queso panela. Best for filling casserole dishes like enchiladas: queso panela, queso blanco. Best for salads: queso panela. Best for tacos and burritos: queso panela. Best for refried beans: queso panela.

Fresh mozzarella = high-moisture mozzarella is used in Caprese salads or as an appetizer and is often packaged in tubs or bags filled with water. more delicate; it's often drizzled with olive oil and serve uncooked as an appetizer, or in Caprese salads. It works in pizza, too, but you should first put slices of it into a colander to drain for about an hour, and put them on the pizza only during the last minute of cooking. Bocconcini (Pronunciation: BOK-kuhn-CHEE-nee) are small balls of high-moisture mozzarella. High-moisture mozzarellas are much more perishable than their low-moisture counterparts, so use them within a few days of purchase. Buffalo milk has a much higher fat content than cow's milk, so buffalo milk mozzarella, or mozzarella di bufalo, is creamier and also more expensive than cow-milk mozzarella = fior di latte.

This usually has the consistency of thick yogurt. It is made from cow's milk. It's expensive and hard to find, but very tasty and relatively low in fat. It makes a great topping for desserts.

This is the French term for "fresh cheese." It is made from cow's milk. This category includes fromage blanc, Petit-Suisse, and chevre frais.

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.

Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

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

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.

Goat's milk lends cheese a tangy, earthy, and sometimes barnyard flavor. Varieties include chèvre, Montrachet, Mizithra, Chaubier, Humboldt Fog, Chabichou, Banon, and Bucheron.

Don't confuse this mild fresh cheese with aged goat cheese, which is less common and more flavorful. Fresh goat cheese is like fromage blanc, only made with goat's milk. There are several varieties, including Montrachet and cabecou, which is soaked in brandy. Goat cheese is usually vacuum-packed, though many connoisseurs seek out the more perishable but tastier paper-wrapped cheeses at specialty shops.

This comes with varying percentages of butterfat. You can buy it fresh, or as powdered milk, canned evaporated milk, or UHT milk packed in aseptic containers. Fresh is best for drinking and delicate desserts, the other kinds pick up an unpleasant caramelized flavor when they're heated for packaging.

Italian cow's milk Gorgonzolas are creamy and mild, while domestic versions are sharper and more crumbly. A Gorgonzola dolce (DOLE-chay) is young, creamy, and mild, while a Gorgonzola naturale = mountain Gorgonzola is aged until it's firmer and more pungent. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature. Some Gorgonzola cheeses can be frozen successfully, others become crumbly (but still usable in salads). For best results, first cut the cheese into small (1/2 pound) chunks, and wrap each chunk in an airtight package. Thaw in the refrigerator, and use the cheese soon after it's thawed.

This Dutch cow's milk cheese has a mild, nutty flavor. Varieties include smoked Gouda, the diminutive baby Gouda, and Goudas flavored with garlic and spices. Goudas are also classed by age. A young Gouda is mild, an aged Gouda = medium Gouda = mature Gouda is more assertive, and an old Gouda = very aged Gouda is downright pungent.

This is a creamy, mild French cheese.

This is just like parmesan, except that it's made in a different part of Italy and not usually aged as long, making it milder. It is made from cow's milk. As with parmesan, it's often grated on pasta dishes and salads.

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.

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.

(10.5 - 18% fat)

This salty, crumbly cheese from Cyprus stands up well to heat and can even be fried or grilled. It is made with combination of sheep and goat’s milk. Look for it in Middle Eastern markets.

This German washed rind cow's milk cheese is pungent and stinky. It's good with beer, but it would over-power most wines.

This is a strong German cow's milk cheese. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

This mild Danish cow's milk cheese is perfect for slicing into sandwiches. It's often flavored with spices and chilies.

at least 36% fat. Unlike heavy cream, lower-fat substitutes like half-and-half and evaporated milk tend to "break" or curdle when added to sauces. To prevent this from happening, heat the sauce over low or medium heat, or reduce the cream substitute before adding it to the sauce. Don't let the sauce boil. Cream sauces made with lower-fat cream substitutes also tend to have less body; to correct for that, consider adding 1 tablespoon flour or 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the sauce for every cup of evaporated milk substituted. Stir the thickener into a paste first to prevent lumps. Ultra-pasteurized whipping cream is harder to whip and has some unpleasant flavor notes.

This a fresh cow's milk cheese.

This excellent soft-ripened goat cheese has a layer of vegetable ash running down the middle. It's an excellent table cheese. The rind is edible, and fairly good.

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.

This California semi-soft cow's milk cheese resembles Muenster. It has a mild, nondescript flavor, but it's good cheese to slice into sandwiches or melt into casseroles. It also goes by California jack, Monterey jack, Sonoma jack, and Mexican jack, depending on where it was produced. Efforts to boost the flavor have produced Pepper Jack = Jalapeno Jack. Don't confuse this with aged jack, which is a grating cheese.

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

This is a Mexican product that's halfway between buttermilk and sour cream.

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.

Don't confuse this with ordinary Kashkaval, which is a semi-firm cheese. It can be made with cow's milk, sheep's milk or both.

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