Dairy Category

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.

This tangy hard Greek cheese is often grated over dishes. This can be made from sheep’s milk, goat’s milk or both.

Kefir is like a thin, drinkable yogurt. It was originally made in Turkey out of camel's milk. It comes plain or flavored.

This German cheese is easy to spread. It's great on crackers and rye bread.

Like kefir, kumiss is a beverage made from milk cultured with bacteria. Asian nomads originally made it with the milk of camels or mares, but commercial producers now use cow's milk.

This is a strong even stinky cow's milk cheese.

This is a mild French semi-soft cow's milk cheese.

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

This is a mild semi-soft cow's milk cheese from the Lapland region of Finland. It's a good melter and works well in fondues

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

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

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

This cow's milk cheese was invented by German-American Emil Frey, who wanted to make a domestic version of Limburger cheese. Borden acquired the brand after Frey died, and later sold the brand to a New Zealand outfit. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature. It's hard, and perhaps impossible, to find in the United States.

18 - 30% fat Unlike heavy cream, lower-fat substitutes like light cream, 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.

30 - 36% fat Unlike heavy cream or whipping 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.

This is a very stinky and salty German washed rind cow's milk cheese. It's too strong to serve with most wines, so it's often served with beer. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

This excellent French cow's milk cheese is in the washed-rind or "stinky" family. Though pungent, it's not as overpowering as Limburger. The rind is edible, but it's not for faint-hearted.

Magnolia cheezee is made from cheddar cheese and is similar to Velvetta. It is popular in the Philappines.

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

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

Aged Manchego sheep's milk cheese is yellow and a terrific grating cheese. Don't confuse it with unaged Manchego cheese, which is almost white, semi-firm, and typically used as a melting 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.

This Greek sheep's and goat's milk cheese is similar to feta, only creamier and less salty. This is made with sheep or goat’s milk.

This is a stinky washed-rind cow's milk cheese from France that smells worse than it tastes. You probably don't want to eat the pungent rind. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

Creamy mascarpone is a key ingredient in tiramisu, zabaglione, and cheesecakes. It's velvety soft, slightly acidic, and expensive. It's made from cow's milk. Although Italian in origin, the name is said to come from the Spanish mas que bueno, "better than good." It's usually sold in tubs. Use it soon after you purchase it since it's highly perishable.

This American cow's milk blue cheese is pungent and crumbly. Use it within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

Look for this in stores that sell cake decorating supplies. Substitutes: powdered egg whites. For information on how to make meringues safely using raw egg whites, visit the Other Safety Factors section of the American Egg Board web site.

Nonfat milk (0.5% fat). 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. Acidophilus milk tastes much the same as ordinary milk, but it includes the beneficial acidophilus bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Low-fat milk (2% fat). 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. Acidophilus milk tastes much the same as ordinary milk, but it includes the beneficial acidophilus bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization.