Type |
Characteristics |
Uses |
| American |
mild Cheddar-type processed cheese; often sold sliced |
cooking, sandwiches |
| Blue and Blue-veined |
class of sharp, creamy cheeses injected with bacteria, resulting in blue or green veins; made from cow, goat or sheep's milk; aromatic and pungent; flavor increases with age; crumbly in texture; American Maytag blue, French Roquefort, English Stilton, Italian Gorgonzola and Danish Danablue |
dessert, snacking, topping for salads |
| Boursin |
soft, spreadable triple-cream (75% milk fat) cow's milk cheese |
dessert, snacking, topping for salads |
| Brick |
a truly American semisoft cheese from Wisconsin; pungent and lively; modeled after Limburger |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking |
| Brie |
flat rounds of ultrarich, creamy French cheese with edible white rind; mildly tangy; very creamy to runny in texture at room temperature |
cooking, dessert, snacking |
| Camembert |
French cheese made from cow's milk; mild, soft and creamy with edible gray-white rind |
dessert, snacking |
| Cheddar |
named after an English village; white to orange firm cheese with mild to sharp flavor; orange Cheddar is colored with annatto, a natural dye |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking, topping for salads |
| Chevre |
generic name for French and French-style goat's cheese; tangy flavor; mild and creamy; with age, flavor is stronger and texture drier; many variations, such as Montrachet and Bucheron |
cooking, snacking, topping for salads |
| Chihuahua |
soft, mild white cow's milk cheese from Mexico; similar to Monterey Jack |
cooking |
| Colby |
Wisconsin-made variation of Cheddar; mild and sweet; lighter, softer and more open textured than Cheddar |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking |
| Cottage cheese |
fresh cheese made from whole, low fat or skim milk; moist with small or large curds and a mild flavor; short shelf life; available with flavor additions, such as chives and pineapple |
baked in cheesecakes, side dish, snacking |
| Cream cheese |
smooth, spreadable, unripened fresh cheese from cow's milk; Neufchatel is the lower fat and usually softer version |
baked in cheesecakes |
| Edam |
yellow cheese, with small holes and red wax coating, from Holland; semisoft texture with mellow nutty flavor |
cooking, dessert, sandwiches, snacking |
| Emmentaler (Emmental) |
buttery-yellow firm cheese made in Switzerland; mild sweet-and-nutty flavor with a distinct network of holes |
cooking, dessert, snacking |
| Farmer |
fresh soft cheese similar to dry curd cottage cheese; firmer and higher in fat |
cooking |
| Feta |
tangy, sharp, salty, brine-cured goat's milk cheese; made in Greece, Bulgaria, France and the United States; soft, white and crumbly |
snacking, topping for salads |
| Gouda |
Dutch straw-colored cheese; mild flavor when young and sharper flavor as it ages; semisoft texture with small holes; sometimes flavored with herbs; baby Gouda comes in small rounds with red wax coating |
cooking, dessert, sandwiches, snacking |
| Gruyere |
dry, firm Swiss-made cheese with a nutty taste and aroma; has small holes; usually aged |
cooking |
| Havarti |
rich, creamy Danish cheese with small holes; semisoft texture; mild and tangy when young; sharper flavor when aged; sometimes flavored with dill weed or caraway |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking |
| Limburger |
creamy, red-rinded German cheese made from cow's milk; notoriously pungent aroma and strong flavor--an acquired taste; goes well with hearty ales |
snacking |
| Mascarpone |
recently popularized soft Italian cheese; very rich, creamy and white; sometimes sweetened and flavored |
ingredient in tiramisu, snacking |
| Monterey Jack (Jack) |
from Monterey, California;
mild, buttery, semisoft cow's milk cheese; sometimes flavored with jalapeño
peppers or garlic; usually not aged; aged Monterey Jack is similar to Cheddar
and available only on the West Coast |
cooking (especially Tex-Mex), sandwiches, snacking |
| Mozzarella |
popular, mild, stringy melting cheese; made from cow's milk; factory-produced mozzarella is semisoft and chewy with a mild flavor; fresh mozzarella, available in Italian markets, has soft texture and sweet, mild flavor; mozzarella di bufala, a highly prized product made from water buffalo's milk |
cooking (especially pizza and lasagna), sandwiches, snacking |
| Muenster (Munster) |
originally German and French, now made in the United States; pale yellow with very small holes and orange rind; American Muenster is mild flavored while European Muenster is pungent |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking |
| Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) |
Italian hard cheese; usually aged to a dry, crumbly texture and a pleasantly sharp, salty flavor; excellent for grating |
cooking, topping for salads |
| Provolone |
firm Italian cheese with a mild, smoky taste; comes in a variety of shapes, but a pear shape is most common |
cooking, snackings |
| Ricotta |
soft, fresh white Italian cheese with a sweet, mellow taste; traditionally made from whey, a by-product of cheesemaking, it is not really a cheese; American ricotta is usually made from a combination of whey and milk |
baked in cheesecakes, cooking (especially lasagna and manicotti), filling for cannoli and cassata |
| Romano (Pecorino Romano) |
Italian hard cheese made from sheep's milk; pungent flavor; excellent for grating |
cooking |
| Swiss |
generic term for a group of pale yellow cheeses with large holes, mild nutty flavor and firm, slightly dry texture; American Swiss is milder than Emmentaler and Gruyere |
cooking, sandwiches, snacking |
