All About Cheese

by Diana Rosen

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This week Shirley McGinnis wants Kitchen Sleuth to investigate which are the best cheeses for melting and writes:
Dear Kitchen Sleuth,
I absolutely love your column and am looking forward to being educated each Monday morning. I have been puzzled by some recipes that stipulate a certain kind of cheese followed by "or any melting cheese." I would like to know what cheeses are "melting cheeses" since I sometimes have a recipe that fails because the cheese is grainy. I assume the fat content is the biggest factor so I steer away from low-fat cheeses but still encounter problems.

Dear Shirley:
With more than 1,000 types and styles of cheeses available in either specialty cheese stores or your neighborhood market, figuring out which cheese to use in a dish can become an awesome decision.

When recipe writers are specific and cite a particular cheese, follow the recipe and don't substitute. However, as you have discovered, when a recipe simply calls for some generic "melting cheese" you need a cheese with a high water content, low amounts of salt, and cheeses that "run" and spread rather than just soften. Cheeses that soften hold their texture so they're terrific for an enchilada or grilled cheese. Melting cheeses are perfect for sauces and fondues, and stringy cheese stretches which is why mozzarella, for example, is the classic topping for a pizza.

What makes a cheese hard is its lower water content, usually 25 to 35%; what makes a cheese soft is its higher water content, usually 40 to 45%. The melting factor is dependent upon these water percentages but the temperature used to melt these cheeses is also critical. Too high a temperature makes hard cheeses tough and soft cheeses "grainy" or simply a big icky glob because the protein, fat, and water separate.

To push the categories further, both hard and soft categories have selections that melt well and others that do not and some cheeses are categorized as semi-hard or semi-soft! All cheeses in a supermarket are labeled for type or origin, and most for hardness or softness. When in doubt, ask the cheese department manager! He or she would love to talk cheese with you and their expertise is invaluable, especially for unusual or rare types of cheeses and the growing list of artisanal cheeses made here in the U.S.

What follows is a list with general applications; choose the ones you need for the melting capability and for the flavor which does so much for any recipe.

Hard cheeses are best for broiling, grilling, baking or frying because they do not lose their shape and often are higher in salt so they do not run and this offers more of a "bite" to the flavor. Among these are Asagio, Edam, Manchego, and Swiss. Think of these for toppings, cheeseburgers, or to give a little flavor punch to a casserole-type dish.

NOTE: Some hard cheeses do melt when grated or added to a sauce but do not melt well by themselves, especially Parmiagiano or Parmiagiano-Reggiano which can turn tough when the moisture level evaporates from too high of a heat. Hard cheeses like Emmenthaler, Jarlsberg and Gruyère are frequently used in fondues because of their sharper flavor and softening capability. Fondue cheeses usually benefit from the addition of a starch (flour, arrowroot or cornstarch) or wine or lemon juice. Blue cheeses melt around the mold and can be quite messy so using blues for garnishing a salad or to eat alone or with fruit is a much easier choice for this wide category of cheeses.

Soft cheeses that melt well include Boursin, Brie, Camembert (without the rind), Gorgonzola, Mascarpone, Muenster, and Neufchatel. They often have a tang to the taste and most have a pronounced fragrance. Some soft cheeses don't melt well because they have high levels of salt which holds moisture and fat together with the protein; others have high levels of whey protein or acid. Feta, cottage cheese, most fresh queso or goat cheeses are best used alone or with crackers and fruit or to garnish a salad. Some can work in baking (ricotta for example in desserts or lasagna) or Indian paneer with a dal or lentil sauce where it retains its shape and its mild flavor balances the spiciness of the sauce.

Some semi-soft cheeses are: Colby, Fontina, Havarti, and Kasseri. Some semi-hard cheeses are: Monterey Jack, regular and smoked Goudas, Roquefort, and Stilton, a type of blue cheese. These range from medium mild tasting like a Jack or Gouda to very strong like a Stilton or Roquefort. These are rarely good for melting. Cheddars range greatly in flavor from very sharp to mild and melt best when shredded or grated although they do not melt well enough for a sauce by themselves and need other ingredients to be stretched to a sauce-like consistency.

Another category that is growing in popularity is the white Hispanic cheese or queso in both hard and soft textures. Queso Quesadilla is great for topping tostados; Asadero for baking; Queso de Papa for cooking or snacking, however, choose Oaxaca or Queso Para Derritier for melting.

Techniques for best taste and texture:
To avoid stringiness, avoid string cheeses in the first place unless you're making pizza. These include both aged and fresh mozzarella, Provolone, and "string cheese" which are sticks of mozzarella.

For cheese sauces, minimize stirring and heat the cheese in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Well-aged or moist grating cheeses work well in sauces. To avoid clumps or fat separation in a sauce, add a starch (arrowroot, cornstarch or flour.)

Melt pieces not bricks. Cube, shred or grate the cheese for best results. (It also takes less time.) The cheese will also spread easier.
Go easy on the heat. When using cheese in baked recipes, keep the oven to a maximum of 350°F.
For toppings, add the cheese last, only during the last five to 10 minutes of baking.
To broil, put the pan no closer than five or six inches from the heat for just a few minutes and watch it to avoid burning. Swiss or cheddar atop a burger would be excellent choices. They soften but do not run.
Microwaving is fine for quick melting for 30 seconds for small amounts (1 to 3 ounces) or a minute for an 8 ounce package. Microwave ovens vary a great deal, so keep your eye on this!