Cheese Definition, Aging and Classing

Cheese can be roughly defined as a coagulated milk product. It is made by introducing bacteria or enzymes into the milk to separate the actual curds (milk solids) from the whey (liquids). Cheese can come from whole or skimmed milk, cream or any mixture of the two. The milk to make the cheese can be from cow, sheep, goat or other animals, like buffalo. Ripening is the technical term used to change the curds that have separated from the milk and/or cream with bacteria or mold added to make the cheese the particular variety it is, and each cheese has a specific recipe. The cheese can be highly processed or simply fermented. While high in proteins, cheese can be low or high in fat, and low or high in water content. The lower the percentage the water, the harder or firmer the cheese is. The higher the percentage the fat is, the higher the solids found inside. Double-crème and triple-crème cheeses are cheeses with a high fat content. They may be as much as 60% to 75% fat content, which means that cheese has 60-75% fat if all the liquid or moisture inside is removed from it.

Aged cheese has more pronounced flavors, and in some cases has a depth of color and aroma not found in the young cheeses of the same variety. Aged cheeses may also be softer or firmer than the younger counterparts. In most cases, the more aged a cheese is the longer the life: the longer you can keep the cheese. Fresh cheeses are usually eaten or stored for immediate usage (cottage cheese has a short shelf life) and hard grating cheeses, if kept whole with the rind uncut, can keep for many months.

Cheese is one of the few culinary food items that can be served as an appetizer, dessert, topping, garnish, accompaniment, ingredient or the main dish. Cheese that is served on its own is generally served at room temperature, excluding fresh unripened cheese which is chilled, like cottage and cream cheeses, as the flavors of the cheese become more pronounced. When cheese is used in cooking, the dish should not be brought to boiling temperatures on the stovetop, and the cheese is usually added in at the end stages of the cooking process if used in a sauce. While cheese is best served slightly warmed, cheese used for cooking is easier to grate or shred when cold, like cheddar and swiss cheeses.

There are many different kinds of cheeses that can be found, each with its own color, texture, flavor and rind. Cheese can usually be classified in four ways: by texture, by covering, by ripening or by cooking types. Below are the classifications, with some examples. When looking for a cheese by texture, you can find a variety of flavors and rinds. Under the covering classification, you can get an idea of the cheese inside by looking at the outside. Cheese can be easily be chosen for a cheeseboard or platter when looking at the ripening. When looking at the cooking type, it is easy to substitute one cheese for another since any cheese from one type has similar cooking properties.

Explore the Different Classes Below: Read for Details on the Notable Classes

Classifications of Cheese by Texture
Classifications of Cheese by Covering
Classifications of Cheese by Ripening
Classifications of Cheese by Cooking Types
Cheese Description and Picture Guide

Above pictures: Courtesy of PDphoto.org.