Cheese Auction For Japan!

The tragic events in Japan opens our eyes and makes us realize just how lucky we are. Japan needs our help and every penny counts. We are offering a 5 pound brick of Super Sharp Cheddar cheese on ebay starting at just 99¢. 100% of the sale price will be donated to help Japan so we need your help bidding the auction up! If bidding reaches over $50 we will throw in some FREE gifts! Win this auction and be satisfied not only with the cheese, but with the fact that you helped make a difference!

View the Ebay Auction Now.

How Many Cheeses Does France Have?

How Many Cheeses Does France Have?

What first pops into your head when you think of France? Do you think of its beautiful culture, its history, or the famous city of Paris? Maybe you think of the Eiffel Tower or Europe. France is famous for many things; its wine, its people, and…its cheese. Yes, France is very well known for its cultured dairy products. But, have you ever stopped and wondered just how much cheese is in France?

Besides all of the above, France is also famous for their cheeses. The culinary arts are very big in France, so naturally a lot of their dishes include cheese. The French love their cooking, and they love their cheeses. Considering their great love and appreciation for both, the two would naturally go hand in hand in France. This may have to do with the wide selection that the French have to choose from. There are currently 629 different types of cheeses in France. Yes, you read that correctly. There are currently 629 different types of cheeses in France. The list grows very often.

Along with their long list of different types of cultured dairy come a lot of options. There are many different flavor options to choose from. The French take advantage of all of these flavors when preparing dishes like salad, pasta, sandwiches, pastry, and many more.

French cheeses are generally divided into these different types of groups:

• Blue
• Fresh
• Goat
• Pressed Uncooked
• Pressed Cooked
• Processed
• Soft Bloomy Rind
• Soft Washed Rind

It is also classified according to the milk used to make it:

• Cow and Ewe
• Cow and Unpasteurized
• Cow or Goat
• Cow
• Ewe and Goat
• Ewe
• Goat

The French also differentiate between the stuff that is made in farm houses and the stuff that is manufactured industrially. As you can see, the French take their cultured dairy very seriously. They don’t mess around.

Besides the taste, French cheeses also offer health benefits. It is rich in calcium, which as most of us know is essential for keeping those bones and teeth strong. Calcium also prevents osteoporosis as we age. So, you may consider the stuff to be a life saver.

So, as you can see, not only is France rich in culture and history, but also for their dairy. Try a bit if you get the chance in your favorite main course, side dish or just by itself. I think you will find it rather good or should I say Gouda.

What is the Difference Between Soft and Hard Cheese?

With soft and hard cheese, there are many differences that are important to note. Understanding these differences and knowing how they are made will tell you how they are different. With these cheeses you will find that the majority of the differences actually come from the way that they are made and the ingredients that are used, but also there are differences in the cheeses themselves with the texture and the taste. Let’s look at the differences between soft and hard cheese.

Soft Cheese

With soft cheese, generally, you are getting a cheese that has not aged for very long. These cheese are soft, meaning that most of them are not very firm and some can even be spread onto a cracker or a piece of bread. When people think soft cheese, they think of Mozzarella, Brie, Muenster, cheese curds, feta, Blue cheese, and a lot of the goat’s milk cheeses that are very soft. With soft cheese, it is generally not aged very long at all, does not have a long shelf life, and should be used very quickly, otherwise it may go bad. There are a lot of people that enjoy the texture that a soft cheese has and the ability to spread it onto a cracker or bread instead of having to slice it.

Hard Cheeses

Most of the cheese that we eat on an everyday basis is hard cheese. Our cheddars, Colby, Gouda, and Swiss are all hard cheeses. With these cheeses, once the curds were made and drained away from the whey, they generally were pressed with a cheese press to form a block. From there, they were usually aged for a significant amount of time. For hard cheeses, generally they are aged for more than six months, while the soft cheeses are aged for a much shorter period of time. Some hard cheeses will be aged for over a year to give them that sharp taste that people enjoy so much…

There are a lot of differences between soft and hard cheeses, but the main difference really comes down into the amount of time that they were aged. Generally, the less time the cheese is aged, the softer it is. With the hard and soft cheeses, there are also significant differences in taste and texture. Know the differences when you are out shopping for your next great piece of cheese and appreciate what both kinds of cheese have to offer.

-Written by Viktoira Carella

Cheesy Pairings App Now on iPhone & Android

Now available for download on iPhone and Android phones is Cheesy Pairings. Can't figure out which wines or fruits to pair with your cheeses? Then download this free application to help you solve the problem. This application serves as a simple pairing guide for all of the cheeses offered from Golden Age Cheese. Get your next cheese and wine party right with Cheesy Pairings!
We are working to improve the quality of this app everyday. Please submit your feedback to us at info [at] goldenagecheese.com (replacing the "[at]" with "@").

The Best Specialty Cheese and How to Find It

There are many specialty cheeses on the market, although picking just one may be difficult. If you are looking for specialty cheeses, you may have to do a little digging, but if you are a cheese connoisseur, it may be well worth it to try to hunt these cheeses down and have something that differs from the cheddar and Colby cheese that you generally eat on a daily basis. A good specialty cheese will give your taste buds something to get excited over and will be a nice little change for flavor.

Kinds of Specialty Cheese

There are a lot of different styles of specialty cheeses; really the only way to explain them is that they are the cheeses you can’t find reproduced in mass production at your grocery cheese, so they aren't your processed cheddar and that sort of thing. Some of the great specialty cheeses are ones that are rarer, that need to age for a long time, and have acquired tastes.

Epoisses

This cheese is better known as stinky cheese. It has a penetrating aroma and is extremely soft and sticky. These curds are washed in salted water and ripened in humid cellars for four weeks. This cheese sometimes reminds people of a thick, salty pudding. But, if it is for you and you have the taste it is definitely a popular cheese.

Black River Blue Cheese

This blue cheese is by far a specialty cheese. This comes from North America and a coop that has been making cheese for nearly 100 years. This is a beautifully creamy, softer than butter, blue cheese that has a wonderfully blue color. A great taste if you like that sort of thing!

Where to Find these Cheeses

If you are looking for your specialty cheeses, you have a few options. There are generally specialty cheese and wine stores in your area. If not, you can always find these cheeses online at the specialty stores and just have them shipped to you. It is easy to get your hands on these cheeses, and sometimes visiting the store is a lot of fun because they will be able to help you find a great wine to pair with your specialty cheese also, so you’ll get the best of both worlds. But, you can also use the ever convenient online ordering option to get your specialty cheeses delivered to your door quickly and at your convenience.

-Written by Viktoira Carella