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Cheese Types

Cheeses can be grouped into various types, styles or families. At Murray's we think of seven types that we find clear and simple to understand:

Fresh | Bloomy | Semisoft | Washed | Firm | Hard | Blue

These types group cheeses that provide a consistent eating experience. Our types will help you find a cheese you like according to the following descriptions:

Fresh
Think: Young. Tart. Tangy. Lemony. Smooth. Moist. Creamy. No rind. Find: Fresh goat cheese ("Chevre), Mozzarella

Bloomy
Refers to the snowy, fluffy, "blooming" rind. Think: White. Buttery. Decadent. Pillowy. Fluffy. Rich. Mild to Mushroomy. Edible rind. Find: Brie, Camembert, Triple-Crèmes (Cremeux de Bourgogne, St. Andre)

Semi-soft
Think: Pliable. Earthy. Wet straw. Hay. Leaves. Melting. Find: Fontina, Garrotxa, Morbier, Tomme de Savoie

Washed
These are washed during aging, in brine (salt water), beer, wine or spirits. Think: Pungent. Stinky. Fruity. Meaty. Intense. Aromatic. Vibrant pink to orange edible rind. Find: Epoisses, Livarot, Pont l'Eveque, Taleggio

Firm
Think: Dense but supple. Grassy. Eggy. Fruited. Sharp. Thick, natural rind not typically eaten. Find: Cheddar, Gruyère, Manchego, Ossau Iraty

Hard
Think: The super-aged big guns. Dry. Crunchy. Caramelly. Butterscotchy. Grainy. Find: Aged Gouda, Dry Jack, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Blue
Think: Mold! Veins. Craters. Big. Sharp-edged. Punchy. Complex. Find: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton

How do I Serve Cheese?

Serve all cheeses at room temperature! Remove cheeses from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. Hard cheeses take longer to reach room temperature. As a rustic peasant food, cheese displays well on wood or marble or stone boards, surrounded by fruits (simplest - a bunch of grapes), nuts, crusty bread and wine. Try to avoid cubing or slicing in advance, and put out one cheese knife or cheese plane per cheese. For a big crowd, where self-service is key, you may pre-slice or cube, but the cheese will dry out quickly and, as a display technique, it's fairly cheesy. If you must precut cheese, use a covered cheese dome.

Cheese Boards/Cheese Course

Some basic things to consider when serving a cheese course:

1. As hors d'oeurves, avoid sweet triple cremes (which are more for dessert), blues (too strong), or very aged cheese (also too strong). Stick to bloomy rinds, medium washed rinds or semi-softs.
2. Three to five cheeses are enough for any course. Less is more in this case.
3. After dinner cheeses would typically start with a fresh cheese (e.g., chevre) or bloomy rind (e.g., camembert); then a semi-soft or medium cheese (e.g., Morbier or Cheddar); then a harder cheese (e.g., an aged Gouda); finally a blue (e.g., Roquefort).
4. A cheese plate is arranged in clockwise fashion with the first cheese at midnight on the plate.
5. It's a good idea to vary the milk types, too: goat, sheep and cow.
6. Don't be afraid to experiment. Start with what you like first and work around it.
7. Need help? Contact us! (1-888-692-433)

How Do I Store Cheese?

Our number one recommendation is to buy smaller pieces of cheese more often, because a reputable cheesemonger is better equipped to store cheese. That said, here are our guidelines for home storage:

Most references will tell you never, never, never wrap your cheese in plastic wrap. And with good reason. If you're like us, you buy a bunch of cheese, put it in your fridge, and forget about it for two weeks. By then, the cheese has been tightly wrapped, never seeing the light of day, never getting any fresh air, and it has died of suffocation. Seriously. Cheese is a living food. It needs to breathe. The rind on bloomy and washed cheese cannot survive without oxygen. The exposed surface of Parmigiano-Reggiano, for example, will get sweaty and then dry out without fresh air.

But for most people at home, what are your choices?

We say: Be realistic. Wrap first in wax paper to protect the surface flavor of a cheese, and then in plastic wrap to ensure it can't dry out. Promise not to forget about the cheese. Change its wrapping every couple for days, which also gives an excuse to nab a small bite.

Use foil for higher moisture blue cheeses.

The vegetable drawer is slightly warmer and moister than the rest of the fridge, and so provides a less hostile environment. Plus, it prevents cross-contamination of flavor and aroma with other food in your fridge.

Special cheese cellars and refrigerators are a hot trend right now, but we've had respectable success "aging" cheese the old fashioned way. Take a Tupperware container, line it with a damp paper towel, and poke holes in the lid for air. It's the perfect abode for a cheese that's not quite ripe.

What Else Can I Serve with Cheese?

Almonds help bring out the subtleties of cheese flavor and aroma. Toasted hazelnuts and walnuts interchangeably work with cheese, and pecans go well with sweet or unctous cheeses.

Olives naturally complement sheep and goat's milk cheese.

Experiment with dried fruits like raisins, figs, dates, and any number of berries.

Chutneys are a tasty alternative that meld nicely with the texture and nuances of English farmhouse cheeses. Chutney with Cheddar is simply delicious. French chevre with its stark white moist, flaky or crumbly paste is a choice for chutney, also perfect with juicy plums.

Fruit pastes, such as membrillo made of quince, with slices of an array of semi-hard sheep's milk cheeses from Spain, French Pyrenees, Sardinia, and delicate flavored cow's milk cheeses like Caerphilly, are sure to bring delight.

The sweetest seasonal fruits are the ones to choose. Try blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and whatever other ripe and bursting with flavor fresh fruits are available. Apples with Cheddar and pears with Stilton always bring pleasure

Charcuterie: Serve thin slices of proscuitto, Serrano ham and sweet or spicy salamis, especially with aged cheeses like Pecorino and Manchego. If you choose to serve crackers, pick unsalted ones, but bread is a must; you can never go wrong with a baguette. Crusty rustic sourdough with creamy soft ripened creations, and grain-packed hearty selections with Cheddars and the like, or perhaps specialty breads with bits of dried fruit and nuts, or olives baked in.