How to taste your cheeses

How to present your cheeses

How to slice your cheeses

How to conserve your cheeses

How to taste your cheeses

Think about taking the cheese out of the refrigerator at least an hour and a half before serving time so that you are eating it at room temperature.

Accompany the cheese with traditional breads (leavened, rye, or brown) that are fresh or lightly toasted, and complementary wines.

Everything’s set, all that’s left for you to do is savor it… Start with the mildest cheese and progressively climb the scale of flavors, always ending with the veined ones.

How to present your cheeses

Find another use for your silver or stainless steel platters, which have a tendency to alter the cheese’s taste, and instead choose a natural material. You have a wide range of choices : marble, slate, wood, wicker, glass, straw, etc…

A cheese platter should be simple and sober, but that doesn’t mean somber. Don’t hesitate to adorn it with vine leaves, flowers, or fruits… Play with color and shape : your platter should be attractive and appetizing, and the cheeses should be accessible and at least partially pre-cut (in order to visibly appreciate the aging period).

A small piece of advice : don’t forget to put out several special knives, which will make serving easier.

How to slice your cheeses

Lesson 1 :

Always use a sharpened, toothless knife, washed in hot water and then dried

Lesson 2 :

The taste is not uniform throughout the entirety of the cheese, which is why certain rules should be followed when cutting it in order to enjoy the entire range of flavorsFor an entire piece, point the knife in the center and slice it.For a pointed slice, first cut it width-wise, then cut the base length-wise

How to conserve your cheeses

If it is important to know how to taste cheese discriminately, it is just as vital to know how to conserve it ; moisture and a temperature between 6 and 10°C are optimal.

So, get rid of your hermetically sealed plastic boxes and opt for a wooden box that maintains the correct ratios and will not deteriorate the taste of the chee. You could also wrap your cheese in its paper and put it in a plastic bag (but not a hermetically sealed one !) in the bottom of your refrigerator, in the vegetable drawer.

A small precision : cooked cheeses, when well wrapped, are better stored outside than in the refrigerator.

A small reminder of what to avoid :

 dehydration (or drying out)
 a confined atmosphere
 a hermetically sealed plastic box
 a plastic dome (use instead in a ventilated, clay dome)
 excessive heat or cold