“Cheese Essentials” by Laura Werlin (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2007, $24.95)
We’ve come a long way from American slices and shredded cheddar.
So if you’re ready to learn the difference between semisoft and soft-ripened, check out Laura Werlin’s “Cheese Essentials,” an intuitively organized primer on the quickly expanding world of cheese.
Werlin explains how to navigate the cheese counter, suggesting questions to ask yourself and the staff to help you make the best selection.
Werlin also covers how to read cheese labels, the eight main styles of cheese, and tips for how best to eat and cook with various cheeses (including which melt best).
She includes an extremely helpful list that clusters cheeses progressively by strength. This is an invaluable resource for assembling a tasting platter of cheeses, which always should be consumed in order from least to most aggressive.
Subsequent chapters cover each of the eight varieties, how to select each, lists of noteworthy examples, best storage options and recipes for using them in sweet and savory dishes. J.M. Hirsch, The Associated Press
