Q: What does AOC stand for and why does it matter?
A: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, or AOC, is a French food-labeling term that protects the style, ingredients, and origin of a product. Many of...
ask the cheesemonger
Everybody has questions about cheese, no matter how much you might already know. How best to store your cheese at home? Why do cheesemakers like raw milk? Got a question? Maybe we already answered it. Check below. If not, submit your question and we'll try our best to answer it.
Q: I’m having a dinner party, and I’d like to offer cheeses for guests to nibble on during the cocktail hour. How many kinds of cheese and how much of each should I serve?
A:Too many different flavors...
Q: Are there any rules for choosing which jam to serve with a particular cheese?
A:First off, there are no rules when serving or eating cheese. Anyone who says there are lacks creativity and lives in...
Q: Cheesemakers often refer to their “cave.” What exactly is it?
A: Essentially, a cheese cave is a temperature- and humidity-controlled space that provides an optimum environment for cheese storage...
Q: What is the difference between Brie and Camembert?
A:To understand the true differences between Brie and Camembert—both flat, soft disks of white, mold-ripened cow’s milk cheese—one must look to the...
Q: I've just gone crazy at our local shop and brought home an incredible selection of cheeses. Now what? How should I store my cheeses at home?
A:The most foolproof method of keeping your cheese in...
Q:I’m going on a weeklong camping trip this summer and would like to take along some good cheese that does not require refrigeration. Got any recommendations?
A: Nothing is quite as lovely as dining al...
Q: When I buy cheese from my local cheesestore, it comes in special paper. Is this better than plastic wrap?
A: Every style of cheese has a different rind and moisture content, and because of that,...
Q: I’m a lifelong cheese lover, but I’ve just been told by my doctor that I need to consume a low-sodium diet. Does this mean the end of interesting cheese for me?
A:Although a low-sodium diet might be...
Q: As with fruit, a ripe cheese seems to be a good thing. But when can you tell that it’s at that peak stage and not gone over the edge?
A: Knowing what to look for when selecting cheese will help you...
