Cheese is a highly nutritious food product with rich flavors. It can be safely called the most popular dairy product. In order for it to be also useful, it must be benign and natural.

The production of 1 kg of cheese requires an average of 11 liters of milk. Therefore, when buying and choosing cheese in a store, it is better not to get hung up on savings, because milk is not a cheap product. As the saying goes, free cheese is only in a mousetrap.

What's the perfect cheese like?

Ideal - "pure" cheese should be made only from milk, sourdough and salt. Such a composition is very rare. It is already difficult to find a product without food additives, but you need to strive for the ideal. Try to avoid additives such as carrageenan (E-407), arboxymethyl cellulose (E-466), carotenes (E-160a, b), sunset dye (E-110).

Marking is an important element that must be considered when buying. The inscriptions "cheese product" and others, consonant with the word "cheese", mislead many buyers. Advice not to choose this kind of product, as it is no longer a natural product and contains vegetable fats and other substitutes. Always review the lineup to know what you are actually buying. Give preference to food products made according to GOST, and not according to TU.

Cheese is most often associated with hard cheese, the most popular type. But besides it, there are soft, pickled, fermented milk and melted varieties. How to choose them correctly - first things first.

How to choose hard cheeses

To choose the right hard cheese, it is necessary to develop an algorithm for checking the quality of the cheese. It is advisable not only to look and smell, but also be sure to probe it. Eliminate the following negative signs that indicate poor quality:

- The presence of wrinkles, irregularities, cracks and other defects;

- Loose, crumbly and cracked consistency (poor quality or freezing). Look carefully at the edges - they should not be torn;

- Rancidity, moldiness and rottenness (a sign of spoilage) and greasy (a sign of palm oil content). The presence of mold is permissible only in special varieties, in ordinary cheese - this will be a sign of spoilage;

- Swelling of the crust (formation of bacteria);

- The presence of a whitish coating or other microflora is a clear sign of spoilage;

- Thick subcortical layer;

- Cheese slice with an uneven dull color or too light. The correct cheese should be yellow, but we must not forget that with the help of dyes, manufacturers solve this problem. Tip: beware of the pronounced yellow color, study the composition;

- unevenly distributed eyes (holes): in one place they are small, in another - large;

- moisture or the presence of drops on the surface of the cheese indicates its unnaturalness - it contains vegetable fat (especially manifested at room temperature or when pressed). In some varieties, a small amount of moisture is allowed when cutting the cheese.

When tasting hard cheese, make sure there are no squeaks on the teeth (unbroken milk proteins). Also, the cheese should not be salty or sweet. Of course, a lot depends on the particular variety.

A useful quality test can be done at home. Cut a flat piece and bend it - it shouldn't break. High-quality cheese should have plasticity, but it shouldn't be rubber either.

Soft cheeses

The choice of soft cheeses should be carried out in approximately the same way as when choosing hard ones. The difference lies in the consistency - they are much wetter. The moisture content depends on the variety. With its softness, the cheese must retain its firmness and springiness.

Now some tips for choosing soft blue cheese. It should be soft and slightly loose. The aroma can be specific (smell of penicillin), but not ammonia (a sign of spoilage). These varieties are often imported, so check the expiration date. It is not recommended to buy large quantities of blue cheese, as it spoils rather quickly.

Pickled cheeses

Brine cheeses are made using special brines. They do not have a crust, they themselves are brittle. The most famous of the pickled cheeses is feta cheese. Suluguni is also very popular. Other varieties can be found on sale: Adyghe, Georgian, Yerevan, Tushinsky, Ossetian, Chechil, Limansky, Chanakh, Lori.

Unlike hard cheese, bacteria develop faster in brine. Therefore, it is sometimes salted to extend the shelf life. When buying, it is advisable to taste it.

Choosing the right processed cheese is the hardest

You need to choose processed cheeses very carefully, because anything can be put into this product. Ideally, it should consist of rennet cheeses (hard varieties), butter, cream and milk. But very often the raw materials are second-rate or even spoiled defective cheese, butter is not butter, but vegetable, and milk is dry, of unknown quality. Make sure that there are no preservatives in the product, or at least not in a large amount (if the quantitative composition allows you to determine the labeling).

Smoked cheese is a type of processed cheese. The first thing you need to pay attention to is that it should not be dry and tiny. The shell is shiny, without mechanical defects. When cutting, it must not stick to the knife. Inside, everything should be uniform and without voids. Remember that liquid smoke or liquid smoke can be used instead of natural smoking (hot and cold). However, unnatural smoking for cheese is not as dangerous to health as for meat and fish.

Fermented cheese

And the last type of cheese is fermented milk, which is made using lactic acid (sourdough). Cottage cheese is the most classic representative of fermented milk cheeses. Therefore, by the way, it is often called simply cheese.

In addition to cottage cheese, varieties are also well known: green (from skim milk), blade and amateur. Such products as fermented milk (cottage cheese) curds are very popular.

Storage rules

Store hard cheeses in the refrigerator. The storage temperature can be from -4 to +8 degrees Celsius. It is important to keep the humidity at the level of 85-90%, otherwise the cheese will dry out or begin to mold. Shelf life - up to 4 months - depends on many factors: moisture content, preservatives, salt, crust thickness, packaging and the presence of spoilage microorganisms.

Soft cheeses should be stored at 0 - +8 degrees Celsius. Their shelf life is much shorter than that of solid ones. At home, they are stored for only a few days, so you need to eat them quickly. Of course, manufacturers can increase shelf life through preservatives and non-ripening.

Processed cheeses (including smoked ones) last longer than other types of cheese due to the fact that they are heat-treated (melted). The storage temperature can be negative - from -4 to +4 degrees Celsius. Shelf life - up to 2 months. Specific conditions and expiration date are indicated on the packaging.

Brine cheese is best stored at around 5 degrees Celsius and in a brine solution. The shelf life depends on the salt concentration. On average, for feta cheese it is 2 months, for suluguni - 1 month. And without brine - no more than one week.

Sour-milk cheeses must be stored with great care. It is important to maintain correct and stable temperature conditions. If you store cheese in the refrigerator, then the temperature should be within 0 - +6 degrees Celsius. (shelf life - maximum 2 weeks), and in the freezer - minus 18 degrees Celsius (shelf life - up to 45 days).

In supermarkets, cheeses are often wrapped in plastic, but this is not the best way to preserve, but simply economical. If the film is used, the shelf life is no more than 10 days. It is most efficient to store in foil - in this way you will well protect the product from environmental influences. Waxed paper and wooden crates are also used. Try to cover the cut first.

Many manufacturers cover with a paraffin coating (especially for smoked cheese), which is an advantage - this allows you to slightly increase the shelf life.

There are other tips for storing cheese that can be helpful at home. For example: put it in a closed container with a couple of sugar cubes, or wrap it in a salted napkin.

It is undesirable to store cheeses next to such products as meat, bacon, fish. It is best to store next to other dairy products.

P.S. Note to the buyer - numbers on the cheese

If you find plastic numbers in cheese, don't be alarmed. They are made of food grade plastic and indicate the date, production number and cheese tub. These figures are needed primarily by the manufacturer. They can also be found on supermarket shelves - everything is curled by how the cheese is cut.

So, in this article we learned what types of cheese there are and how to choose them when buying. Now we can safely go to the store to buy real cheese. Do not forget to comply with the storage conditions. Good luck finding natural and fresh produce.

Dec 7, 2015 tigress ... s

The composition of the cheese we eat does not always allow us to call this product a hard cheese as such. Is there a real cheese without milk and how to determine the quality of this product "by eye"?

Real cheese and its "modern counterpart"

Real cheese is made from milk using bacterial sourdough and natural enzymes. This product is popular and loved by children and adults in many countries of the world, and Ukraine is no exception. Therefore, the production of hard cheeses is a very promising business.

But - not cheap raw materials for real cheese. To make their product available to a wider range of consumers, manufacturers are actively using modern technologies in the food industry, namely, replacing milk fat with vegetable oils. For example, palm or coconut. The quality of the cheese and its health benefits, of course, suffer from this. But the price becomes more affordable, and the sales of the product grow.

But according to the requirements of GOST for the production of hard cheeses, cheese should be made only from dairy raw materials. And the presence of vegetable fats in the cheese indicates that this is not a real cheese, but a cheese product.

However, the buyer himself has the right to choose whether to buy him cheese or a cheese product. If you want to know about the quality of the cheese you eat, take the time to read the product label and understand the tricks that manufacturers and sellers have prepared for us.

The main criteria for the quality of cheese

A cheese product is very difficult to distinguish from real hard cheese in appearance. But there are basic criteria that will help you understand the quality of the product.

Product price. A cheese product costs several times cheaper than cheeses from well-known producers, especially international ones. This product is usually placed as close to the eyes of customers as possible and away from well-known brands of cheese.

Cheese composition. Read the label. The composition is limited to milk, ferment of lactic acid microorganisms, rennet or other milk-clotting preparations of animal origin. Salt and calcium chloride content is allowed. If any of the following is present on the product label, this is a cheese product:

• Powdered milk
• Palm, coconut, or other vegetable oil
• Preservatives, stabilizers, colorants and other food additives
• Taste substitutes

The product's name. Again, pay attention to the label. According to the law, a manufacturer has no right to indicate the name "cheese" on a cheese product, even if the product label, at first glance, looks like a real cheese.

Commercial gimmicks and cheese quality

By law, producers are required to indicate the name and real composition of the cheese on the product label. But they don't always do it. For example, they hide the presence of vegetable fat, which is used instead of milk fat. Or they indicate the word "cheese" on the label of a cheese product.

In addition, the uninitiated buyer can be deceived not by the manufacturer, but by the trading establishment. For example, the factory packaging is labeled "cheese product" and the corresponding composition is indicated, but when sliced, only weight, date and price remain on the packaging. We don't buy cheese with heads!

In this case, let's try to determine by appearance. Real cheese has a rather pale color. A bright and rich orange-yellow color is a sign of the abundance of food colors.

The presence of vegetable fats in a product is indicated by oily drops on the pieces of cheese. If, when cutting the product, a smearing consistency remains on the knife, this is a sign that the cheese is made from milk powder.

The surface of real cheese should be flat and slightly dull. The larger and more uniform the "holes" on the cheese, the better the quality of the product. The main principle of buying cheese by weight is to choose a familiar cheese from a well-known manufacturer, when there are heads, bars or circles of cheese with a factory label next to it.

Elena Kukuevitskaya

From the abundance of varieties of cheese on the shelves of our shops, eyes run up. How to choose high-quality hard cheese from this variety, because manufacturers, trying to reduce the cost of the product, use harmful food additives and even milk substitutes in its manufacture? We looked for the answer to this question in our article.

What is cheese made of?

Quality hard cheese should be made from:

• milk. It determines the fat content of the product: the more milk, the higher the calorie content of the cheese head. Of course, someone may object: milk can harm health, we already wrote about this in the article "Is it harmful for men to drink milk?" ... But in general, the benefits of this natural product are still greater than harm;

• leaven. Its role is played by lactic or propionic acid bacteria curdling milk;

• rennet element. Previously, it used an animal-derived enzyme extracted from calf stomachs. Nowadays, manufacturers are increasingly replacing rennet with synthetic analogs.

Cheese can be disappointing. It can be boring, it can be primitive, it can be overly sophisticated. However, cheese is still milk's leap into immortality. Clifton Fadiman, American writer

Cheese made from the above elements will have a white color, a bland taste and a short shelf life - a maximum of a month at a low temperature. To give the cheese an appetizing yellowish tint and a pleasant aftertaste, as well as prolong life, add to it:

• table salt. It affects taste and serves as a natural preservative;

• annatto extract. Dye of vegetable origin, indicated on the packaging as E 160b. It is considered safe for humans, although in some cases it can cause an allergic reaction;

• beta carotene. Natural color that gives the cheese an orange hue. It is marked with the alphanumeric code E 160a and is absolutely non-toxic;

• calcium chloride (calcium chloride). A hardener that can also increase the volume of the product. E 509 is designated and does not pose a danger if the permissible dose is not exceeded. Otherwise, it irritates the intestines;

• potassium nitrate (potassium nitrate, E 252). A preservative that seems to be related to non-toxic substances, however, its use in baby food is prohibited. Some scientists claim that this supplement is carcinogenic and can cause cancer and nervous disorders.

How cheese is counterfeited

However, if you strictly follow the standards, the output is a rather expensive product - at least 350 rubles / kg, and ripened cheeses - 500-1000 rubles. To make it cheaper, manufacturers resort to various tricks that have a positive effect on cost, but negatively on quality.

If a country does not have at least fifty varieties of cheese and good wine, it means that the country has reached the end. Salvador Dali, Spanish painter

The most common "trick" to reduce the cost is replacing milk with palm oil. Despite the prevailing prejudice against this product, this vegetable fat can be harmless if you do not exceed the established norms of consumption and use edible oils.

Unfortunately, in the production of cheeses in Russia, cheaper technical palm oil is often used or the limits of its use are not observed. As a result, we get an ersatz product that negatively affects the cardiovascular system. Such a surrogate should be called a cheese product, but unscrupulous manufacturers often "forget" to indicate this on the packaging. Therefore, it is better not to trust the labels, but to learn how to distinguish hard cheese from a fake one yourself.

For more on how to counterfeit cheese, see here:

How to distinguish a quality product?

There are five rules for recognizing quality cheese:

• a product made from vegetable fats is more elastic, from it, like from plasticine, you can easily make a ball, but not from real cheese made from milk;

• real hard cheese does not "sweat" - droplets of "moisture" appearing on a slice removed from the refrigerator mean that it contains vegetable fats;

• the presence of a whitish coating indicates spoilage of the cheese, looseness - about freezing, the presence of bubbles under the crust - an excess of bacteria due to improper storage;

• the color of the cheese should be uniform, but not bright, and the holes should be evenly distributed. By the way, the more correct the shape of these holes, the more “noble” the product;

• An overabundance of chemical additives that retain water can be determined by dropping iodine on hard cheese. A blue spot that appears will mean that you are “lucky” to buy a poor quality product.

Do not be fooled and let the food on your table always be fresh and of high quality.

Take it for yourself, tell your friends!

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March 9th, 2016

I really love cheese. But good and high quality. Such that under a bottle of red dry. So that it melts in your mouth, and that its taste is such that you want to close your eyes. Mmmm ... Unfortunately, we have a lot of sadness in the shops right now. How many people do not write about import substitution, but I do not see good cheeses there. Although, for the sake of fairness, I can say that when we visited Kostroma several years ago, we tasted delicious locally produced farm cheeses at the Cheese Exchange. But, as the farmers themselves explained to us, they do not have the opportunity to produce them in large quantities, and they do not reach Moscow.
And then suddenly Anton - just once and brought home a piece of awesome Eycher. At the same time, the husband smiled mysteriously and said: "You are saved! I found where to buy them!"

In general, yes, my friends. The place was found. It is called as tasty as the cheeses themselves - "Cheese sommelier"... The shop has an awesome website where it says that they even regularly hold cheese tastings, both paid and free. In general, you yourself understand, we, as fans of delicious cheeses, could not resist and went to meet the owners and taste.
2.

The cheese shop was small but cozy. It is located next to an Austrian wine shop.
Alexander Krupetskov - the founder of the "Cheese Sommelier" project and the owner of the shop immediately admitted to us that he chose this place for a reason. Of course, such a neighborhood of cheeses and wines is very successful. After all, many of us have long been aware that good wine is best served with fine cheese.
3.

It all started a few years ago, even before the imposition of sanctions. It would seem that there were times: go to any supermarket, buy any European cheese from the best cheese makers and enjoy! But it turns out that this was not quite the case. Once returning from France, Alexander just decided to go to one of the good supermarkets and look there for cheese he liked in France. He said, as he is called, to the saleswoman, but she only threw up her hands:
- There's no such thing!
The same response followed when he named several more varieties of cheese.
Probably, it was after that story that Alexander got the idea to open a store of rare cheeses in Moscow. Why just a store though? Simultaneously with it, the School of Cheese also appeared, where, in practice, customers were taught to choose the right cheeses and combine them with wine and fruits, thereby developing a cheese culture in our country. You must agree: it's one thing when we buy a product without knowing much about it, and quite another when we know how to serve it to the table, with what to serve it, and how to eat it in order to get maximum pleasure.
4.

After all, take any town in France, Italy, Spain, England, Holland or Switzerland. There, cozy cheese shops coexist with bakeries and are almost as common. And delicious cheese is on the table in any home.
In general, a year and a half ago, just on the eve of the imposition of sanctions, the first cheese shop appeared in Moscow (I will secretly say that Alexander now has two of them and the third is planned to open). Well, and then, of course, I had to rebuild a little. The law in "Cheese Sommelier" is respected, and therefore instead of French, Italian and Spanish suppliers, they had to look for others - from those countries from where the import of cheese into Russia is allowed.
5.

Of course, the easiest way was to put up with this difficult time and start eating tasteless pieces with the inscription "cheese", which are now abundant in grocery stores. But that was not our way!
And now the "Cheese Sommelier" sells legendary cheeses from Switzerland, which, fortunately, did not come under the sanctions, the best representatives of Tunisia and Morocco - the former French colonies, so they know how to make cheese there, and our best farm cheeses, which are all still, you can take it to Moscow
And if we talk about the ratio, then 50% are Swiss cheeses, 40% are ours and 10% are all the rest.
6.

7.

Look at the prices. Will you say expensive? Yes, it is possible! But quality cheese, like any other type of product, cannot be cheap. Especially if it is made from real milk, without any palm additives. And I, I must admit, I'd rather not eat "cheeses" for a whole month, but then I'll buy myself a piece of this - the real one and eat it with pleasure. :)
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Now in Alexander's shop there are about 50 varieties of all kinds of cheeses. Buyers are very different people. There are also connoisseurs who come here for certain types of cheese that they have preferred for a long time. There are also people who, by the way, are gradually becoming more and more, who want to try something unusual. There are those who, like us, are tired of sanctions and want a tasty and high-quality product.
Anton with the head of the "Red Witch" Swiss cheese. I will tell you about it a little later.
I was ready to swallow it whole. :))
12.

And there are some buyers who take cheeses as a gift. You must admit that there are often situations when the brain is bursting in attempts to come up with something to give this for a holiday to a loved one whom you have known for a very long time and, it seems, has already given him everything, or to a boss who has everything. And what about a cheese basket with unusual, tasty, expensive and high quality cheeses?
Of course, the most popular among buyers are Swiss cheeses: Gruyere, Sbrinz and Roclette, as well as our farm Camembert, which is made in the Moscow region.
By the way, a few more nuances. In the shop, you will not find slices of hard and semi-hard cheeses. This is because cheese dries faster in slices and loses its quality. Therefore, they cut it here only into pieces and only when a buyer comes for it.
13.

Each cheese goes through three tastings before entering the shop, not counting the very first one - on the farm where it is produced. Alexander, together with his employees, personally comes there and finds out in what conditions cows and goats live, what they eat, if there are any artificial additives in their feed, and tries the cheese. If everything is in order with this, and the taste of the cheese is good, then the suppliers bring it three more times for testing. So that it was possible to understand how cheeses from different batches taste different.
“Unfortunately, it also happens that the cheese in the first batch is very tasty,” Alexander told us. - And in the second it suddenly tastes bitter. Well, we think it might be an accident, we ask you to bring the cheese for the third time. And he is again no. This suggests that the first time the suppliers tried and produced a really high-quality product, and then they were lazy. So you have to refuse and no longer work with them.
Well, now I'll tell you about what kind of cheeses we tried.
The first was, of course, Swiss cheese "Tete de Moine" or "Monk's head".
My friends, we first tasted this miracle in Switzerland two years ago. I told you about it then. And since then I have not eaten anything (or almost nothing) tastier. Therefore, as soon as I saw him in the window, you yourself understand ... I could not resist. The cheese is wonderful! It belongs to semi-hard Swiss cheeses with a special way of serving. Slicing is done with a special knife. A head of cheese is pushed onto a rod, and this very knife cuts off very thin rosette chips from it in a circle. Such sockets are also called "chanterelles".
14.

And the production of Tete de Moine began as early as the 12th century by monks from the Belle Monastery from fresh cow's milk. Everyone liked the cheese so much that soon they began to make it on other monastic farms. The monks gave part of the cheese as a church tithe, for which it was nicknamed "Monk's Head". The taste is incomparable. It's hard for me to describe it to you. It is clear that there are no additives in this cheese, even close. But when you put such a "chanterelle" in your mouth, it seems that you find yourself in a forest in a mushroom clearing. This is amazing!
15.

Second cheese english smoked cheddar... Honestly, we got the last piece of this cheese. In general, it is under sanctions, but this very piece remained from the batch that was imported into our country even before their introduction. In general, what can I say, my friends? If any of you suddenly gathers in England, firstly, be sure to try it yourself, and, secondly, bring a little bit to us too. In my rating, he took first place!
16.

Cheddar is considered a semi-hard cheese and one of the most popular English cheeses. It is made from pasteurized cow's milk. And it was named after the town of Cheddar in West England, where this cheese was first made in the 15th century. Then the cheddar was kept in caves, which were ideal for its maturation.
It tastes amazing - slightly spicy, salty, with smoky notes and hints of flowers and nuts. I named it antidepressant cheese, because as soon as I ate a bite, my mood immediately lifted. This is how he is.
17.

And this cheese is called Red witch... It is Swiss and also refers to semi-hard cheeses. There is a story about him. In February, the "Red Carnival" takes place in Switzerland. At its core, this is something similar to Halloween - those who live in Switzerland may be more accurate. But the bottom line is that this cheese was invented precisely for this holiday. It is high-calorie, nourishing, hot mulled wine is eaten with it - in general, the most suitable cheese for winter.
It seemed to us a bit like "Tete de Moine".
18.

Caprino. Our hard cheese, which is made in the Stavropol Territory.
In general, this cheese seemed to us both in structure and taste similar to Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. It broke into pieces in the same way, was a little spicy and very rich. Probably, like parmaggiano, it is good for them to sprinkle ready-made hot dishes, bake something with it in the oven. But still, there are differences from Parmigiano. Firstly, caprino is made from goat's milk, and it smells like this milk. And, secondly, they last not a year, but five months.
19.

And this cheese is a real revelation for me. Halloumi for frying with mint... The cheese is also ours, near Moscow, but this is the kind of cheese that is very popular in Cyprus.
20.

To be honest, I have tried fried cheeses before, I like them. But to arouse complete delight, there is no such thing. Therefore, when Alexander suggested that we take halloumi, I doubted. Why, especially if there are so many other awesome cheeses in the shop.
But we still took him. And the houses were fried.
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They ate hot with lingonberry sauce. Amazingly delicious! Just something out of the ordinary. We will definitely buy this cheese again.
23.

Now let's move on to soft cheeses. We tried three types of them. For example, Eicher Blue is a soft Swiss farm blue cheese made from cow's milk. In general, Alexander immediately told us the story of blue cheeses. At the first time, when they appeared, the most appreciated cheeses, where there was little mold. But gradually, people's tastes changed. And now most of those who prefer such cheeses most often choose varieties with a lot of mold.
Eicher Blue is just one of the first. It is creamy and very tender. It lacks the richness that other blue cheeses provide. In it, rather, only her notes.
24.

And the other two soft cheeses were already ours.
The first was called Soft cheese with white mold according to Kuznetsov's recipe No. 1... To be honest, he immediately caught my attention as soon as I saw him in the shop window of the Cheese Sommelier. It attracted attention with its uniqueness. Firstly, they make it not even in the suburbs, but in Moscow. Secondly, pay attention to its packaging. Quite simple. But ... there is something in it!
25.

The number written with a pen that you see on the package is an assessment on the quality scale of these particular cheeses, set by the author himself. Next to his signature.
Recipe No. 1 is also indicated on the package: pasteurized cow's milk, table salt, mesophilic starter culture, milk-clotting enzyme preparation of animal origin, culture of white noble mold Penicillium camemberti. That is, in essence, this is a real Camembert prepared according to French technology, although the author does not call it.
26.

It may not taste like the same French Camembert that can be tasted in his homeland, but we would rate the cheese as of a very high level. Perhaps I would have bought one more.
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By the way, due to the fact that it is prepared only from natural ingredients, it has a very short shelf life - only 10 days.
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However, there was also Camembert, which is called that. Camembert goat.
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When I first tasted it, I immediately wanted to call it brutal cheese. Yes, yes, a kind of masculine. This Camembert has a very bright scent and will appeal to those who just like it. At the same time, it is unusually fresh, you can even feel milk in it.
31.

Well, and finally Cheese candies... Unexpected, right? :)
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In fact, they are very tasty. And if we had not been told that they contain cheese, we ourselves would not have guessed. Although I can't say that cheese is not felt in them. There are cheesy notes and are expressed quite clearly.
We tried three types of sweets: with cocoa, mint and ginger. I liked the mint most of all, and Anton was imbued with ginger.
33.


Well, and I want to finish my story with tips. The fact is that we asked Alexander Krupetskov: How can ordinary customers, and not experts, when buying cheese in a store (after all, there is not always a "Cheese Sommelier" :)) can you distinguish a high-quality product from a low-quality or stale one? Here's what he advised:
At first, in any case, do not buy ready-made slices. Unfortunately, in large grocery stores, slicing is often made from trimmings and old stale cheeses. Therefore, if you decide to buy cheese, then it is better to buy a piece right away and ask to be sliced ​​in front of you. Better yet, cut your own home.
Secondly, it is better not to buy cheeses with different additives - pepper, paprika, herbs, etc. It happens that with additives, manufacturers hide some disadvantages and unfortunate moments of the cheeses themselves.
Thirdly be sure to see what the cheese you take looks like. If you see that hard or semi-hard cheese is at least slightly melted, if it crumbles, then this most likely will indicate violations during its manufacture, for example, accelerated ripening technologies could be used in the process. Or this cheese was not stored correctly. Or it contains ingredients, additives that should not be there.

That's it.

Well, in the end I will also share with you a few links from "Cheese Sommelier":
- the page of the School of Cheese, where you can sign up for cheese tastings and indulge in all the delicious disgrace, as we did.

Natural semi-hard cheese is one of the most popular milk processing products. Cheese is a delicious, nutritious product with rich flavors, which is eaten as an independent dish and is used in cooking as a main or additional ingredient. Cheese is ideal for making sandwiches, hot and cold dishes, sauces.

What to look for

Today it is very difficult. Among the huge number of names, types of cheeses of various manufacturers, brands, you need to find a sample that will not only be tasty and healthy, but most importantly - natural.

First of all, it is necessary to exclude all samples with the name "cheese product", since its composition of natural milk is no more than 20%, and everything else is vegetable fats that are not dairy at all: cheap palm, rapeseed or coconut oil and other substitutes for dairy fats. And the too yellow color of the cheese suggests that it contains artificial colors. In cheese products, moisture appears on the cut, there may be drops, especially at room temperature or when you press on it. When such products are eaten, transgenic fats gradually accumulate in the human body, which subsequently cause cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, obesity and a host of other diseases.

Natural cheese composition

When buying cheese in a store, you need to carefully study the composition of the product on the label. The following ingredients are used to make natural cheese:

• raw cow's milk exclusively of the highest and first grade (it gives the cheese all its life-giving power);
• raw skim milk;
• raw cream;
• table salt;
• bacterial starters and concentrates of lactic acid bacteria;
• it is possible to use natural beta-carotene dyes and annatto extract.

Of course, today such raw materials for the production of natural cheese are not cheap - about 11 liters of milk are needed to make 1 kg of cheese. In addition, after making the cheese, it does not immediately go on sale, and unlike a cheese product, it still needs time to ripen: 30-60 days. Natural cheese is not a cheap product at all. Therefore, when buying cheese, you should not think about saving.

Quality marks

You also need to consider the following signs indicating the quality of the purchased cheese:

1. On the cut, the cheese should have an even pattern, consisting of round or oval eyes (Kostroma, Estonian), irregular or angular (Russian), round oval or angular (Dutch). There should be no cracks, irregularities.
2. The crust is even, thin, without damage, covered with a polymer film. A thick subcrustal layer is not allowed.
3. The smell is cheesy, sweetish-spicy or slightly sour. By no means rancid, rotten, greasy. Mold is not allowed, with the exception of special varieties.
4. Color from white to light yellow, even throughout the mass.
5. The consistency is elastic, homogeneous throughout the mass, loose, cracked is not allowed.

It is preferable to choose cheese in factory packaging, on it you can always find the composition of the product and the period until which it must be consumed. Also, the factory packaging guarantees the absence of foreign bacteria.

Natural cheese contains a large amount (20-30%) of easily digestible milk protein, many vitamins such as A, E, D, C, vitamins of group B, PP, as well as a large amount of useful elements: iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper , manganese, sodium, phosphorus, zinc.

A small piece of cheese can relieve stress and also improve sleep quality if eaten at night.