What do you pay for cheese?

[Bob Ducca]

So my fiancee and I just got a new fondue pot and I'm planning on making some traditional swiss fondue for Valentine's Day. I found the recipe used by my favorite Chicago fondue restaurant, Geja's Cafe, and it calls for 12oz of gruyere and 4oz of emmenthaler.

So I need to pick up some cheese. I'd prefer to go w/ fresh cut rather than prepackaged grocery store stuff, though I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them. I found one place that had each for $14.99 a pound. That seemed way to high so today I called a cheese shop near Lincoln Square and they have the gruyere for $12.99/pound and the emmenthaler for $9.25/pound. That seemed a lot more reasonable to me - but I thought I'd ask here if those prices seemed decent or if I should keep shopping. I know there are some serious foodies and fellow fondue-ers out there so I thought I'd see what you all pay for cheese, and where you get it from (especially in the Chicago area).

Also, a side question - how important is the quality of the kirsch you use? Will I be ok w/ the cheap stuff since I'm only using a few tablespoons? Or do I need to invest in a decent bottle?

[Two and a Half Inches of Fun]

Originally Posted by HelloNinja

So my fiancee and I just got a new fondue pot and I'm planning on making some traditional swiss fondue for Valentine's Day. I found the recipe used by my favorite Chicago fondue restaurant, Geja's Cafe, and it calls for 12oz of gruyere and 4oz of emmenthaler.

So I need to pick up some cheese. I'd prefer to go w/ fresh cut rather than prepackaged grocery store stuff, though I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them. I found one place that had each for $14.99 a pound. That seemed way to high so today I called a cheese shop near Lincoln Square and they have the gruyere for $12.99/pound and the emmenthaler for $9.25/pound. That seemed a lot more reasonable to me - but I thought I'd ask here if those prices seemed decent or if I should keep shopping. I know there are some serious foodies and fellow fondue-ers out there so I thought I'd see what you all pay for cheese, and where you get it from (especially in the Chicago area).

None of those prices seem unreasonable. If anything they are a little low especially for the emmental which I would usually expect to be around 13.99/pound and up depending on the quality.

[gonzomax]

http://www.cheesesupply.com/ Too many choices but you can have it shipped.

[Harmonious Discord]

I pay nothing. I find it laying on these wood and wire things all the time. You can save a lot of money using these cubes for parties and work lunches.