So I decided I love cheese just about more then any food and I want to explore the finer cheese. I already love pretty much all the grocery store types… the blue the feta, the provalone, the edam the gouda, brie is wonderful and the Camembert I purchased was out of date and solid as a brick… yuck.
I have never had any “stinky” cheese and dont even know where to buy it. but I want to try it…
so here is my problem… I went online tonight to find places that sold cheese and they all sell at like 50 to 75 dollars a pound… WTF… I cant even understand the french name much less what im buying…
Anybody know a good n00b cheese joint? im not against 5 - 10 buck for 1/2 pound of some cheese i’ve never had before.
or am I just out of luck and the cheese snobs are laughing at me?
Yes. Assuming you’re still in the KC area, try The Better Cheddar. They have two locations, one on the Plaza, and the other in Prairie Village (I like the Village location better, but it’s probably more nostalgia than anything else); they have an excellent selection of cheese and will provide you samples of everything they sell. Plus, you can buy small wedges without having to spend hundreds of dollars.
Try the gjetost if you get over that way. It’s an excellent start.
Building on what SkipMagic said, find a dedicated cheese deli. Tell the that you don’t know much or anything about cheese, but are anxious to learn. They will gladly give you an education and let you sample the areas that seem to interest you. Buy something to show your appreciation. Similar to buying wine.
If you are in Orlando, The Wine room is par excellence.
See if you can order “Purple Haze” online. It’s a delectably creamy Bree with a strong taste of Fennel and other misc. herbs. It’s only 6 bucks for a 1/3lb wheel too!
I’ve recommended igourmet.com in the past. They have everything cheese from all over the world. On occasion, they run specials and free shipping, once you’re on their mailing list.
If you have a friend/SO into cheese, you might want to try what I have been doing. Every other Saturday I make a nice meal with a good cheese as an appetizer. My gf helps with prep work in the kitchen, but I am the boss on my Saturday. On her Saturdays, the roles are reversed.
It ends up being cheaper than a restaurant, especially when you don’t have to pay the wine mark-up.
It’s times like these I feel sorry for people that don’t have a Trader Joe’s, Bristol Farms or Whole Foods nearby.
But, if you shop at Costco, keep an eye on their cheese case. Ours has an ever changing assortment of whatever they snagged a deal on that week, and can be an affordable entry into the world between supermarket Cheddar and the exotic stuff. Each time I’m there, I’ll go “eeny, meeny, miney moe…you look interesting!” and grab a chunk of something new.
ETA: I’m talking about the section over by the meat, rather than the dairy section next to the butter and eggs - that’s where they have the cheap plain stuff. Not that there’s anything wrong with two pounds of house brand Cheddar for ten bucks, but it’s boring.
I loves me some cheese, too. I don’t experiment with new ones much, but I’ve met very few cheeses I didn’t like (except American cheese - processed cheese food product should not be allowed to be called cheese). I think it’s time to try another new one.
Slightly off topic but I was in Heidelberg, Germany lately and I got the cheese board on a menu in a local German cuisine restaurant. For 8 euro/$11 (which is cheapo to me but might be expensive to an American) I got a huge board full of different cheeses. Some of the slices were the size of doorstops. There were only a few ones that I didn’t like. The squidgy smelly sock cheeses never much appeal but there were plenty of other types to keep me happy and accompanied by scrummy German bread. Oh yeah if you’re ever in Ashland, Ohio check out Grandpa’s Cheese Barn, it has lots of cheeses and lots of samples.
Oh, that is ridiculous. The same cheese is $4/half-pound at the grocery store, and Shullsburg is not that far away. Aaagh. I’ll just take this as another sign that Sentry is fleecing me.
I am liking this thread. I wish I could afford some of these delicious sounding cheeses. Every time I go shopping I look longingly at the “meat section cheeses” covered in their fancy colored wax, then grudgingly get the cheap “bag of shredded colby” from next to the milk.
Can anyone recommend some sort of “cheese of the month club”? Something that once a months sends you a pound of some cheese you wouldn’t find in a normal grocery store. Never had a smelly cheese, or anything particularly spicy or sharp, so the more exotic the better. Oh, and at an affordable price, so I can ask for it for Christmas or something.
Anejo Enchilado as a side to peppercorn rolled grilled sirloin, after a hard day’s hike in the autum forest.
Melted provolone with fried onions, fried green peppers, roasted garlic, and grilled and sliced rib-eye, served in a warm pita, while taking a rest between ski runs on a sunny March afternoon.
Edam, tomato, cucumber, ground pepper and just a pinch of salt, on a whole grain hard crusted bun brushed ever so lightly with olive oil, for a picnic on the beach with your friends.
Velveeta, a tongue, and a beautiful woman’s nipple.
Is there any nobler purpose for any cheese that that of Velveeta’s?
