When you are in the market for cheddar cheese,
almost everyone knows that there are several different choices
available. While if you go to your local grocery store you may only see
options such as mild, sharp and extra sharp, shopping at a cheese
retailer will give you a wider variety of options. There are plenty of
cheddar options available including varying levels of sharpness, color
and even additional flavors. Here are just some of the different types
of cheddar cheese that you will find.
Age
The most important difference that you can see is different ages of cheddar cheese and this is related to sharpness. That is because as cheese ages, it becomes sharper as the flavors become stronger. Most of the time the oldest cheese that you will find, even sold by specialty retailers is around 5 years old. That is because mild cheddar is usually aged for only two or three months. Sharp cheddar cheese, on the other hand is aged for a bit longer, usually around a year in total. If you see extra sharp cheddar either in your local store or from a specialty retailer, this is usually aged for around eighteen months. If you don't have a specialty cheese seller that you go to, you will probably have to buy extra sharp cheddar and age it if you want something older. You can, however, find premium cheeses that are up to five years old. Some sellers will even have seven year old cheddar cheese.
Flavors
Sometimes you want a bit of extra flavor in your cheese and although adding flavor to cheddar isn't as common as it is with other types of cheeses, such as goat cheese, it is possible to find flavored cheddar, mostly from specialty cheese sellers. The simplest added flavor is when cheddar is maple smoked during the production or aging process to add a little extra flavor. You can also occasionally find other choices such as jalapeno cheddar.
White Or Yellow
If you aren't familiar with cheeses, then you may be confused as to whether you want to buy white cheddar or yellow cheddar. The truth is that they are the same exact cheese. Cheese will naturally vary in color based on what time of the year the cow's milk comes from and when a cow's diet has less beta-carotene, the cheese will be whiter. When cheddar was still new, people liked the flavor of yellow cheddar better so manufacturers started adding a bit of dye to make sure the cheese was yellow. The dye is all natural but its presence can mean that the cheddar will definitely be yellow; otherwise it depends on when the milk was produced.
Age
The most important difference that you can see is different ages of cheddar cheese and this is related to sharpness. That is because as cheese ages, it becomes sharper as the flavors become stronger. Most of the time the oldest cheese that you will find, even sold by specialty retailers is around 5 years old. That is because mild cheddar is usually aged for only two or three months. Sharp cheddar cheese, on the other hand is aged for a bit longer, usually around a year in total. If you see extra sharp cheddar either in your local store or from a specialty retailer, this is usually aged for around eighteen months. If you don't have a specialty cheese seller that you go to, you will probably have to buy extra sharp cheddar and age it if you want something older. You can, however, find premium cheeses that are up to five years old. Some sellers will even have seven year old cheddar cheese.
Flavors
Sometimes you want a bit of extra flavor in your cheese and although adding flavor to cheddar isn't as common as it is with other types of cheeses, such as goat cheese, it is possible to find flavored cheddar, mostly from specialty cheese sellers. The simplest added flavor is when cheddar is maple smoked during the production or aging process to add a little extra flavor. You can also occasionally find other choices such as jalapeno cheddar.
White Or Yellow
If you aren't familiar with cheeses, then you may be confused as to whether you want to buy white cheddar or yellow cheddar. The truth is that they are the same exact cheese. Cheese will naturally vary in color based on what time of the year the cow's milk comes from and when a cow's diet has less beta-carotene, the cheese will be whiter. When cheddar was still new, people liked the flavor of yellow cheddar better so manufacturers started adding a bit of dye to make sure the cheese was yellow. The dye is all natural but its presence can mean that the cheddar will definitely be yellow; otherwise it depends on when the milk was produced.
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