I must admit… I’m no cheese expert. In fact, I’m more a creature of habit when it comes to cheese. And I’ve certainly never been to a cheese tasting party. So I was interested when Sargento and The Motherhood asked me to host a little cheese tasting party.
If you’ve never done a cheese tasting, here are a few things to consider as you compare cheeses.
What does it look like?
Natural cheeses, like cheddar, come in many different colors, but in general have an understated and non-glossy appearance. Processed cheeses, however, have a luster or shine to them, even after their plastic is removed. We noticed that you could still see the cut lines on the natural cheese, but the processed cheese had wrinkles in it that matched the outer wrappers I’d removed. It looked like the processed cheese was molded to the wrapper.
What does it feel like?
Natural cheese texture can vary by cheese variety, but will normally break in an authentic fashion when you bend it. Processed cheese is characterized by a smooth, rubbery, and artificially pliable texture, and often can bed and fold without breaking. It can sometimes even feel ‘mushy.’ We even noticed that some of the processed cheese stuck to the plate while the natural cheese was more solid.
What does it smell like?
Smell the cheese as you’d smell a glass of wine. Natural cheeses’ aroma will vary by cheese type, and the range of smells can be earthy, nutty, and fruity. Processed cheese is usually lacking in a strong aroma. We noticed that there was a slight chemical small to the processed cheese, but the natural cheese had a sharp, appealing smell.
What does it taste like?
Natural cheeses have an incredible array of flavors – from savory to fruity to spicy and sharp. The dominant characteristic in processed cheese is usually salty. In fact, we didn’t find much flavor at all in the processed cheese. Emma commended that the natural cheese tasted more ‘sour’ to her (which is a compliment in her book). It did have a nice sharp flavor to it.
When we laid out the processed cheese and real cheese along with some crackers and dried fruit, my husband’s first reaction was “Do I have to eat THAT?” (referring to the processed cheese). It really did have a sheen to it, one that I’ve not really paid attention to until we laid the two cheeses side-by-side. Here… You can see for yourself.
Notice the glossy shine of the processed cheese on the right? That happens because processed cheese is made with added emulsifiers and preservatives. It’s heated to about 180 degrees and cooked with direct steam which strips out delicate flavors. Processed cheese is often pumped into plastic packaging and run over a series of rollers to form a slice. It’s made from cheese but has a lot of added ingredients and processing.
The natural cheese is made with milk, cheese cultures, enzymes and salt. It’s naturally aged to perfection and tested by professional cheese graders to ensure quality. Natural cheese slices are cut directly from a real block of cheese, never melted and formed into slices.
While we tried both the natural and processed cheese, the winner of our little taste test was hands-down the natural cheese. The proof?
Can you see the residue from the processed cheese on that plate? After learning more about processed cheese and how it’s made, I may not ever buy it again. The flavor of the Sargento real cheese was just that…. REAL! We really enjoyed being able to compare the two. Oh… And Emma was fascinated by the dried starfruit. 🙂
You can learn more about natural cheese, learn how to pair cheese with different foods and drinks, and find some yummy recipes on the Sargento Facebook page or website.
I was compensated by Sargento through The Motherhood for hosting this cheese tasting. They also provided the product for our party. All opinions are – as always – honest and my own.
