Guide Cheese Basics
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How to buy cheese

Chapter 3 of 71 min readUpdated October 2026
In this guide
  1. 1How cheese is made
  2. 2The 7 types of cheese
  3. 3How to buy cheese
  4. 4How to store cheese
  5. 5How to serve and eat cheese
  6. 6Cooking with cheese
  7. 7Cheese and your diet

Reference

  • Go to a cheese counter if you can. A cheesemonger will cut what you need and let you taste before you buy. Tell them what you like, what you're serving it with and your budget.
  • Buy what you'll eat soon. Cheese is at its best freshly cut. It's better to buy a smaller piece more often than a big block that sits in the fridge.
  • Read the label. A DOP, PDO or AOP label means the name is protected and the cheese comes from a specific region and method. Here's what those labels mean, and what they don't.
  • Raw milk or pasteurized? Both are sold in the US, but raw milk cheese has to be aged at least 60 days first. The difference, and who should avoid raw milk cheese.
  • Vegetarian? Check for "microbial" or "vegetarian" rennet. Is cheese vegetarian? explains why it isn't always.

Common questions about this chapter

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