John Proestakes, Author at John Eats Cheese

A pile of golden pão de queijo cheese bread rolls on a wooden board, one torn open to show its soft, stretchy center, with a bowl of grated cheese behind

Pão de queijo: Brazilian cheese bread

Pão de queijo are small, chewy, cheesy rolls from Minas Gerais, Brazil, made with tapioca starch instead of wheat flour. Here’s how to make them at home, and which cheese to use.

Greek cheeses on a wooden board: a block of feta, a wedge of graviera, sliced kasseri and a bowl of soft white cheese in olive oil, with olives and tomatoes

Greek cheeses: a short guide

Eight Greek cheeses beyond feta, from hard graviera to fresh whey cheeses, with what each is like and how it is eaten.

Baked Brie in a small cast-iron skillet, topped with honey, toasted walnuts and rosemary, with slices of toasted baguette

Baked Brie: 8 Easy Recipes for Your Next Party

Eight baked Brie recipes worth bookmarking, from a five-minute honey and walnut wedge to make-ahead bites for a crowd.

Understanding Wine Vintages

A vintage is the year the grapes were harvested. Here is what the year on the label means, why weather matters, and when it is worth paying attention.

Infographic of a round wooden cheese board divided into sections: half for cheese (3 to 5 kinds, half an ounce to 1 ounce of each per guest), the rest for sweet, salty and crunchy foods, with a drink and one knife per cheese on the side

How to build a cheese board (and how much cheese to buy)

How many cheeses to pick, how much to buy per guest, how to lay out the board and the few pieces of gear that make it easier.

Wine ratings: Getting to the point

How the major wine rating systems work, what the numbers mean, and why a score is a starting point, not a verdict.

Making cheese leaves you with a lot of whey, and this is an easy way to use it: swap it for the water in a simple pizza dough. It makes one 12-inch pizza with a light, chewy crust. Ingredients 295 g (2½ cups) bread flour2¼ teaspoons instant yeast1½ teaspoons granulated sugar1 teaspoon kosher salt¼ teaspoon […]

Cheese making: A guide for beginners

If you found your way to my blog, you are either stalking me, or you just love cheese. Loving cheese involves a lot of eating, but someone who takes cheese seriously wants to know where it’s from; what it’s made of; and, how it was made. If you are looking to level up as a […]

Illustrated chart of nine numbered cheese knives: 1 small spade for hard cheeses, 2 narrow plane knife for semi-hard cheeses, 3 soft cheese knife for spreading, 4 cheese fork for holding and crumbling, 5 flat cheese knife for soft cheese and shaving hard, 6 fork-tipped spear to cut and serve, 7 open-work blade for soft, sticky cheeses, 8 Gorgonzola knife for spreading soft cheese, and 9 cheese slicer for thin slices

Cheese knives: Learn how to choose the right one for your next party.

The nine most common cheese knives, from the small spade to the cheese slicer, with what each one is for.

Mozzarella: Make your own at home

Ever want to make your own cheese? Mozzarella is one of the easiest cheeses to make and often one of the first cheeses that novices will venture to make at home. Below you’ll find a really easy mozzarella recipe to start you off on your path to cheesemaker. What you will need If you’re going […]

Author: John Proestakes