Into The Curdverse

In January of 2024, a rash of headlines breathlessly reported a cheesemaking "crisis" based on the news that manufacturers of the mold powders used in commercial cheesemaking are starting to have difficulty getting the molds to produce new spores. This issue is especially acute with white molds, but blue molds are starting to see some challenges as well. In this interview with Josh Windsor, we dig into the science behind the headlines--and what it really means for cheeses of the future. Show notes here.

In the Season 3 opener, we touched briefly on the news that the fluffy white molds on brie, camembert and other soft cheeses might be going extinct! This episode serves as a refresher for why those molds are important, and as an amuse-bouche for upcoming Episode 22.

Before we dive into the deep waters of this season's episodes, we have a quick overview of cheese-related news items: the role of clay in affinage, the possible demise of brie as we know it, and the appearance of avian flu in dairy cattle. Show notes at https://intothecurdverse.com/2024/04/05/season-3-opener-catch-up-on-cheese-news/.

It's the time of year for rich foods and lavish spreads--and that means cheese! In this replay episode, we talk about the special properties of winter milk and what that means for late-season cheesemaking. And then how to choose cheeses for a memorable holiday cheese board.

Isabella Chen is one of a growing number of artisan cheesemakers around the Pacific Rim whose mastery of European-style cheeses and fluency in their own native cuisines are combining to take cheesemaking in interesting new directions. In this fascinating episode, we hear about the challenges--and tantalizing opportunities--of merging different culinary techniques and traditions. Show notes here.

Cheese in ancient China? Yes! From the early Bronze Age until early modern times, dairy products have been a part of Chinese life--and sourced from all kinds of animals, including some we don't normally think of as dairy animals. In this interview with Dr Miranda Brown, we get a glimpse into the world of traditional Chinese cheesemaking.

Praise for stretching: not just something you offer your dog. Long, glossy ribbons of fresh, warm cheese curd get transformed into balls, braids, wheels and spindles all around the world. Great for snacks, melting on pizza or tortillas, grilling and frying, or stuffing in pastry--stretched curd cheeses are a favorite everywhere they're made!

This is a replay of last year's "Girls of Summer" episode (#9), in which we discuss transhumance, the unique qualities of summer-made cheese--and pigs!

As Swiss cows head up into the high Alpine pastures for the summer, Swiss cheese aficionado Caroline Hostettler tells us all about alpage--the practice of making cheese right in the pasture where the animals graze and are milked! Show notes here.

Cheese can be eaten at any age! Nearly any age person can eat it--but also cheese itself can be eaten little more than an hour or two after milk leaves the udder. In this episode we talk about Cheeses for the Impatient--some of the oldest types of cheese in the world, yet still the most widely eaten today. They're especially flavorful and fresh-tasting in Spring, so now is a great time to explore.

In this episode I talk to Perry Wakeman, Britain's first Affineur of the Year, and Head of Cheese at Cambridge-based affinage house Rennet & Rind, to answer everyone's first question: What the heck is an affineur? Perry answers that and a whole lot more -- from the wackiest happenings he's encountered in a cheese cave to some of the most moving moments in his life in artisan cheese. Show notes here.

Milk is seasonal! And so is cheese. In this replay episode, we talk about how milk varies throughout the year, a few cheeses that are at peak tastiness right now. Show notes here.

Episode 13 talked a lot about Cheddar and its classic milled cousins. We left the story just hinting at the ongoing renaissance in British cheesemaking. In this episode, I interview passionate cheese nerd Mike Nistor (Instagram | Twitter) about how British cheeses are evolving--and some of his favorites and where to find them. Show notes here.

Cheddar is one of the most widely sold cheeses in the world. It's made in every hemisphere, and is a central ingredient in countless casseroles and other cheesy dishes throughout the Anglosphere. Its signature tang and unusual size and shape are all products of a quest for the perfect balance between a crowd-pleasing, snackable texture and durability. Its history encompasses trade wars, conquest and empire, and the birth of industrial-scale food production, as well as international cooperation in the development of dairy science. Show notes here.

It's the time of year for rich foods and lavish spreads--and that means cheese! In this episode, we talk about the special properties of winter milk and what that means for late-season cheesemaking. And then how to choose cheeses for a memorable holiday cheese board. Show notes here.

Washed rind cheeses are popular across Northern and Eastern Europe, but their reputation for stinkiness had dire implications for their popularity in late-Victorian North America--and for North American cheesemaking as a whole! Show notes here.

"Natural Rinds" is a big banner, encompassing a wide range of semi-firm to hard cheeses--everything from Asiago, Beaufort and Cheddar to Pecorino, Roncal and Tomme. Here we talk about what goes on inside the rind, and why it matters what's on it. Show notes here.

Summer is prime cheesemaking season in much of the northern hemisphere! In this episode we talk about milk seasonality, transhumance--and pigs! Show notes here.

Blue cheese is one of the more mysterious and divisive types of cheeses. There are many myths about it, and often people have had one unpleasant blue and are never tempted to try another. But blues can have a wide range of intensity, different textures, and secondary flavors ranging from apple and pear to nuts and cedar. In this episode we start exploring this very diverse group of cheeses. Show notes here.

Brie shows up on pretty much every catered cheese board because it's usually mild and has a nice mouthfeel. But there's more than Brie in the world of fuzzy-rinded cheeses! Start venturing off the beaten track--whether with a triple-cream Brillat-Savarin or a goaty Valençay. Learn how to choose a good one and how to serve it. Show notes here.

Portugal has a somewhat unique cheesemaking culture, heavily centered around sheep milk and thistle rennet. The unusual properties of each work together as if they were made for each other--and produce cheeses with a focus on the inherent flavors of the milk and juxtapositions of texture. Show notes here

Milk is seasonal! And so is cheese. In this episode, we talk about how milk varies throughout the year, and a few cheeses that are at peak tastiness right now. Show notes here.

Think you're lactose-intolerant? Maybe, maybe not. Think being lactose-intolerant means you can't eat cheese? Maybe you can. In this episode, we talk about the various forms of dairy sensitivities, how the cheesemaking process transforms milk to make it more digestible, and what options you may have when dairy doesn't love you back. Show notes here.

In this episode, we get acquainted with the various phyla of the cheese kingdom--the lactic sets, the bloomies, the hard cheeses, the blues and more.

Learn how to make cheese in under 22 minutes. We'll talk about the main ingredients of cheese and how they work together to turn liquid milk into a solid that you can take into the next life! Show notes here.

You're standing in front of the cheese counter at your local supermarket...now what? How do you choose between 4 kinds of cheddar? What's the difference between Brie and Camembert? How can one simple thing--milk--take on so many different forms? In this podcast I'll try to answer all those questions and more. But first, we start with the most basic question--what is cheese?