Cheeses aged less than six months can be considered a soft cheese. Others, such as Parmesan and Romano, are certainly considered ‘hard’ cheese for this purpose because they are typically aged for more than six months. Hard cheeses are pressed into molds and left to ripen by microorganisms.
Parmesan cheese is aged for at least a year of not longer. Swiss cheese is also considered a ‘hard’ cheese because the ‘holes’ in the cheese may be considered indicative of a significant aging process.
Hard cheese made from peak-season milk can have intensely rich, complex flavor profiles that evoke the lush pasture the animals grazed upon at the time.
Hard cheeses are excellent for the table or on a cheese platter, and this group also boasts some of the best cooking, baking, grating and melting choices.
There are many types of hard cheeses, but the most common are Cheddar, American, Swiss and Monterrey Jack. Cheddar and American cheese, cream to orange in color with mild sharp taste. While Swiss or emmental has a creamy, yellow, firm, smooth, sweet nutty taste and large holes.
Hard cheese
