Saturday, February 19, 2011

Why I Need a Cheese Fridge

I would like a cheese fridge.  It is acceptable to own a wine fridge, so why not one exclusively for cheese? You may wonder why I think I need such a thing.  It would be because my cheese collection has long since outgrown the cheese drawer of my regular fridge. 

Last weekend, my husband and I went to The Better Cheddar in Kansas City.  I could spend far too much time (and money) wandering around sampling all the different cheeses. On my last visit, I brought home eight different types:  Norwegian Gjetost, Piave Vecchio, English Cheddar with Caramelized Onion, Italian Truffle, Prairie Breeze Iowa Cheddar, Smoked Vermont Maple Cheddar, Dutch Double Cream Gouda, and Honeyed Goat Cheese.  Yes, this was after I had narrowed my selections.  I believe my record as far as buying different types of cheese at one visit sits at eleven. 

I got home and proceeded to find a spot to fit these in my fridge.  This was a problem due to the fact my fridge already contained the following:  Balsamic Soaked Parmesan, regular Parmesan, Blue, Vermont Extra Sharp White Cheddar, Smoked Gruyere, Roasted Garlic, English Cheddar, Chipotle Cheddar, and regular sharp Cheddar. 

So, there you have it-  seventeen types of cheese overflowing from the tiny drawer that fridge manufacturers provide you to store cheese.  I’m not even counting my string cheese (three types) that I have.  I also don’t think the American singles that my husband keeps around for sandwiches and hamburgers qualify as actual cheese.

There are a couple reasons I enjoy cheese.   For starters, it is obviously delicious.  The other reason is that, just like wine, cheese comes in so many distinct types and flavors, all of which have an interesting history and geographic background. Just like wine, high quality cheese can have a layer of flavors to every taste.  I believe something that complex requires some admiration. 

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