Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar is a firm, versatile cow's milk cheese originating in England, ranging from mild and pale when young to sharp, crumbly, and deeply savory with age.
How to buy
Choose based on the age or sharpness label: mild, medium, sharp, or extra-sharp and vintage. White and orange cheddar taste identical at the same age, with orange simply colored using annatto. Look for a dense, slightly crumbly wedge for aged versions, and avoid plastic-wrapped cheese with pooled moisture inside.
How to store
Wrap in cheese paper or wax paper, then loosely in plastic, and refrigerate. Mild cheddar keeps a few weeks; sharp, aged cheddar keeps a month or more. Freezing works for cooking use but makes the texture crumblier.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Mild cheddar is buttery and clean. Aging develops sharp, tangy, and sometimes faintly sulfurous notes, with extra-sharp versions edging toward pungent.
- Texture
- Smooth and semi-firm when young; aged cheddar turns drier, denser, and more crumbly, sometimes with crunchy crystalline specks.
- Aroma
- Mild cheddar smells clean and buttery; aged cheddar develops a sharper, tangier aroma.
How to prepare
- Grated — Shredded for melting evenly into sauces, casseroles, and baked dishes.
- Sliced — Cut for sandwiches and burgers, where it melts into a smooth, gooey layer.
- Cubed — Cut into bites for snacking or a cheese board, especially with aged wedges.
- Melted into sauce — Stirred into a béchamel-style base for mac and cheese or cauliflower cheese.
Classic dishes
American
- Mac and cheese — Pasta coated in a cheese sauce built around melted cheddar.
- Grilled cheese sandwich — Buttered bread griddled around slices of melting cheddar.
- Cheddar biscuits — Flaky biscuits studded with shredded cheddar, often brushed with garlic butter.
- Cheeseburger — A burger topped with a slice of melted cheddar for sharpness and richness.
- Cheese straws — Crisp, baked pastry strips flavored heavily with sharp cheddar.
- Broccoli cheddar soup — A creamy soup thickened and flavored with melted sharp cheddar.
- Cheddar-stuffed burgers — Ground beef patties stuffed with a cheddar center that melts as they cook.
- Loaded baked potato — A baked potato topped with melted cheddar, bacon, and sour cream.
- Pimento cheese — A Southern spread of shredded cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimentos.
Mexican
- Nachos — Tortilla chips topped with melted cheddar or a cheddar-based sauce and toppings.
- Quesadillas — Tortillas folded around melted cheddar, sometimes blended with other cheeses.
British & Irish
- Welsh rarebit — A savory cheddar sauce, often spiked with mustard and beer, poured over toast.
- Ploughman's lunch — A cold plate of cheddar, bread, pickles, and cold meats, a British pub classic.
- Cauliflower cheese — Cauliflower baked in a cheddar-based white sauce until bubbling and golden.
- Cheese and onion pie — A savory pie filled with cheddar and softened onions.
- Cheddar cheese scones — Savory scones studded with grated cheddar, often served warm with butter.
- Cheese toastie — A griddled sandwich built around melted cheddar, a British comfort-food staple.
Substitutions
- Gouda Cheese — Milder and more buttery; a reasonable melting substitute though less sharp.
- Mozzarella Cheese — Much blander and stretchier; good for melt in casseroles but lacks cheddar's tang.