4 Types of Cheese Absolutely Perfect for Snack-time

What comes to mind when you think of cheese? The ready-packed sliced cheese? Or the expensive kind of hard, block cheese? Sliced cheese sure has its own convenience to be consumed and at a low price, but it doesn’t taste so great now, are they? They are lacking a something to their… tastes. Hard cheeses are surely expensive, and a mere hundred grams of it can already get your wallet puking blood, but its taste is heavenly even when you’re just eating it on its own.

Difficult choice, isn’t it? Satisfy your wallet and sacrifice your taste buds, or sacrifice your wallet to satisfy your taste buds.

What if I told you, there is a way to get the best of both worlds – where you need not sacrifice either your wallet, or your taste buds? This is perfect!

We have seen rich people munching away on those aged, hard cheese as snacks with wine a lot on television, and I assume we often imagine how good life would be if that could be ‘me’. Read on and you may be able to make that tiny dream of yours come true – munching on delicious cheeses as snacks, with or without wine. Although the cheeses that are to be mentioned aren’t really old and hard cheeses, but semi-hard cheeses, they are generally capable of satisfying our taste buds at a reasonable price.

*Sequence is not according to any form of rankings.

Calico or Colby Jack by California Premium

I know what I said about sliced cheese, but pardon me for not being to locate a picture of this cheese in its block form. Calico or some may refer this as Colby Jack – whichever is fine – is a blend of Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses. Its flavour ranges from mild to medium sharp, nothing too sharp like Cheddar Cheese, so it can be considered as a softer version of plain Cheddar mixed with a hint of mozzarella taste. California Premium’s Calico is slightly salty on its own, perfect for snacks or to be melted with toasted bread.

As a Malaysian, I understand many perhaps do not fancy cheese or the strong taste of it, so this is a recommended cheese for beginners to take on. You can find this is Jason’s Food Hall located in Bangsar Shopping Centre, or in selected Cold Storage stores depending on your luck. Its price is averagely set at RM 14.85 plus minus for approximately 227 or 228 grams of cheese, in block form.

If you’d like to see how it would be like in its block form, you can refer to the following picture when you’re out searching for Calico in the supermarkets (packaging for Calico is as below - please ignore the 'Monterey Jack' cheese)

Garlic Jack by David Jacks California Mission

Garlic? Cheese? Do they go well with each other? Well, I’d say yes. Speaking from a garlic-loving person like me, or if it’s such a coincidence that you are too, then this Garlic Jack Cheese by David Jacks California Mission is a must try. This cheese is serious about its garlic. You can find chunks of garlic as well as other spices that were used to make this in it. Even from far away, you can already smell the luring aroma of garlic coming from this cheese.

This cheese goes well with biscuits and especially breads. Toast a slice or two and top them with this cheese either in slices or have them grated and it would get your taste buds dancing in delight, even without butter. Perhaps not so much for wine, but it works well for savouries.

Just like Calico, you can find this cheese in Jason’s Food Hall as well. Its price is approximately within the range of RM 15 to RM 20 for 226.8 grams, although its price varies across different supermarkets if you were to find one elsewhere.

Gouda by Mainland

Another yummy cheese to add onto your cheeseboard and this is a choice that you will never regret. This Gouda Cheddar cheese by Mainland offers you a sweet, buttery flavour and with its creamy texture which will surely make you go ‘mmm sedapnya’. It’s a mild cheddar type of cheese so you won’t be exposed to very strong flavours like its Vintage by Mainland does. For cheese beginners, Gouda would be the perfect starter. For those craving for stronger flavours and tastes, Vintage Cheddar  would probably win your heart.

This cheese can be found in Jason’s Food Hall, Cold Storage, and selected Aeon Stores. If you ever wondered about the kind of cheese that would be suitable for the family, perhaps this would be your answer. This cheese is priced averagely around RM 17 to RM 20 for 200 grams.

Monterey Jack by Food For Friends

What’s Monterey Jack, you ask? We hear a lot about Mozzarella, Parmesan and et cetera, but not really Monterey Jack now, yes? For some, maybe no, for some, yes. Here’s a little bit on the history of it name: Monterey became the name because this cheese was said to be originated from Monterey, California. Whereas for Jack… it wasn’t being mentioned much, so I’m not sure about that, my apologies.

For some people, or myself, I would describe Monterey Jack as a harder version of Mozzarella, in terms of its hardness. It tastes like Mozzarella but if you compare, the taste is softer than the latter. The only difference between Monterey Jack and Mozzarella is their moisture and taste, as both are made differently, although generally with the same ingredient(s).

This cheese can be eaten as a snack on its own, be toasted in the oven on top of the bread, or you can simply drop a small chunk of it into your bowl of Maggie noodles. It sorts of enhances the taste and of course the texture of the soup, making the soup seem a tad creamier. It sounds weird but it’s nice, and you won’t get a tummy ache, so no worries.

This can be found in Ben’s Independent Grocer or commonly known as BIG, and its price is approximately RM 15.85 for 226 grams.

Reason enough to have a toasted cheese sandwich now?

Now that you have come to know all these cheeses, you can start enjoying some tiny luxuries but protect your wallet or purse from puking blood. Also, if you’re thinking of pairing cheese with some wine, check out these variety of wines under RM50, there might be one that suits you (and your cheese). Hope you have a nice munching session with your cheese!

By Denise Goh
October 16, 2015 | Food & Beverages