Here's the difference between mild, sharp, and extra sharp cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheese is usually labeled according to its "sharpness." Dr. Michael Tunick, author of "The Science of Cheese," explains the reason for this flavor grading. Following is a transcript of the video.

So basically the level of sharpness is up to the cheese company. My name is Michael Tunick, I am a research chemist for the US Department of Agriculture.As cheese ages, the flavor increases.

As more and more of the bacteria that we use to make the cheese, and the coagulant that was also used to make it, break down the protein and the fat.

And as they do, you get more and more compounds forming and many of those impart flavor to the product.
So as the cheese seats around, you are going to be getting more flavorful cheese.

Also more textural breakdown and that means that a cheddar cheese becomes sharper and sharper, but so would a lot of other varieties that are meant to be aged for quite a period of time.

There is different sharpness levels on cheddar, depending on how long it’s been aged. So a mild cheddar is one that hasn’t been around for very long and then, as the months go by, they can start labeling it as sharp or medium sharp, extra sharp — things like that.

There isn’t a labeling requirement as to what level of sharpness you can call it, but it only seems to apply to cheddar cheese in the United States. The oldest cheddar that we know of, was discovered a couple years ago. It was found in a cooler that was being emptied out it dated back to the Nixon administration.

So there is this 40-year-old cheddar cheese. It was probably super sharp, but it was still edible.

[jaykirksey]

I'm from Wisconsin and I can tell the age of cheddar from 1 yr to 10 yrs in a blind taste test, the sharpness is based on how pungent it is. cheese never goes bad. cheese is love, cheese is life.

[MultiFlame]

are you telling me i cant use my extra sharp chedder cheese to cut my food?

[immortalhybrid]

I’m someone who has a unhealthy obsession with all things cheese and I love learning about it, it’s nice to watch this video because one of my favorite cheeses is a 3 year aged white cheddar from black creek Wisconsin, I live in Virginia so it’s not the easiest to get but when I do it’s such a treat

[anagramconfirmed]

I ordered some aged 17 years cheddar from a company in Wisconsin. The experience was indescribable. Do yourself a favor...get some.

[ccdogpark]

Below is the only way I ever eat apples because I don't really like them that much
but 2 Honey Crisp apples with some sharp cheese and crackers with Guldens' spicey
mustard and a glass of chablis or zinfandel is my favorite lunch.
But I am flexible on the variety of apple and the brand of crackers.
I also seldom drink wine or eat cheddar cheese without the other 2 parts
of my 3 piece ensemble. I always slice the apples into thin sections before I begin.
This is my lunch 2-3 times a week.
It surprises me sometimes how much the taste of one fruit or vegetable
can be enhanced by what other things you eat them with.
WRZ
Delaware County, PA

[LaWrennie]

I LOVE extra sharp cheddar cheese!! I bet that Nixon admin era cheese tastes GLORIOUS. I want a piece of that!!! Yummy!!!

[tyrander]

I just conclude a mini home aging experiment. A little over a year ago, I put several blocks of inexpensive supermarket extra sharp cheddar in the back of the top shelf of my refrigerator (temp?), and seven months ago I put a few blocks in my cool basement (40F-50F) to sit out the winter. I just taste compared them against the same brand bought new from the store. Both were much more flavorful than the new stuff. So, don't pay more, just let them sit unopened in their little plastic skin. Remember, that block sat in its factory plastic for 40 years and supposedly turned out really good.

[randomuser]

What would you label the moon since it made out of cheese?

[MooseGoBlue]

I prefer a super sharp chedder myself. One of my favorites is Hoffmann's Super Sharp Chedder.

[omnigeddon]

Best way to measure the sharpness with a chart is.. the sharp is the moisture level of the cheese.. so low Sharp requises leas heat to melt the cheese.. so extra Sharp has higher burn temperature.. due to less moisture as a effect of the coagulant the cheese company added.. take a small piece and melt it.. can give u a eye method to determine sharpness

[jonesnj]

*Or just use mild, medium, mature, extra mature and vintage like the rest of the world*

[literalphandmtrash]

I was gonna tell a *grate* joke but it was too *cheesy*

[Dannylol]

I got a cheez-itz ad before this video started

[sirlawrencet]

There's an extra sharp cheddar that I buy because it's good and inexpensive. The biggest problem is that it is inconsistent, one will be nice and sharp, the next too mild. So would bagging that cheese and leaving it in the fridge for a couple of months make it sharper?

[tommyjohson]

*SUPER SHARP*




So if I touch it, will I cut my hand?

[NetvoTV]

If I want to fry cheese, can 24 months vintage cheese melt or become soft enough while still in the shape I cut it into?

[taylorhenderson]

I wish I could go to Wisconsin just to live out my cheese lover dreams 😂😂.

For now I’ll have deal with my Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar. I just love the taste of “pungent/funky cheese”

[grantcooper]

"The science of cheese"
Amazing. I don't know exactly what to say about that.

[DavidSmith-egle]

Is there a point where it becomes too sharp to be edible I like super Sharp I've also noticed it gets very crumbly

[christopherayettey]

Is there a differennce between aged cheddar and cheddar cheese