Meltability
How a cheese behaves when heated: whether it flows, stretches, browns, oils or holds its shape.
Also: melt, stretch, flow
Meltability is the way cheese softens and flows when hot. Rennet-set cheeses with moderate moisture and acidity, such as mozzarella, Gruyère, raclette, Comté, sulguni and young cheddar, melt smoothly. Pasta filata cheeses also stretch into long strings. Acid-set cheeses such as paneer, halloumi and queso blanco do not melt: their protein network locks up, so they can be fried or grilled and keep their shape, which is why paneer works in tikka. Very old hard cheeses melt poorly and tend to release oil, so they are grated over food rather than melted. Too acidic a cheese turns grainy and stringy when heated.