Cheese news
TradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesMakersCampus Creamery’s new owners are learning business in real timeIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyMakersDid Maroons Creamery Close in Hoboken? Here’s What We KnowIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutesTradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesMakersCampus Creamery’s new owners are learning business in real timeIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyMakersDid Maroons Creamery Close in Hoboken? Here’s What We KnowIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutes
EveryCheese

Cheeses for melting and grilling

Fondue, raclette, pizza, toasties and grilled halloumi: cheese made to melt or char.

Some cheeses are made to melt. Fondue and raclette in the Alps, pizza with mozzarella, Georgian khachapuri with sulguni, Mexican queso fundido, grilled halloumi and paneer tikka, cheese toasties and the queso dips of Texas all depend on a cheese that softens, stretches or chars just right. Choosing well is a matter of chemistry: moisture, fat, acidity and age decide how a cheese behaves in heat.

Why some melt and others do not

A cheese melts when its fat liquefies and its protein network loosens. Young, moist cheeses with moderate acidity, such as mozzarella, Fontina, Gruyère and young cheddar, melt smoothly. Very old cheeses have proteins broken into small pieces and tend to go oily or grainy. Cheeses set with acid and heat, such as paneer and queso blanco, and halloumi, whose curd is cooked in hot whey, keep a firm protein network, so they soften and brown but hold their shape: ideal for grilling and frying.

Melted at the table

Swiss fondue moitié-moitié, half and half, melts Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois in white wine with garlic and a splash of kirsch, and bread is dipped on long forks. Raclette is the name of both the cheese and the meal: the cut face of a half wheel is held to the heat and scraped over boiled potatoes, with gherkins and pickled onions. Mexican queso fundido melts Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, often with chorizo, to be scooped up in tortillas.

Stretch and char

Neapolitan pizza uses fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella. Adjarian khachapuri is a boat of bread filled with sulguni and imeruli, topped with an egg yolk and butter that are stirred in at the table. Halloumi and paneer are grilled in slices or on skewers, and paneer tikka is marinated in yoghurt and spice and charred in a tandoor. Greek saganaki is a slab of kefalograviera or kasseri fried in a small pan, sometimes flamed at the table.

Worth knowing

  • Fondue: Cheese melted in wine for dipping
  • Raclette: Melted cheese scraped over potatoes
  • Khachapuri: Georgian cheese bread
  • Neapolitan pizza: Pizza with fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella
  • Queso flameado: Mexican melted cheese, also called queso fundido
  • Halloumi: The grilling cheese of Cyprus
  • Paneer tikka: Spiced paneer charred in the tandoor
  • Saganaki: Greek fried cheese

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Melting and grilling on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 France and 4 moreTrappista cheeseTrapist sir A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese with a mild flavor and pale yellow paste.Cow · Semi-hard 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlue cheese A family of cheeses defined by blue-green mold veins created through deliberate inoculation and piercing.Cow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceComté A hard, cooked-pressed cow's milk cheese from eastern France, aged up to three years.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKashkavalkaşkaval A semi-hard yellow cheese from cow, sheep, or goat milk, popular across the Balkans and Turkey.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreReblochon A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the French Alps with a nutty flavour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreTilsitTilsiter A semi-hard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese from East Prussia with a dark yellow rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreProvolone A semi-hard Italian stretched-curd cheese aged for at least four months.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreFontinafontine A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Italy's Aosta Valley, known for its nutty flavor and excellent melting quality.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMimolette A bright orange cow's-milk cheese from northern France, aged with mites for a nutty flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceBeaufort A firm, hole-free Alpine cow's milk cheese from the French Savoie region.Cow · Alpine · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreSbrinz A very hard, full-fat cow's-milk cheese from Central Switzerland aged for over two years.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FrancePont-l'Évêque A soft, square cow's-milk cheese from Normandy with a washed rind and pungent aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇮🇹 ItalyTaleggiotalegg, taegg or taècc A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy with a pinkish rind and fruity tang.Cow · Semi-soft 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreHavartiflødehavarti A semi-soft Danish cow's-milk cheese with a buttery taste and small irregular eyes.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇩🇪 GermanyCambozola A mild German cow's-milk blue cheese with a creamy texture and white rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreBel Paese A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Italy with a mild buttery flavor and pale yellow color.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreLeerdammer A Dutch semihard cow's-milk cheese with holes and a sweet nutty taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandRaclette du ValaisWalliser Raclette A semi-hard Swiss cow's-milk cheese from Valais, aged for melting or eating.Cow · Semi-hard 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchabziger A hard, green whey cheese from Switzerland flavored with blue fenugreek.Cow · Hard · Herbal and grassy 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSwiss cheese A yellow, medium-hard cheese with characteristic holes, produced globally in various styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyToma A soft to semi-hard Italian cow's milk cheese prized for melting.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyMonte Veronese A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Verona with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesColby-Jack A mild American semi-hard cheese made by blending Colby and Monterey Jack curds.Cow · Semi-hard 🇧🇷 BrazilColony cheesequeijo de colônia A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Brazil with a yellow crust and creamy interior.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesMuenster A semi-soft American cow's-milk cheese with a smooth texture and an orange rind dyed with annatto.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇦 CanadaOka A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a copper-orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇺🇸 United StatesBrick cheese A Wisconsin cow's-milk cheese shaped like a brick with an orange rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 NetherlandsParrano A semi-firm Dutch cow's milk cheese aged five months with a nutty, salty-sweet profile.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇦🇷 ArgentinaCremoso A mild, semi-soft Argentine cow's milk cheese with no rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesMonterey Jack A mild, semi-hard cow's milk cheese from California with a creamy texture and slight sweetness.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler A yellow Swiss cheese with natural holes and a mild savoury taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomCheddar A pressed cow's-milk cheese from England, defined by the cheddaring process and long aging.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.